Fives: Donut Styles
I’ve never been one to shy away from a donut. In fact, I’ve already visited and reviewed two donut/doughnut spots in the past couple of months – shout out to Gourdough’s and Stan’s! – and I’ve probably eaten about a dozen others in the meantime. They’re just so delightful. Even bad donuts have their merit, but few things beat the perfect fresh donut combination of flavor and flakiness. Here’s a look at the top five donuts.
5. Fritters
These are probably the most complex of anything on the list. Fritters are made by putting chunks of a fruit (the best being apple) into donut batter, and then dropping some of that batter into oil. Yum. They’re also usually topped with sugar or some other sort of sweet glaze, which means I can usually only eat one fritter before my stomach rebels. Fritters lose a few points because of that.
4. Jelly Donut
If you’ve read other Fives on this site, you know that I’m a big fan of consistency. Jelly donuts are the least consistent items on this list. Good jelly donuts? I’m not sure if anything else beats them. Bad jelly donuts? You might as well be eating spider guts. The highlight here is, of course, that sweet jelly filling. If it’s coated with preservatives and artificial flavors, it’s going to be a pretty painful thing to eat. Jelly donuts also tumble down the list for being TERRIBLE after they’re more than a day old. Have you ever tried to eat a jelly donut like 36 hours after you get it? It’s like trying to bite through a tire, with a similar flavor awaiting you.
3. Cake Donut
I wanted to include these as a standalone, even though the #1 item on the top five donut list technically falls under this group. Cake donuts are leavened from baking powder or baking soda (as opposed to yeast), which results in a denser, fuller donut experience. Survey says: YUM!
2. Glazed Donut
As a kid, I used to love seeing the “Hot Donuts” sign at Krispy Kreme. It was basically a family law to stop for a piece of that sweet dough. Who am I kidding? I still love seeing that sign now that I’m an adult. The point is: Krispy Kreme has a ton of different flavors, but there’s a reason glazed is the most popular and the type the company offers for free. Because a glazed donut is a donut we all want to eat.
1. Old-Fashioned Donut
Don’t let the name fool you – these are in style all the time, and #1 on our list of top five donuts. Or really, top five however many donuts. In addition to being super tasty, these just look cool, almost like a UFO. Whether you’re going with a plain sweet base, chocolate, or the dark horse game-changer sour cream, you can’t go wrong. It’s the best blend of crunch and softness, and every bite is like taking a chomp out of a dream. Two delicious thumbs up.
