In the bowl of a stand mixer with a dough hook on mixer, add warm milk, granulated sugar and yeast. Mix to combine and let rest for 5 minutes until yeast is active and mixture is bubbly.
1 cup whole milk, ½ cup granulated sugar, 2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast
Stir in mashed potatoes, melted butter, salt eggs and 2 cups of flour.
½ cup mashed potatoes, ¼ cup butter, ½ teaspoon salt, 2 eggs, 4 ½ cups flour
Add remaining flour ½ cup at a time. Continue adding and mixing flour until dough forms in to a ball and dough is soft and just slightly sticky. You may not use all the flour.
4 ½ cups flour
Knead for 10 minutes.
Remove dough from mixing bowl and place in a large greased bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit until dough doubles in size (1 ½- 2 hours)
Gently deflate dough and divide dough in half.
Roll one half of dough into an 8 x 12" rectangle. Cut into 6 x 2" pieces using a pizza cutter or a large sharp knife.
Place each rectangle on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Leave space between each piece so they have room to rise.
Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let rise for 30 - 45 minutes.
Frying Maple Bars
Heat at least 2 inches of oil in a large pot to 370 degrees.
Oil for frying
Carefully lift a maple bar off the parchment paper and lower into preheated oil. Add 2-3 bars at a time. (Do not overcrowd pot)
Cook for 1-2 minutes per side until golden brown.
Gently lift each bar with tongs from oil, allowing excess oil to drip from bars. Place hot bars on a baking sheet lined with paper towels. Do not overlap hot bars. Repeat with remaining bars. Make certain oil maintains temperature between 360 - 370 degrees.
Maple Frosting
Combine powdered sugar, maple extract and milk in a bowl. Mix to combine.
When bars are completely cooled, spread a layer of frosting on top of each bar. Let bars set until frosting has hardened (30 minutes)
Notes
For Mashed Potatoes - Peel and quarter one small russet potato. Place potato in a pot of water and boil until soft. Drain water and mash the potato with a fork or potato masher. Allow the potato to cool before adding to the dough.** Do not add butter or milk to the mashed potatoes and do not use instant potatoes.
Tips for making maple bars
Use about 2 inches of oil in your pot. The amount will vary, depending on the size of your pot.
Use a thermometer to make certain your oil maintains a proper temperature
Do not overcrowd the pan when cooking. I only cooked 2-3 bars at a time
Place cooked bars on paper towels to help absorb any excess oil
Don't pile cooked bars on top of each other until the bars are fully cooled
Allow bars to fully cool before adding frosting
Store excess bars in an airtight container
Variations
Use chocolate frosting instead of maple frosting
Add chopped, cooked bacon on top of maple frosting
Sprinkle with powdered sugar instead of adding frosting