Unlike National Corndog Day (1992), National Chicken Pot Pie Day (2002) and National Fried Crickets Day (I think I just made that up), National Doughnut Day, on the first Friday of June, has been celebrated since 1938. If there's a singular image or visual cue for doughnuts, it's a pink circle with multicolored hyphens scattered about. In fact, the graphic has become synonymous with doughnuts. Not all doughnuts have pink icing and rainbow sprinkles; hardly any actually do. But that combo in any form, from a canvas to, say, pairs of boxers or novelty socks, always connotes doughnuts. It'd be easy to credit or blame this all on one of the doughnut's most notorious spokesmodels, Homer Simpson. Matt Groening's paternal character's catchphrase, "Mmmm, Donuts," ricochets off virtually everyone seen carrying a box of the confections. That's why we've chosen it for this latest round of Bend's Best Doughnuts: National Doughnut Day Edition.
To wit, there are only four bakeries in Bend devoted primarily to doughnuts, and one where their so-fancy cousin, cronuts, feature prominently. There are a few home-based bakers that dabble in the doughs and great bakeries in Redmond (Halo Donuts & Deli), Sisters (Sisters Bakery), and La Pine (Wickiup Junction), but for this roundup, we're focusing on the only five spots in Bend that offer this Homer Simpson-looking style. The yummies were judged blind by a cohort ranging from fifth graders to those almost in their 50s.
Richard's Donuts & Pastries
Whether it's a fair or unfair advantage, Richard's makes the only pink frosting/rainbow sprinkled delicacy on a cake doughnut base versus a standard raised, yeast doughnut. And the cake matter was deemed superior by several judges who appreciated the spongier texture and ratio of cake to frosting. Fans are already aware the cheapest doughnuts in town also fare better than their pricier brethren. $1.50
61419 S Hwy 97, Bend
Delish Donuts
By looks alone, Delish's deliciousness was the clear winner. It's just so animated with electric pink frosting and flamboyant sprinkles. It is also the biggest example of the five, so you get more bang for your couple bucks. Combine that with the even more important factor of flavor and it's easy to see why several judges — both kids and adults — ranked it tops. $2.75
3188 N Hwy 97, Ste. 104, Bend
The Dough Nut
This business's logo is an anthropomorphized rendition of the iconic image of a doughnut so you'd expect it to commit to this style whole-heartedly, yet the fact that it's literally sprinkled across half the top foreshadows this half-hearted display. The bites without sprinkles actually received multiple comments about being "too glazy" while the yeasty dough was, you guessed it, "too bready." $2
755 NE Greenwood Ave., Bend
Too Sweet Cakes
Here's another with a perceived advantage over the rest: the bakery doesn't make fried doughnuts; it makes baked cronuts: a viennoiserie so gourmetish it should be spelled creauxnuts. There was a narrow gap in the vote tally between this and Richard's, and perhaps clumsy slicing diminished its usual towering, airy appearance, but the fact that the multi-layered dough appears more bread-like than doughnut-like (which should appeal to those who deem the treats, ironically, "too sweet"). As for the frosting, while the bakery has a pink-frosted cronut that's berry-lemon flavored sans sprinkles, this bejeweled offering employs white, vanilla frosting for a nice change of pace. $3.89
1012 SE Cleveland Ave., Bend
Sweetheart Donuts
This iteration suffers from the Goldilocks complex: it's the only one to achieve neither anyone's highest nor lowest score. It was dubbed "utilitarian" as it presented sufficient chew and sweetness without dazzling the tastebuds. $3.
210 SE 3rd St., Bend
