Seattle Met Taste Test: Doughnuts
What makes for a winning doughnut? We ate our way through 17 varieties to find out.
Posted by: Hilary Meyerson on Feb 01, 2011 at 01:47PM
13 Comments
Oddfellows Chocolate Ganache Covered with Sprinkles
Tasters’ notes: One taster gushed, “Delicious! Love that the donut has a crispness to it. Very evident it’s made with love. What I picture when I think of doughnuts.” Another said, “As doughnuts go, this is near perfection. Chewy on the inside, crisp on the outside and not overly sweet.”
Ordering info: $1.50 each. Oddfellows is new to the doughnut scene—their baker, Austin, just started making these hand-punched beauts a month ago. Get ‘em early, they’re selling out fast each day. (And yes, he cooks up the holes, they’re for sale as well.) Oddfellows Cafe and Bar, 1525 10th Ave, 206-325-0807; oddfellowscafe.com
View Slideshow » Illustration:Mighty-O Donuts French Toast
Tasters’ notes: “Great flavor, light cake. I normally wouldn’t try this flavor by loved it!” Another said, “Complex and delish,” making reference of the mix of cinnamon, cardamon, coriander, ginger, orange peel, and maple syrup.
Ordering info: $1.50 each. 2100 N 55th St, 206-547-0335; mightyo.com
View Slideshow » Illustration:FIRST PLACE WINNER!
Frost Doughnuts Salted Caramel
Tasters’ notes: This sticky-sweet-salty confection easily earned the rank of top doughnut, despite a few clamors for more salt. One taster said, “Absolute heaven! Perfect combo of sweet and savory.” Another said, “The taste doesn’t overwhelm, but definitely caramel.” Another simply said, “Wowzers.” Indeed.
Ordering info: $1.89 each. 15421 Main Street, Mill Creek, 425-379-2600; frostology.com
View Slideshow » Illustration:Mighty-O Donuts Apple Fritter
Tasters’ notes: Organic and vegan, these got points from several tasters for a spot-on ratio of apple-to-sugar taste. “Not too sweet or sticky,” said one. “Great crunchy outside, doughy inside.”
Ordering info: $1.50 each. 2100 N 55th St, 206-547-0335; mightyo.com
View Slideshow » Illustration:Oddfellows Maple Glazed Old Fashioned
Tasters’ notes: “Really good! Not greasy, great spice. I would order this one.”
Ordering info: $1.50 each. Oddfellows Cafe and Bar, 1525 10th Ave, 206-325-0807; oddfellowscafe.com
View Slideshow » Illustration:SECOND PLACE WINNER!
Frost Doughnuts Smokey Bacon Maple Bar
Tasters’ notes: Big points here for the deft combo of savory and sweet. “Really, improbably good,” said one taster. Another commented, “The saltiness of the bacon offsets the sticky sweetness of the doughnut.” Another summed it up: “Everything is better with bacon.”
Ordering info: $1.89 each. 15421 Main Street, Mill Creek, 425-379-2600; frostology.com
View Slideshow » Illustration:Family Donut Shop Boston Creme
Tasters’ notes: “A classic. Very fresh, well done Boston crème.” Another had this to say: “As sweet as sweet can be. Perfectly evil—and I mean that in a good way.”
Ordering info: $.95 each. Family Donut Shop, 2100 N. Northgate Way, 206-368-9107
View Slideshow » Illustration:THIRD PLACE WINNER!
Oddfellows Cinnamon and Sugar Old Fashioned
Tasters’ notes: The texture, with its slight crunch, garnered big points, as did the just-so trace of sweetness. One said, “Oozes homemade. Not too sweet, but still hits the spot. I could eat two, which rarely happens with me.” Another said, “Just like Grandma made!” Another reviewer summed it up with, “Brilliant! Wonderful crunch, great texture and balance of sweet and savory.” It’s safe to say Oddfellows was wise to venture into the doughnut arena.
Ordering info: $1.50 each. Oddfellows Cafe and Bar, 1525 10th Ave, 206-325-0807; oddfellowscafe.com
View Slideshow » Illustration:Family Donut Shop Maple Bar
Tasters’ notes: One reviewer said, “I am a fan of the chewy texture of the interior.” Tasters were split on the frosting. Some thought it was delicious and just right, others marked it as too heavy.
Ordering info: $.95 each. Family Donut Shop, 2100 N. Northgate Way, 206-368-9107
View Slideshow » Illustration:Krispy Kreme Original Glazed
Tasters’ notes: These classics with the unmistakable machine-cut precision had one taster raving, “Great mouth feel. Good texture.” Another said, “Yummy and sweet! Light and fluffy.”
Ordering info: $.99 each or $8.99 a dozen. Various Seattle locations
View Slideshow » Illustration:Krispy Kreme Glazed Raspberry Filled
Tasters’ notes: "A Jolly Rancher inside a glazed donut. Totally delicious and sugary.” Several tasters applauded Krispy for plumping ’em with just the right amount of filling.
Ordering info: $.99 each or $8.99 a dozen. Various Seattle locations
View Slideshow » Illustration:The Original Bakery Maple Bar
Tasters’ notes: We were divided on this guy. One was effusive in praise: “That maple frosting is delicious! So authentic tasting, like it came straight from the tree.” Others thought it a tad heavy.
Ordering info: $1.05 each. 9253 45th Ave SW, 206-938-5088; theoriginalbakery.com
View Slideshow » Illustration:The Original Bakery Apple Fritter
Tasters’ notes: One of the favorite apple fritters of the bunch. One taster recorded, “The best apple fritter. A good ratio of dough to apple to glaze.” Another noted, “Good texture and ample apple pieces.”
Ordering info: $1.05 each. 9253 45th Ave SW, 206-938-5088; theoriginalbakery.com
View Slideshow » Illustration:Top Pot Classic Glazed Old Fashioned
Tasters’ notes: It’s Obama’s Top Pot favorite, and was for a couple of our noshers as well. “A pretty good example of this genre—much better flavor than most!” enthused one.
Ordering info: $1.89 each. Various Top Pot locations; toppotdoughnuts.com
View Slideshow » Illustration:Punjab Sweets Gulab Jamun
Tasters’ notes: Juicy doughnut holes dipped in syrup, several tasters found them too sweet, while others appreciated the moistness and sweetness. One said, “Texture is of brioche or maybe brioche French toast.”
Ordering info: $6.99/lb. Punjab Sweets, 23617 104th Ave SE, Kent, 253-859-3236; punjabsweetsonline.com
View Slideshow » Illustration:Punjab Sweets Khoya Jamun
Tasters’ notes: Almost all tasters found these cream-filled, oblong pastries too moist.
Ordering info: $6.99/lb. Punjab Sweets, 23617 104th Ave SE, Kent, 253-859-3236; punjabsweetsonline.com
View Slideshow » Illustration:Top Pot Classic Apple Fritter
Tasters’ notes: These ginormous fritters got overall thumbs up and were a close contender for a top spot. “Perfect heft, nice amount of moist fruit, great veins of juiciness. And crispy–yum!”
Ordering info: $1.89 each. Various Top Pot locations; toppotdoughnuts.com
Find more Seattle Met Taste Tests: Cookies, Pies
Last week, Seattle Met’s panel of tasters frittered away an afternoon sampling fritters, maple bars, old fashioneds, and new-fashioned flavors from eight bakeries—including big-name chains, mom and pops, and a few up-and-comers. Each bakery submitted the two varieties (well, one cheated and brought three) that best represented its style.
Top marks went to those that managed the trifecta of a light and airy dough, the right amount of sweetness, and a distinct flavor, but individual favorites were varied—almost every doughnut got at least one top vote from a reviewer.
Some preferred a sticky sweet confection of fried goodness, others preferred a more savory pastry with a little crunch to it. After sampling them all we confirmed something we’d always suspected: That our local doughnut offerings are an awesome bunch indeed.
Check out our slideshow to read tasting notes and find our three favorites, plus prices and ordering info.
Tags: Desserts, Food Taste Tests, Donuts
Congrats FROST totally deserved. My favorite dougnuts. Their plain raised glazed is divine. But order Maple Bacon bars the day before they sell out FAST!
Frost truly is the best!
Frost is going to be at the Seattle Food & Wine Experience again this year!
http://seattlefoodandwineexperience.com/
Now that’s a taste test I could have handled. :-) As for the winners, we loved FROST from the moment we walked in. And their bacon maple bar is the perfect combo of our fav breakfast (pancakes, syrup and bacon)!
YAY! Frost is the best! Totally worth driving to Millcreek AND falling off your diet for!
Kudos to FROST for 2 signature delights! As for the rest of the selections … there’s, what, 5 places sampled TOTAL? You haven’t lived until you’ve had a Factory Donut fritter in at least
> 3 <flavors every day. They are gi-nor-mous, fried to the right level of crispiness, and the flavors (apple, cherry, blueberry) are fantastic. I really wish you guys had included the Seattle metropolitan area, not just Seattle. :-(Hi Yukon,
There are eight bakeries represented.
It’s disappointing not to see the Dahlia Bakery donuts in this list; they are to die for! Delicious beignet-style bits of dough, fried-to-order, with amazing condiments. I can’t imagine a local donut roundup leaving them out!!
I heard that Frost Doughnuts was expanding to the metro area and maybe even the eastside. That would rock! GO FROST
I must say, a donut should not be anything but a lovely round. Your picture of that messed up donut is not appealing, and that is the baker’s fault. Hand-punched? Of course it is, no other way to do it, but to pick it up and let it hang enough to misshape it is sloppy. Lucky Donuts is Burien makes the best-tasting donuts and they are the prettiest because they pay attention to detail.
@Barbara: Really? Who cares if a doughnut is perfectly round or not? Besides you, I mean? Seriously, if it tastes good, who cares?
A pity this article doesn’t mention that Oddfellows doesn’t make its doughnuts everyday. I went down there the other morning only to discover that they only make doughnuts “on days when Austin feels like it.” Lame.
Been back to Oddfellows three more times since March 26, picking different days of the week each time. No doughnuts on any visit. I really don’t see the point of them being on this list if it’s this difficult to acquire a doughnut from there.