Fall calls for doughnuts that taste like, well, fall-scented candles. They often offer the allure of sweet baking spices like cinnamon and nutmeg and alternate from vanilla icing to buttermilk glaze. But while Central Oregon isn’t Vermont or even Central Washington, it’d be nice if more of our doughnut purveyors would sling sugar-crusted cake doughnuts with the distinct tang of apple cider — the kind of seasonal snack that you’re expected to eat multiples of. There’s just something so rustic and charming about the idea of a bunch of doughnuts that are more frequently made at an apple orchard or cider mill than a traditional shop, but that didn’t stop two such retailers dabbling in this style (at this moment in time; some said they usually bring the style out but wait till November for no good reason). I mean, there’s a reason people don’t travel to Vermont in November, and that famous fall foliage ain’t it.
Nevertheless, these six Central Oregon doughnut makers all get in the spirit of the season. All morsels were judged blind by an all-new cohort ranging in age and doughnut preferences, which is how the vote tally often landed in the 7-point range when some were awarded (internally) a score of 4 as well as a 10. So, while taste is subjective, the scores’ averages resulted in winners in the following order
With a hole-less cinnamon doughnut (or maybe the cinnamon sugar was so generously sprinkled, it simply filled the ring’s center), this may have been this series’—scouting Bend’s best doughnuts—highest-ranked contender, ever, earning an equal number of nines and perfect 10s. One outlier judge awarded it a paltry five, as if to prove there’s no universality when it comes to doughnut preferences. It was lauded for being “fluffy,” “balanced” and “classic” with one judge succinctly proclaiming, “This is how a doughnut should taste!” $1.50
This upscale bakery understood the assignment with this apple cider cronut to the extent that it eked out second place among three very close scores (stay tuned). By virtue of being a croissant-doughnut hybrid, the crunchy exterior was a bit much for some judges to sink their teeth into, but the delicious flavor of the soft, layered inside and Goldilocks icing, in terms of both sweetness and volume, did the trick. $4
We had our first ever tie score in this series, and it sees Delish share the bronze with Sisters Bakery. (FYI, Delish has earned one gold and Sisters has garnered three.) This morsel was crammed with chunky apple filling that made it resemble an individual apple pie more than a run-of-the-mill jelly doughnut. In fact, one judge noted it felt like a meal (and given that judge’s perfect 10, it’s safe to say they meant it in a good way). $2.
The other apple cider doughnut hailed from Sisters and it beautifully presented the telltale cidery tang, as if the granulated sugar on top itself was steeped in the stuff. Judges generally but not universally dug the crunchy exterior, and the uneven done-ness of the cakey inside was also noted. It’s not appley nor cinnamony, as the cider element yields more of a gentle kiss of apple cider vinegar, but if you’re looking for this traditional style, this is the closest you’ll get without driving to the nearest orchard. $2.50
Why is this called a buttermilk knot? Because it’s (k)not a buttermilk bar. The buttermilk glaze delighted everyone, but once our collective teeth sunk in, we found a doughnut that more closely resembled a bread roll. “Dry,” “light texture” and “weird inside” were just three of the notes. $2.35
When it was revealed that this was a “chai spiced” doughnut, all seven judges felt hoodwinked due to this frosted doughnut’s utter lack of chai flavor(s). It didn’t do itself any favors by being “too dense,” tasting “somehow stale,” and in the words of one connoisseur, “it wasn’t chai’y at all.” $2.50
This article appears in Source Weekly October 17, 2024.
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