Yes, at their most basic level, donuts are essentially fried dough. The dough is typically made from ingredients like flour, sugar, yeast, milk, and eggs, which are mixed together to form a dough. This dough is then shaped into a ring or other various shapes and deep-fried until it becomes golden brown and puffy. After frying, donuts are often coated with sugar, glaze, icing, or other toppings to enhance their flavor and sweetness. While this is the fundamental concept of a donut, there are many variations and styles of donuts, including cake donuts (which use a denser batter), yeast-raised donuts (which use yeast for leavening), filled donuts (with creams, jellies, or other fillings), and various toppings and flavors. So, while the core of a donut is indeed fried dough, the wide range of creative variations has made it a popular and diverse treat worldwide.