Doughnuts. From traditional jam and ring to new versions crossed with croissants and muffins, us Brits currently can’t get enough of them
First it was the cupcake craze, then came the whoopie pie as the next big thing and now it’s the turn of the doughnut to take centre of the baking stage with more interesting fillings and varieties than ever before. To coincide with the Jewish festival of Chanukah this week, during which doughnuts are a popular treat, here’s a rundown of some of the options out there from the classic to the slightly more unusual.
The high street doughnut:
Greggs
All the classic doughnut boxes are ticked here. A nice sugary coating, soft spongy dough and plenty of sweet raspberry jam. At just 45p, it can’t be beaten.
The gourmet doughnut:
St John restaurants and bakery
What really sets these filled doughnuts apart from the high street doughnut is the filling. The jam is homemade, with the flavours changing throughout the year according to seasonality. I tasted one with blueberry jam which was quite tart and nicely balanced the sweetness of the doughnut. Their custard version is indulgently filled with a sweetened thick cream flavoured with vanilla, with flecks of black vanilla bean running through it.
https://www.stjohngroup.uk.com/bakery/doughnuts
The online doughnut:
Jam Gou Dou
The unusually named Jam Gou Dou are an online doughnut company who have been making their circular treats since 2011. They don’t have a permanent bakery but instead sell their range of doughnuts online, across the UK. Doughnuts by post sounds a potentially messy business however Jam Gou Dou have created a patented, pyramid-based, box design which ensures that the sugary goods arrive in tip-top, non-squished condition! Their range, of predominantly ring doughnuts, includes chocolate, coconut, lemon curd and my favourite - apple cinnamon.
http://www.jamgoudou.com/
The Crodough:
Rinkoff Bakeries
This croissant-doughnut hybrid is the creation of an East London family bakery, Rinkoff, and even has its own website. A fried croissant-style pastry looks like a doughnut but with the layers and ‘butteryness’ of a croissant. This produces a tall, utterly delicious doughnut. Available with the classic fillings of fresh custard and raspberry jam but also with some slightly more unusual (and in my opinion even better) ones such as toffee apple crumble. This Crodough has a fresh apple and cinnamon compote filling, topped with toffee sauce and a crunchy crumble, turning this from a tea-time snack into a dessert. Rinkoff’s claim to be the first to bring the doughnut-croissant to Britain after the Cronut, originated and since trademarked by New York bakery Dominique Ansel, took the Big Apple by storm this year.
http://www.crodoughlondon.com/
The Duffin:
Beas of Bloomsbury
Another doughnut hybrid, this time twinned with a muffin, is the tasty invention of London-based tearoom Bea’s of Bloomsbury, who have been making Duffins since 2011. Recently in the news as a result of ‘baking outrage’ when Starbucks decided not only to launch their own version in the UK but also to trademark the name ‘Duffin’. Bea’s baked doughnut muffins, filled with raspberry jam (which I would have liked even more of), are well coated in caster sugar for a crunchy exterior which contrasts nicely with the light fluffy, cake-like, sponge. There is a further twist provided by the addition of nutmeg which adds a nice warmth and spice. The perfect accompaniment to a cup of tea.
http://www.beasofbloomsbury.com/
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