The Bite Magazine Issue 17

Later, in 1847, it is said that a sea cap- tain’s mother, Elizabeth Gregory, who was known for her killer olykoeks, is responsible for creating what is the iconic dough-nut. Apparently, she took liberty of her son’s spice and nut cargo and added ingredients like nutmeg and walnuts to give the plain dough more flavour. Her son then took the recipe with him to make while out to sea and while there are several differing legends of how the hole in the dough- nut came to be, it is thought that the good ol’ captain is responsible for the redesign. After this, doughnuts, while still a popular treat, didn’t really take off as a true food staple until World War I when soldiers entrenched in France were brought doughnuts by appreciative Salvation Army volunteers to remind them of home. AsWWI ended, the roaring 1920s came crashing in with its flash and Nuevo-deco way of things, and with it the first dough- nut machine was created to meet the demand of the returning soldiers and a nation who had now become accus- tomed to eating them regularly. As such, Adolph Levitt, a Russian expat, saw this niche in the food market and created the first automated donut making machine. In 1931, the NewYorker , stated,“We can tell you a little about the doughnut-making place in Broadway,” and described how “doughnuts float dreamily through a grease canal in a glass enclosed machine, walk dreamily up a moving ramp, and tumble dreamily into an outgoing basket.” By 1934, Levitt was earning over 25 million dollars a year from selling his machine to bakeries across the country. That same year, the World’s Fair in Chicago declared the doughnut, “the food hit of the Century of Progress”. Fast forward to the 1940s and 1950s and the first doughnut franchises began springing up. Krispy Kreme Doughnuts and Dunkin’ Doughnuts, two of the most well-known doughnut bakeries worldwide began serving their warm, soft confectioneries to the masses along with coffee which helped seal the doughnut as a go-to breakfast item. However, as time marched on, this cherished treat went through a bit of a make-over, and the original doughnuts began showing up with fancy glazes, top- pings, flavours and icings. No longer was the doughnut a simple plain pastry with some added spices and nuts here and there, but an ever-changing base for the endless imaginations of confectionaries and bakeries everywhere. During the 1970s and 1980s, the bagel took over as the urbanites mobile breakfast of choice, and the doughnut fell to the wayside, and was also, “gasp” tagged unhealthy, which was a bit absurd as the bagel has more calories than a doughnut. So enters in today’s dough- nut; the flashy artisanal variety, with their vegan, paleo all-or- ganic options now waging war against their forefather, the boring olykoeks of yore and the pack- aged and chain doughnuts of old. People prefer their pastries to be posh, gourmet flavoured and in funky shapes and sizes – to even some kind of hybrid called the cronut ; half croissant, half doughnut. Is there a place for these old dunkers? Of course, but as we now discuss the top three doughnut shops in New York City, one will see that while the simple yeast glazed or chocolate iced still reigns supreme, other combinations are forever giving them a run for their money. D oughnut Plant is crazy popular. Like, totally the coolest kid in the school of widely known doughnut bakeries. And for good reason since owner Mark Israel has ‘fry oil’ running through his veins. In 1910, his grandfather, Herman Israel began working in a bakery when he was 16 in St. Paul, in Min- nesota. Later, Herman would open two bakeries in North Carolina where he created and developed his own unique recipes and baked everything from scratch. (He’s also noted for creating the first ‘cake mix’.) As the grandson of such a noted baker, Mark took his orig- inal doughnut recipe and opened Doughnut Plant in 1994. From his humble beginnings of making the doughnuts all night and then deliv- ering them on his bike the next mornings, this baker’s hard work has truly paid off. He created the world’s first square filled doughnut, perfected the cake doughnut and used only fresh, locally sourced produce, specially milled flours and the highest quality ingredients in his sublime pastries. “Doughnut Plant’s mission and passion is providing our custom- ers with the best doughnuts in the world every day using the finest ingredients available.And that’s not done alone,” says Mark. www.doughnutplant.com “Between the optimist and the pessimist, the difference is droll. The optimist sees the doughnut; the pessimist the hole!” – OscarWilde Doughnut Plant bite desserts