• Mix together yeast, warm water and 1 tablespoon granulated sugar in the bowl of your stand mixer and allow to sit for 5 to 10 minutes.

  In a separate bowl, whisk together sugars, flour, baking powder and salt.

  Attach the bowl to stand mixer with the paddle attachment and add Crisco, egg yolks and vanilla. Mix on low setting for about 1 minute and then add flour mixture, a little at a time, fully incorporating into batter before adding more. After you have added about ⅔ of the dry ingredients, replace paddle attachment with the dough hook and mix until dough forms into a ball. Increase speed on the mixer to medium and knead the dough for approximately 1 ½ minutes.

  Place the dough onto a rimmed baking sheet that has been sprinkled with a little bread flour and shape into dough into a rectangle, about 1-inch deep. Sprinkle the dough with more bread flour and cover with a cotton cloth and set aside.

  Boil filtered some water and fill a 9 x 13-inch heatproof dish about ⅔ of the way full and place it on the bottom rack of your oven. Place your covered baking sheet with dough on the middle rack, close the door of the oven and allow to set for 1 hour. (Be sure that your oven is completely cool).

  After your dough has doubled in size, flip it out onto a floured board or counter. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough out into a 11 x 12-inch rectangle. Using a rotary pizza or pasta cutter, cut about ½-inch of dough from the edges and discard. Cut the rectangle of dough in half lengthwise and then cut 6 bars from each half of dough.

  Place the bars into 2 floured, rimmed baking sheet, (6 bars per sheet), leaving space between each bar. Refill heatproof dish with boiling water, place on bottom shelf of and place trays of bars onto upper shelves of cool oven. Close oven door and allow bars to raise, uncovered, for 1 hour.
• Fill deep fat fryer with canola oil and heat until it reaches 350°F.

  **If you don't have a fryer, you may use a large cast iron skillet with 2 inches of canola oil, heated over medium-high until it reaches 350°F. Be sure to use a candy thermometer to be sure that the temperature of the oil is kept at 350° as the temperature will fluctuate and drop when you add the doughnuts to the oil.

  When the bars have doubled in size, remove them from the oven. Carefully place a couple in the hot oil with a spider or metal spatula, being careful not to splash any hot oil. Cook one side for 30 to 45 seconds and then gently turn the bars over in the oil and cook for 20 to 30 seconds more. The bars should be a light golden color.

  Place fried bars onto a metal cooling rack, placed over paper towels to catch dripping oil. Repeat this process until all bars have been fried and allow to cool completely.

Maple icing

• While the bars cool, melt butter with brown sugar, half-n-half, and corn syrup in a medium size saucepan over medium heat until sugar is dissolved. Turn heat to low and whisk in maple extract, salt and confectioners' sugar, ½ cup at a time, until smooth. Remove from heat.

  Icing will begin to dry and harden as it sits so give it a quick stir before you dip each cooled bar into it. If it gets to thick, set the pan back over low heat and whisk in a teaspoon more of half-n-half.