What are DONUTS?

What are DONUTS?

Forget the standard definition of a donut (doughnut) - a small fried cake of sweetened dough, typically in the shape of a ball or ring. To the addict or enthusiast, they represent small portions of heaven on earth.

Well, let me back up on that last statement. MOST donuts represent a small portion of heaven on earth. There are the rare few that are so bad; you’ll never eat them again, you’ll never make them again, or you’ll never purchase them again. But honestly – I think those are rare and far apart.

I’ve personally never met a donut I didn’t like or devour. Thanks to my amazing son-in-law, I’ve recently become addicted to a chain that opened a store nearby. Here’s my unashamed endorsement for “DUCK DONUTS” – truly heaven on earth abides in the hands of the establishment personnel who create my obsession.

They are warm, soft, sweet, sticky, yummy, and just about every other adjective I can come up with to describe fried dough with endless toppings.

And I know you’re dying to find out what is on my favorite donut.

Maple glaze. Bacon bits. And more bacon bits. And more maple glaze. (Luckily, you can’t see how my face is glazed over right now, and my mouth is rival to Niagara Falls.) Yes, they are THAT good.

But I must give credit where credit is due, and that is to all the other donut shops, doughnut shoppes, or kitchens around the neighborhood that also make donuts.

While growing up in a small Texas panhandle town (inserting a small plug for Tulia, Texas here), there was an amazing little shop by the big grocery store in town named “The Spudnut Shop.” It was owned and run by a family who made incredible glazed doughnuts based on potato flour, not wheat flour.

They were light and soft and perfectly sweet with the simple sugar glaze. My mom would often buy the frozen day-old spudnuts. These were transformed via a hot frying pan and melted butter into this fat kid’s early obsession with junk food. And I say junk food with lots of love because they had little if no nutritional value to speak of, but I devoured them in seconds!

Later in life, the next step up for me in the donut chain was the infamous Dunkin’ Donuts. The first location was called “Open Kettle” in 1948 in Massachusetts. The owner concentrated on nickel donuts and dime coffee. Rosenberg, the founder, renamed his establishment “Dunkin Donuts.” The first franchise opened in 1955, and in ten years, expanded to over 100 stores.

They’re doing something right because, since 1950, Dunkin’ Donuts has opened 12,000 plus locations in over 45 countries. One source states they serve over 1.9 billion (yes, with a ‘b’) cups of hot and cold coffee with “…, with standards for coffee excellence that are among the best in the industry.” I believe that I love their coffee! And their donuts!

What’s another famous name in the donut realm? Krispy Kreme, of course! I only became familiar with them when I moved to the deep south – Charleston, South Carolina, to be exact. What’s fascinating is that they precede Dunkin’ Donuts by eleven years!

Krispy Kreme and its famous yeast-raised doughnut recipe began in North Carolina in 1937. I love the part of the history stating the founder, Vernon Rudolph, was making and selling the doughnuts to grocery stores, but the scent of freshly cooked doughnuts was stopping people on the streets. They wanted to buy the hot, fresh doughnuts right then and there. So Vernon cut a hole in the wall to the outside and began selling doughnuts to the pedestrians.

How many people check the neon sign on Krispy Kreme stores to see if it says “Hot - Now!” Please don’t be ashamed to admit it! A close friend’s husband (a handsome, 6 foot plus health coach) flipped a U-turn on a major road just because he saw the sign come on while driving by! A dozen glazed later, they headed home. (Insert smiley face here)

Winchell’s – familiar name, but I’ve never had any, so I can’t comment.

Shipley’s – my daughters in Lubbock, Texas, introduced me to Shipley’s. I have to admit they are tasty! But alas, they’re not Duck Donuts. Sorry.

Then there are the proverbial homemade donuts. I don’t know how many cans of ready-to-cook biscuit dough got sacrificed in the name of ‘gotta have something sweet.’ We, whoever happened to be my partner in crime was for the fry-down, freed the dough from its explosive container, poked a hole in the middle, and fried them in a pan filled with whatever oil was available.

THEN the fried treats were sprinkled with sugar, maybe with some cinnamon added or glazed with the iconic milk and powdered sugar glaze. These homemade donuts rarely lasted more than a few seconds out of the frying pan, even burning a tongue or lip or two.

So now that your mouth is watering, your sweet tooth is on high alert, your blood sugar is racing, indulge – if only a little – on your favorite donut.

Remember, too:

- donuts aren’t always round

- donuts aren’t always graced with a hole in the middle

- sometimes they’re long and flat

- sometimes they’re filled with even more heavenly goodness (my weakness is creams, not custards)

- or topped with the most unusual (pickled jalapenos, anyone?)

It’s all good, fellow enthusiasts!

If I’ve left out something particularly enticing, please let me know! And if I have to make a special road trip to find it, even better!