Mix and let sit for 15 minutes:
1 tbsp yeast
1/2 c. warm water
1 tbsp sugar

Add:
1/2 c. oil
2 c. sour milk* or buttermilk
1/2 c. sugar (or less)
1/2 tsp soda
5 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
flour

* To make sour milk, add 1 tbsp white vinegar for each cup milk, let stand 10 minutes until it clabbers.

Mix and knead. Use immediately (bake at 375) or store in an air-tight container in the fridge. This dough does NOT require a rise time; strictly form-and-bake. Pinch off pieces, fry and glaze for bakery-quality donut holes (we're eating some right now, I'm telling you... bakery-quality) or make into cinnamon rolls. I added 1/2 tsp each of pumpkin pie spice, almond and butter flavoring. Lovely flavor.

For savory dough purposes, decrease second addition of sugar to 1/2 tbsp and add 1 tsp salt. Good for rolls and pizza dough, I've made it into breadsticks, hot pockets and a cheesy bread today that tasted just like what you get from Pizza Hut.

The more I work with this dough, the more perfect it seems. Better yet because it's SO quick and I've yet to find anything it doesn't do fabulously well. For you bakers out there, this is a very elastic dough. It doesn't roll well no matter how much you let it rest; work it like a pizza dough, spin it, pull it, stretch it but don't bother trying to roll it.

Hold on and I'll add a sugar glaze for donut holes.

Donut Glaze
1/4 c whole milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 c powdered sugar

Warm milk in a saucepot on low. Whisk in extract and sugar, keep whisking until everything is thoroughly incorporated. Turn off the heat but keep warm while you're glazing your donuts (it goes all thick and crusty and manky when it's cool, so best to work fast). I glaze cooked donut holes by dunking them in, rolling them about and fishing them out on a slotted spoon, personally.

Ha! never fail...that's because I haven't tried it yet.

I'm with you, Grimmy. I'll see if this is truly 'never fail' (ie: idiot proof). When it comes to idiot proof, I'm a d@mn fine idiot.

Trust me, gents. So long as you read the directions carefully* and follow along, you can't screw this up. I use this dough almost exclusively now, not just because it can do so many things but because it makes a nice light bread every time, no matter what.

I did forget to add that I put no measurements for how much flour to use on purpose. The amount of flour you use will vary depending on where you live and even what the weather's like that day. If it's very humid, you'll use more flour. I find that telling people to use X amount of flour means they'll add exactly that much and then be confused when the dough doesn't feel right.

Add enough flour to make a shaggy mass that scrapes into a ball. Dump it onto a well-floured counter, keep plenty of flour on your hands and nearby to keep flouring up the counter and your hands, and just knead, adding sprinkles, until the ball of dough is smooth, firm and no longer wetly sticky.

* I'll not be held responsible if you use tbsp instead of tsp, lol.