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America's Best Doughnuts
David Farley January 6, 2009
From simple to gourmet, where to find the yummiest
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Perhaps this is why doughnuts have persevered through the storm of Dr. Atkins, South Beach, and a growing appetite for more health-conscious fare. “Doughnuts have always been used as a feel-good food in everything from politics to church meetings to country fairs,” says Sally Levitt Steinberg, who penned The Donut Book, which details how her grandfather invented the first doughnut-making machine. “Doughnuts have been handed out when people want to associate a good time.” (Some spell it doughnuts, some donuts. No difference.)
See our slideshow of America's Best Doughnuts.
Levitt Steinberg thinks America’s love affair with the doughnut became particularly strong during the first half of the 20th century: “Doughnuts were specifically used to bring people together to feel better in both World Wars. They were made by the Salvation Army in World War I and the Red Cross in World War II who would drive around on so-called ‘Doughnut Mobiles’ tossing them out to the troops. All that goes into why they last and last. Everybody always predicts their demise and it never happens.”
In fact, thanks to a growing interest in classic American cuisine, we’re currently in the middle of a doughnut resurgence. Enter the gourmet doughnut. Many doughnut experts and followers attribute this movement to Mark Israel, who owns the Doughnut Plant on New York’s Lower East Side. Mr. Israel began making doughnuts in his basement using an old family recipe when he first moved to New York City in the 1980s. Soon enough he had his own shop and, thanks to his use of superior ingredients and creative ways, the Lower East Side shop became a hit. The Doughnut Plant also happens to be a favorite among America’s doughnut devotes.
Bret Stetka, whose doughnut-centric The Blognut (www.theblognut.net) is the place to go online to get your doughnut fix, says, “Mark Israel really invented the gourmet artisanal doughnut,” says Stetka. “He takes seasonal produce from the Hudson Valley like lavender and rose petals and infuses them into his glaze.” Flavors change based on the season and available ingredients, but imagine a mashed banana-filled peanut butter glazed doughnut (in honor of Elvis), tres leches (three milks) doughnut, or a chocolate pudding-filled doughnut.
See our slideshow of America's Best Doughnuts.
“He obsesses over the ingredients that go into his doughnuts,” says John T. Edge, who wrote the book Donuts: An American Passion. “He cares deeply about design. For example, he’s created a square jelly doughnut that no matter where you bite into the doughnut, you’re assured to also get some jelly in there too.”
It’s no surprise that dessert menus of the country’s most acclaimed eateries are now featuring deluxe dunkers. One such case is Bouchon Bakery, owned by super celeb-chef Thomas Keller (whose restaurants Per Se and French Laundry are considered by many critics to be the best in the country). With outlets in New York, Las Vegas, and Yountville, Calif., Bouchon Bakery’s Boston Cream doughnut is a chocolate-covered plus-sized indulgence. Sally Levitt Steinberg says, “On top of the chocolate are sugar pop Rice Crispy-like things that pop and crackle in your mouth. It’s just delicious and so fun to eat.”
But doughnut eaters who prefer no-frills to fancy still have plenty of traditional doughnuts choices. Coffee an’ Donut Shop is just such the place. Set in an unassuming strip mall in Westport, Conn., this Greek-owned diner has been a local favorite for decades. But when Bill Clinton discovered the diner (and had regular shipments sent to the White House) in the '90s, it was a secret no more. “They’re old-fashioned doughnuts, but they taste wonderful,” says Levitt Steinberg. “And they’re so good because of their particular recipe, which they don’t give away—though the guy who runs the place once said it was because of the nutmeg.”
See our slideshow of America's Best Doughnuts.
Nutmeg is the key ingredient in the doughnut recipe at Zingerman’s, located in a trailer next to a roadhouse in Ann Arbor, Mich. “The doughnut at Zingerman’s is wonderfully dense and has a lot of chew to it,” says John T. Edge who traversed the country by car on a hunt for the best doughnuts. “It’s got nutmeg in it and lemon zest. It’s a cake doughnut. It’s got a rough, craggy exterior and is dusted with muscovado sugar.”
It’s the slight twist on the classic doughnut that puts Spudnuts, a no-frills doughnut shop in Charlottesville, Va., at the top of Bret Stetka’s list. Spudnuts, as the name suggests, makes their doughnuts from potatoes, offering a different taste to the offering. The Charlottesville shop used to be part of a national chain (which still exists on the West Coast), but it broke off years ago. “The doughnuts are small and incredibly light and airy,” says Stetka, “They have a slight potato flavor and they’re my all-time favorite.”
Fighting the urge for a doughnut yet? We don’t blame you. And if you’re worried about calories, you can always do what Bret Stetka does: He runs one mile at the gym for every doughnut he eats. But if North Americans have been munching on doughnuts since time immemorial, we’re sure you’ll survive the occasional delicious doughnut.
See our slideshow of America's Best Doughnuts.
