Yes, donuts are like other kinds of breads and yeast is important. Hey, if your mother knows about making bread she'd be a good one to talk to!

When I first made bread the yeast came in little squares wrapped in foil. You had to mix them with warm water and see if you get any bubbles. Then there were little packets of dry yeast granules. I don't think you had to 'proof' those, there was a date stamp to show if they were fresh.

I have even made sourdough bread! That is made with 'wild' yeast and I bought mine from a woman who had collected it from the grape vineyards in her area. Sourdough yeast takes a lot of care. You have to 'feed' it with flour and water and a little sugar every few days to keep it fresh. From this 'starter' you use maybe a cup for a recipe of bread. Then keep feeding the original until you have enough to make more. After a few years my starter turned too sour to taste good. I didn't take good care of it. But it was fun while it lasted!

The rolls we eat warm with a little butter. The next day we make little sandwiches with them, slice them in half and put leftover ham (or turkey) inside. We usually run out of rolls before we have eaten the leftover meats. Very sad. :-)