Add yeast in 1/4 cup very warm water. Whisk until dissolved. Wait 5-10 minutes for yeast to bubble up.

Heat milk and add butter. Stir until butter melts.

Place all dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add all wet ingredients and mix thoroughly until combined. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit in a dark, warm place until doubled in size (approximately 1 hour).

Once doubled in size, knead dough for 5 minutes until smooth and elastic. Place dough on a floured surface.

Roll dough out to a 1/3" thickness. Cut dough using an oval cookie cutter. Place ovals on a generously floured parchment lined tray. Reserve half as many ovals for the next step.

Cut reserved ovals in half. Brush water on the top third of each oval and place half an oval on the top third. Repeat until all ovals have a half-oval on the top.

Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 1 hour.

Once the dough has had its second rise, using a very sharp knife, slit the half oval across.

Heat oil to 370?F over medium heat. Carefully place 4 donuts in oil and cook 1 minute on each side.

Using fryer sieve, retrieve donuts from the oil and let cool on a cooling rack lined with paper towels.

Gather dough remnants into a ball and roll out very thin (1/16" thin). Cut thin (1/8") strips of dough using a pizza cutter and fry the strips in 370?F hot oil for 1 minute each side.

Combine milk, sugar, corn starch, egg yolks, vanilla bean paste, and salt in a saucepan. Whisk until combined and cook over low-medium heat until thickened. Place on a plate, cover with plastic wrap, and chill.

Once the pastry cream has cooled, whip heavy cream to firm peaks. Add pastry cream to whipped cream and whip on high until combined. Put cream in piping bag and insert nozzle into donut to pipe cream into each donut until slightly heavy.

Melt chocolate and butter over low heat. Add icing sugar and mix until combined. Add water and stir. Dip tops of donuts into chocolate glaze.

Microwave soft caramels for no more than 10 seconds until pliable. Roll into a thin sheet and slice into thin strips. Place the first strip below the bulb of the cockroach's head and cut to size.

Paint the cockroaches using black food color and water. Paint the areas of the head, bottoms of the caramel stripes, and add details. Insert antennae and legs.