Heh, that was me five years ago, I actually tried them last year and they're amazing.

Also, if you like cake doughnuts, this is one of the best places for them. They're here in Durham. http://www.monutsdonuts.com/

We have outposts of SEA-based Top Pot Doughnuts here in DFW now. They're quite good but not great. Glazed Donut Works in Deep Ellum is a better local choice.

For greatness though, I'd go with Blue Star Donuts (PDX). Their blueberry bourbon basil donut is incredible but everything I sampled from there is really good.

Also amazing is Spalding's Bakery (LEX). They make excellent old-school throwback donuts. Just go with a simple glazed donut. Simplicity is best sometimes and Spalding's puts gimmicky trendy donut joints to shame.

Agree with the greatness of Blue Star Donuts (PDX). They do not have the sugar content of most donuts, so you can actually enjoy the added flavors!

I believe Blue Star Donuts has also opened in Venice, CA.

I don't think I can find it again but read a story on-line about the KY donut trail. I'm pretty sure Spaulding's was one of the shops. The premise was a bike ride near the bourbon trail where the writer stopped every 20 or 30 miles for donuts. No chains involved, just old fashioned bakeries and donut shops.

OK, I found it and Spauldings was there in the appendix. Here's a link.

Remember when they had the commercials "I gotta make the donuts!!" where they made donuts throughout the day and night. Now they "dumbed it down" for better consistency between stores where they make them at a central location and truck them as "blanks" to the stores. The stores then finish them based on their needs, adding the fillings (jellies and creams) and toppings (different frostings or sugars). So that the size and density of the donuts are the same every store you go to. In South Florida, most stores get the trucks once a day in the morning, with the higher volume locations getting a second delivery in the late morning.

Stores are now smaller or combined with Baskin's-Robbins Ice Cream to better maximize revenue per location. I have stopped eating doughnuts at night except for my local Krispy Kreme who makes them all day and night as they are the local "factory" for those sold in grocery stores and Walmart locations throughout South Florida.

Not really a donut person but fresh Krispy Kreme are near the top. The problem is that I only know of one store remaining in the areas I frequent between home and work.

I haven't had an extensive taste test of Malasadas but the ones at Tex Drive In in Honoka'a on the Big Island of Hawaii are my favorites.

I'm not sure about all Mariano's, but mine (in the west Loop) has fresh, warm glazed doughnuts at 4:00 every day. They come pretty close to Krispy Kreme when they are still warm. Perhaps there is one between home and work?

Gibson's Donuts in Memphis
 

Best I've ever had, and I've had a lot of 'em! Busy place, always cooking. So you never get one that's not just about perfect. Krispy Kreme can't compete with these!

I'm judge of elections at my local precinct, and since yesterday was our primary, I brought in Dunkin Donuts for breakfast. It's the only joint in town. I'm currently eating the leftovers, which are now day-old and dry.

Good to know. Yes, "Time to make the donuts" still rings in my head. I assumed they were baked on the premises and they quit sometime during the day. This is sad. Fortunately, we have 2 local donut shops that are superior to any chain. I just wish they made good coffee.

If you're in Rome with a sweet tooth, go a block and a half north of Ottaviano Metro Station and look for a small staircase going down.

Open 24 hours, affordable.

Dolce Maniera

Has anyone else tried a Fractured Prune donut? They fry up fresh ones and you can customize the toppings you want. Their store in the Detroit area closed a few months ago, but I know they have other locations across the country. Mmmmm.....donuts!

They just opened a location about 20 miles from me. I've not ventured down there yet. There is also a Duck Donuts opening near Mr. Kipper's work place.

Duck Donuts?

When Dunkin sold off a number of stores in this area, many of them reopened under very similar sounding names like Dippin Donuts and Funkin Donuts and such. Reminds me of one of those.

Always baffled by recommendations that are prefaced with "Hey, I don't really like the thing I'm recommending." Why should we listen, then? Krispy Kreme are foul, sorry, and that pretty much proves that you're not a donut person.

Much debate over donuts in Chicago since the new addition of Stan's from LA. However, I still stick with Glazed and Infused as the best donuts I've ever had: http://www.goglazed.com/

Doughnut Plant (http://doughnutplant.com/) in NYC is pretty solid as well.

Not a particularly big fan of Voodoo Doughnuts in PDX, but I've been known to head there after several beers. Will have to sample Blue Star the next time I'm out there.

Krispy Kreme is far too sweet and sugary for me.

Since I originally posted in this thread I am glad to say I have had an amazing donut experience. Back Door Donuts on Martha's Vineyard (Oak Bluffs to be specific) is the best donut experience I have ever had. During the evenings Martha's Vineyard Gourmet Café & Bakery sells donuts, hot out of the over right from the back of their store. Their apple fritter is what they are known for, and it was amazing, but I tried a bunch of others and all were great. My pancreas probably hates me but what they serve is above and beyond. It is such an incredible experience that I would go to the island just to grab a donut.

Dough and Doughnut Plant (NYC)
 

Anyone tried those places above?

I thought it was pretty good!

Does this thread refer to the taste, or the nutritional benefits of the aforementioned doughnuts?

Do yourself a favor and skip it, unless you like oily, under-fried donuts that take forever to get. Totally not worth it.

I'll say the same thing for Astro Donuts. Their fried chicken, on the other hand, is very good.

I wasn't going to make it a point to be there for their grand opening, but this information means we'll probably not try them. :D

You really aren't missing anything. Except overpaying for mediocre donuts. Money better spent on beer!

:D There is a good beer bar not far from the Duck Donuts location...

Which Duck Donuts location? The two I know are in Arlington and Fairfax.

It's a new location in PA.

If your in an area with some Latin influence, you can always have churros instead.

Duck Donuts in Virginia Beach is amazing!

Interestingly, others have said that Duck Donuts isn't worth it.

Sky Top Orchard in North Carolina has apple cider doughnuts that are extremely delicious.

Delicious selection at Lucky's Doughnuts in Vancouver, I especially liked their Halloween themed ones:

https://photos.smugmug.com/Travel/Va...IMG_8762-L.jpg

https://photos.smugmug.com/Travel/Va...IMG_8763-L.jpg

Best donut recipes, esp for a basic cake donut with maple frosting?
 

Hi All
i want to try making donuts and I hope some people here will post their recipes. There are loads of online recipes but I’m curious to know which ones you like. I want some ideas from my fellow FT-ers :-)

My mother taught me using the recipe in the Better Home & Gardens New Cook Book. It’s still in the 1968 copy I have. It’s in my 2000 edition as well but includes chocolate glaze. You might try googling it as it’s a lot of typing and I’m lazy. I miss my mothers old stove which had a back burner that lowered to create a deep fryer. I still have a scar on my forehead from leaning over while dropping the dough into the fryer.

For maple frosting, if you can find a copycat Tim Hortons recipe, you can’t do any better than that IMO.

Funny you you should bring this up. I’m planning to make bagels for th first time as soon as my yeast arrives.

I don’t ever use a deep fat fryer. But having seen your other post where you expressed a preference for reducing sugar in recipes, I’d point you to this one which uses the “water roux” method:

https://foodcrumbles.com/making-donu...ng-water-roux/

Aces - I’ll check better homes & gardens recipe. I’ll also check out the link for water roux - something that’s also new for me.

Ok so what’s your bagel recipe?
may the yeast soon arrive. It’s posts like yours where I feel relieved and justified to have bought a total of 4 pounds of yeast! I ran into another mom at Safeway last week in the baking aisle and when she mentioned yeast, I offered to be her final desperate hope for yeast, because she suddenly didn’t seem to need it :-)

Thats funny. The cashier at a nearby Dollar Tree offered me some if I didn’t find it elsewhere. I found some on Amazon. Just have to wait.

Off the top of my head, bagels only call for 4 ingredients. What’s unique is boiling them before baking. Can also add a cup of honey to the boiling water for a “little” sweetening up.

I use (but VERY rarely, making bagels is a more involved process than other breads) a recipe for whole wheat bagels from the Peter Reinhart baking book - “Whole Grain Breads”.
As you say - just flour, salt, instant yeast and a sweet syrup - honey or barley malt is recommended. Water too of course, but that doesn’t count as a fifth ingredient.
Peter Reinhart encourages using a “biga” and “soaker” when baking. These aren’t “water roux”, but they will have a similarish effect of locking moisture (and flavour) into the finished items.

this water roux for baking is fascinating. I recall the idea of flour & water for thickening a gravy but wouldn’t have connected it for baking. Very fun!! I’ll try it when baking something without moist (brown) bananas.