Best doughnuts? (Recipes, sources, etc.)
 

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Discuss.....

We've got a local (Anniston, AL) place, Bonnie Rae's that makes awesome donuts. They're the densest baked goods I've even eaten; moist and soft, nothing but fat, sugar and a little flour. Prior to that, Pittsfield (Mass.) Rye Bakery back home was our go-to for Sunday morning donuts and coffee cake.

I like a good jelly donut best and these places are where I have gotten the ones that make my mouth water to think of them.

Chain donuts are okay, but Dunkin' or Lamarr's don't come close to perfection.

Red's Douhnuts in Paducah, KY. Haven't been there in years, but I used to pass through Paducah when I was in school and traveling home for breaks. Fresh, hot and oh so good!

Edit: Our nation's love-affair with chains can be mystifying sometimes. I can deal with chain food when there's no good local place, but don't understand the need to go to a chain when there's a much better local option readily available.

Case in point - I was in New Orleans on my way to Cafe du Monde (beignets!). On my way, I passed a Krispy Kreme - a chain with respectable doughnuts, but nothing close to CdM's beignets. The line at Krispy Kreme was out the door, but I was able to walk right into CdM and get my beignets in minutes. Worked out great for me -- better food in less time -- but it just made no sense....

mien nghia, in LA on ord street between broadway and new high. they are not round or sweet.

In Houston, I'm always game for stopping at a Shipley's. So bad for me, but oh so tasty.

krispy kreme for glazed..
doughnut plant (nyc) for the rest.

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I actually had a fairly involved discussion on this matter in D.C. last NHL season between periods of a game between the Washington Capitals and Toronto Maple Leafs. The guy across the aisle from me at Verizon Center was a visiting Torontoan.

We managed to negotiate a diplomatic resolution during the intermission and agreed to agree that Krispy Kreme had better donuts, Tim Horton's had better coffee. (Secretary Clinton and her Canadian counterpart would be SO proud of us.)

But Voodoo Donuts in Portland, Oregon would be my choice for best donuts of all. As well as most interesting place to buy donuts.

Without a doubt...Round Rock Donuts.

http://www.roundrockdonuts.com/

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cider donuts anywhere in lancaster PA

Cake donuts. Try Randy's Donuts at LAX. Not what you would call gourmet, but a delicious confection. :D

For gourmet, in the Westwood area of LA, try Stans.

I'm not much for donuts but my mom went nuts for this place last time we were in Portland. We had to go every day and the lines were super long.

I also like the place in Westwood that is on the corner where the streets come together. Not sure if that is the same one a previous poster mentioned.

I'm also going to vote for Voodoo in Portland...where else can you get a Captain Crunch Doughnut?

and when they're hot, my knees tremble.


I think people flock to the chains because of familiarity, not because of any inherent desire for the product. We are creatures of habit, and some are less adventurous than others.

I miss the frozen Morton's mini donuts. They were always a delectable late-night treat! :)

The Apple Barn in Sevierville Tenn will give any of them a run for their money.

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is lard still used to make doughnuts or is it all Crisco....?

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Lots of names here of places Ive never heard of.... and I will say Im surprised to see KC mentioned so little...

Having grown up in the south... I have to say Krispy Kreme.... there is nothing better than drooling when the "HOT" light is on.... those are some good donuts!

+1 a must have for those going into LAX. Best time to visit is between 2:00 a.m and 8:00 a.m. local time. Its a classic with the iconic big donut ( 4 stories high or so in the parking lot ) all versions are good and drive thru too.. To me this is Los Angeles classic and best donught. There may be others but this my go to..

hot krispy kreme glazed = ^

they need more locations, but id assume economy + health craze = not good. wasnt there bad financial news for them recently?

kind of liked dunkin donuts chocolate cake / glazed, but i dont go there anymore

In the SF Bay Area, at least, my favorite is Stan's, in Santa Clara. Beats Krispy Kreme (which I do like) by a country mile.

A little hole-in-the-wall called Dutch Girl Donuts on Woodward Ave in Detroit has by far the greatest cinammon roll I've ever eaten. Not very big, but each bite is a slice of heaven. The place is open 24 hours-and sometimes it just calls me to visit at the strangest hours...

+1

Seriously, a maple bar. A maple glazed doughnut topped with maple bacon. Can you dig it? Also at Voodoo Stumptown Coffee ^ and if your really into a challenge eat the big glazed two pounder in a minute and a half and it's free.

http://voodoodoughnut.com/

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hmmmm.....

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Doesnt FT have any members that are cops that can comment...?

Most local donut shops start with better, fresher ingredients than a Krispy Kreme location does (which probably uses a mix that's shipped halfway across the country).

But I have yet to find a local place that will produce the hot, fresh donuts you can get at a KK.

I've wanted a KK to open up here not so I could frequent it but so that the local good donut shop (Dino's Donuts) would be forced to serve warm, gooey glazed donuts in order to compete!

In Blacksburg, VA, there was a doughnut shop outside of the university called Carol Lee. They had to have been the best doughnuts I've ever tasted that was not mass produced (ie Krispy Kreme). I am sad to have learned that they have closed, a casualty of the economic recession.

I have to agree that a fresh Krispy Kreme donut is hard to beat.

More locally to us, most of the donut places left have pretty bad donuts. They just don't go through enough of them to keep them fresh, and they worry more about how to make them hold for longer than how good they are. However there is a place in town called Donut Kitchen, owned by a Vietnamese family, that has some of the best donuts I have had.

Mind you, I am talking raised donuts here. You know a place is good when you can tell them Chocolate raised and they know what you want.

I'd have to say that a Krispy Kreme "Hot off the line" is the best donut available. 2 of them and some milk and I'm in heaven!

Yeah, the Atkins did horrible things to them. About the time that happened, they had some accounting "issues" that also prevented their growth. I lived in DE about that time (2004-2005?) and both of our locations closed, unfortunately. I moved to TX and they didn't have them here, either! At least I travel enough to get a hot one on a regular basis!

Add another vote for Voodoo. I like the ones with cereal on 'em. All of them. LOL

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voodoo doughnuts.....

Noted!!

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do they use lard in making doughnuts...?

Donut Plant NYC
Cafe Du Monde New Orleans ( Does that count?)
Krispy Creme "Glazed only)
Tim Hortons

Cake donuts + cider. Best I've had has been from the Franklin Cider Mill in metro-Detroit.

Those are great donuts-if they're eaten hot. If cold, yuk.

I tried to get them to dip them in cinnamon sugar a while back, but they're not too comfortable with change...!

NEw Orleans = Cafe duMonde
Houston = Shipley's
Krispy Kreme glazed if they're hot

I believe it (about the cold point). I think the best part (being from LA) was that warmth on a cold November morning. Actually not a fan of cinnamon/sugar on donuts, especially if I already have a bit of that from the cider.

I would also like to nominate Seattle's Top Pot doughnuts, and declare them the undisputed winner of the Palindromic Doughnut Naming Sweepstakes.

Donut Man in Glendora, CA. Get the fresh strawberry or peach donuts if they are in season. Tiger tails and fritters are also quite delicious and popular.

Voodoo's maple bacon doughnut is the best I've ever had.