Good Donuts

I come by a love of donuts honestly. Every Sunday of my childhood, my family of five each got two donuts from our local grocery store. I cannot recall a Sunday without them. 

Fried foods were not something my mother, the cook in our family, made at home or thought we should eat regularly. But fried dough smothered in sugar and chocolate and stuffed full of frosting from a bakery? Yes. Every Sunday? YES. 

See, my family adored dessert. Still does. So much so that when we gather now, grandparents and adult children and spouses and a growing number of grandchildren, we have dessert at every meal, including breakfast. Breakfast dessert is a legitimate thing. As in, after eating a normal breakfast, my brother will say, "What's for breakfast dessert?," and my mom will rattle off the options.

Optionsssss. There is more than one breakfast dessert choice.

I moved to my current town a year ago and immediately began searching for my breakfast dessert options there. Because even though I love to bake, my most favorite breakfast dessert is still the donut. 

There are no donuts in my town. 

Rather, there are no good donuts. 

There are eight pizzerias. Seven places to get ramen. Six ice cream shops.  A few yummy Indian restaurants, one great casual Greek restaurant, an absolutely fantastic deli, a new French brasserie, a hip bar in the former train station, a bakery dedicated to cupcakes (the frosting is the highlight), a legendary pancake house, and a really delightful crepe place that Guy Fieri featured on his show which caused the locals to shake their fists because now it's all tourists all the time. 

There is also, I must admit, a national chain donut shop. The cupcake shop has some donuts. And one of the six ice cream shops has a rather sad display of donuts next to the register that my son always seems to be hoodwinked by. 

I have tasted these donuts. 

They are not good donuts. 

A good donut must be tender. Soft. One should not be able to taste the oil it was fried in nor should one need a cup of coffee or a glass of milk to choke it down. 

As important as the tenderness is the sweetness. In my mind, a good donut should be sweet enough that you'll say to your children after dinner, "No dessert tonight, sweetie. Remember that donut?" Tossed in cinnamon sugar, dunked in glaze, topped with frosting, bursting with a sweet cream filling—the sugar should reign supreme. 

The mark of a good donut is the exclamation "THAT WAS WORTH EVERY BITE" rather than a disappointed mutter, "Why did I eat that?" 

I eventually decided that, good donuts within walking distance being unavailable, I would just have to make the donuts myself. 

I confess that I am my mother's daughter in more ways than one and that I also am not comfortable making fried foods (my husband is the resident fryer). But I believe that proper research, quality kitchen tools, and a plucky can-do attitude can go a long way towards success. I already know my way around sugar; I can conquer frying. 

I think. 

Next week, the first stop on the Donut Quest: the Old-Fashioned Buttermilk Donut from The Cook's Illustrated Baking Book.  A simple fry cake dunked in cinnamon sugar or perhaps a glaze. Let's start small, shall we? 

In the meantime, if you are similarly hesitant about frying, know that baked donuts are simple and surprisingly fast to make at home. 

You will need:

A donut pan. I recommend purchasing two, as many recipes yield 12. 

A recipe. I have tried several from King Arthur Flour's website and been pleased with the results:

•  A basic vanilla donut
• Yummy glazes (I cannot attest to the deliciousness of the apple cider glaze, but doesn't it sound wonderfully appropriate for fall?) 
• A pumpkin donut for those of you who can't get enough pumpkin spice in your life (pairs beautifully with chocolate glaze) 

Let's be clear: a baked donut made in a donut pan is not the platonic ideal of a good donut. But it is an easy, tasty option for a day that calls for homemade breakfast dessert. And sometimes that is perfectly good. 

Vanilla baked donuts with chocolate glaze and vanilla glaze. Sprinkles mandatory.