Cook the Book: 'Donuts, An American Passion'
In honor of National Doughnut Day, coming up Friday June 1, we are going to feature recipes all this week from my friend John T. Edge's Donuts: An American Passion
John T. is equal parts food cultural anthropologist, eating enthusiast, and first-rate writer. As a result, his book is everything a book about doughnuts should be: funny and smart and just serious enough.
Comments are closed: 46 Comments:
The contest rules say to send email, but this piece doesn't say were we should send it. Do we send our entry to the "contact us" address or some other address?
Calichef at 6:28PM on 05/29/07
Old Fashioned Donut at 11248 S. Michigan Avenue, Chicago, IL for apple fritters.
fleurdesel at 6:38PM on 05/29/07
Calichef,
We post comments, and winners are chosen at random.
fleurdesel at 6:42PM on 05/29/07
Marie's on Freeport Blvd in Sacramento. Clearly the best donuts in town.
rosielucchesini at 9:13PM on 05/29/07
Mary Janes Donuts near the Fairgrounds in Allentown, PA.
biscuitbaker at 9:20PM on 05/29/07
i'm sorry to say, but i can't stay away from the chains. krispy kreme for the free warm-off-the-line-with-a-straw donut. which they don't do anymore. but yeah, their warm donuts....
anado at 9:26PM on 05/29/07
Hmmm...I would have to vote for Doughnut Plant in NYC
izzy's mama at 10:25PM on 05/29/07
AJ's Donuts and Delights in Concord, OH. Yummmmm!!!
jenki at 10:57PM on 05/29/07
Top Pot Donuts in Seattle is the local champ, but as a Southern girl, I still crave Krispy Kreme.
thepictsie at 11:23PM on 05/29/07
I'm from a small town in Ripley,Tennessee and our local grocery store, E.W. James, produces warm glazed yeast donuts by the dozens every morning. So yummy & delicious. They make a fantastic chocolate glazed as well.
There's nothing like that warm sugary donut smell in the morning to start your day off right!
Erinay77 at 11:34PM on 05/29/07
Morning Star Bakery in Adrian, Michigan, each and every morning making more big-ass donuts for more big-ass people, like me! :-)
LunaPierCook at 5:06AM on 05/30/07
The Fractured Prune in Raleigh, NC. They make custom donuts! Its a calorie extravaganza!
Jennefur at 8:05AM on 05/30/07
I have to concur with the Doughnut Plant in NYC. I like them better than Krispy Kreme, which is why I try to stay away from there. The flavors are a bit more unique than the average donut shop, and they are made right on the premises. Dean and Deluca carries them also.
Mich23 at 9:00AM on 05/30/07
In Chicago, Dinkel's Bakery on North Lincoln Ave. makes a mighty fine donut.
beanbreath at 9:19AM on 05/30/07
Alas I cannot think of a single local donut shop here in midtown Manhattan. :(
FKC at 10:58AM on 05/30/07
The Doughnut Kettle.
I haven't yet found anything to match a buttermilk bar fresh out of the oven at 3:30 in the morning.
pcrackenhead at 12:10PM on 05/30/07
Sweetwater's Donut Mill in Kalamazoo, Michigan. In fact, my friend and I made a documentary about it. (Link if you're interested.)
amyscoop at 1:35PM on 05/30/07
Burke's Bakery in Danville, Kentucky. And not just the donuts, but the rolls, and the cookies, and... sugar overload!
sparkythewonderdog at 1:54PM on 05/30/07
The apple cider donuts at Bartlett's Orchard, 575 Swamp Road, Richmond, Mass., are legendary here in the Berkshires! Crispy, cinnamon-sugar exterior surrounding a spiced, moist, apple-infused cake-like interior is heaven--perfect for enjoying out beneath the apple trees...
à la mode at 2:43PM on 05/30/07
In Sarnia, Ontario; my hometown there is a coffee spot called Blackwater, they are fantastic there. They roast their own beans, and make breakfast bagels to die for.
Lilartist at 3:27PM on 05/30/07
There's a donut shop near a funky coffeehouse in my city that I think is called Ken's Donuts. They're open 'til about 2 AM to catch all the college students, and right around 11 PM the smells of fresh-baked, calorie-laden, buttermilk donuts start wafting across the street... Mmmm.
Christina at 3:33PM on 05/30/07
Lerch's Donuts, Wooster, Ohio.
Smaller sized cake donuts that come sugared, powdered sugar, and plain. They sell out of a trailer in front of a grocery store (with funnel cakes and fresh squeezed lemonade), and have their own area at the county fair that draws in crowds from all over!
How's THAT for small town?! Really though, they are AWESOME donuts! Dozen sugared for $4 is a pretty good deal too!
bobcatsteph3 at 5:24PM on 05/30/07
Spunky Dunkers in Palatine, IL. How can you go wrong with a name like that?
me3dia at 6:53PM on 05/30/07
Congdon's Donuts in Wells, Maine....OH. MY. GOD.
Deb07 at 9:36PM on 05/30/07
neville's in North Adams MA. nothing comes close
chestnutflour at 10:04PM on 05/30/07
neville's in North Adams MA. nothing comes close
chestnutflour at 10:04PM on 05/30/07
neville's in North Adams MA. nothing comes close
chestnutflour at 10:04PM on 05/30/07
That place down the Jersey shore (just before Long Beach Island) that has lines around the block every summer morning. Though I don't recall its name, it was a traditional stop on the way to the beach.
Or if I need a name, the nice Dunkin Donuts in Ewing, NJ, where they give you 3 donuts for the price of 1 if you buy them just before closing.
veggiesattva at 10:56PM on 05/30/07
the now closed schultz's cider mill in armonk, ny was my ultimate favorite. since it exists no longer, i will second the vote for doughnut plant in nyc. and for those of you on the west coast, don't miss the beignets at boulette's larder in the san francisco ferry building.
skim at 11:13PM on 05/30/07
Primo's on Sawtelte in LA. There is your sugar fix.
Mike13241 at 9:41AM on 05/31/07
Daily Dozen Donuts at the Pike Place Market in Seattle
fatbuddy at 1:10PM on 05/31/07
Daily Dozen Donuts at Pike Place Market in Seattle
fatbuddy at 1:12PM on 05/31/07
All I've seen here are Dunkin Donuts, which I can live without.
Lou at 7:44AM on 06/01/07
Ken's Donuts. Austin, Texas. Best at 3:37 AM precisely.
intheyearofthepig at 10:56AM on 06/01/07
I've had lots of good ones, but none as wonderful as the homemade ones (both cake and yeasted) with fresh cider at a brunch outside of Boston last fall.
Enmalkm at 11:27AM on 06/01/07
since Krispy Kreme started as a mom and pop in my home state of NC, i don't feel bad picking it even though it's a chain. i much prefer the ooey-gooey hot original glazed at KK to the cake donuts at Dunkin Donuts which is the common shop in New England where i now reside. i have yet to check out any independent shops here in MA, but due to DD's popularity, they are unfortunately pretty few and far between. I agree with Enmalkm about the cider donuts though! i love to get them when i go apple and pumpkin picking!
everything_is_free at 11:46AM on 06/01/07
Tato-Nuts in Ocean Springs, MS has the best donuts I have ever had. Don't even try to compare to Krispy Kreme, Dunkin Donuts or any others. It is a small one-owner shop but does a heck of a business. Get there early or just forget for another day.
msbooch75 at 11:50AM on 06/01/07
Inman Doughnuts in Dallas (Medallion Center, between Skillman and Abrams, just S. of Northwest Highway). A family run place where you can watch them make the doughnuts, tons of flavors and don't miss their pigs in a blanket!
Julie D at 12:29PM on 06/01/07
Inman Doughnuts in Dallas (Medallion Center, between Skillman and Abrams, just S. of Northwest Highway). A family run place where you can watch them make the doughnuts, tons of flavors and don't miss their pigs in a blanket!
Julie D at 12:29PM on 06/01/07
The Golden Brown Bakery Inc. in south haven, MI. They know how to make 'em.
zekks at 2:13PM on 06/01/07
World's Fair doughnuts, St Louis MO. Sad that I moved away.
fsmchang at 3:29PM on 06/01/07
everyone should visit Voodoo Donut in Portland Oregon at least once in their life.
Anywhere that has a donut with bacon on it, an apple fritter the size of a human head, a bavarian filled donut shaped like and called "cock and balls" Not to mention you can get married there under the giant donut, AND you can learn swahili... thats my kinda donut shop. Its amazing.
Vapidintuition at 3:54PM on 06/01/07
Meh... It seems like finding a good donut is a miracle. Presti's was always the Cleveland donut place. I never liked it. Then desperate for a donut, I got one there and it was excellent. Presti's is now Gilly's and I've generally been disappointed. There was another place called Honey Girl Bake Shoppe. I only bought donuts there once and then they closed. Apparently they're open again. I'm hoping against hope that they can consistently make a good donut. So, they're my answer: Honey Girl Bake Shoppe.
stu_spivac at 4:13PM on 06/01/07
Twin Donuts in Allston, MA. Great homemade donuts, and killer breakfasts, old-school.
dikaryon at 6:10PM on 06/01/07
Ummmmmmmmmmmmm, doughnuts. Hope I win the book. Thanks!
mrsdebdav at 3:11PM on 06/02/07
Liliha Bakery, Honolulu, HI
anniebelle at 6:47PM on 06/03/07