The Quest to Best Krispy Kremes

Regina Charboneau

To try Regina's recipe for homemade doughnuts that compete with Krispy Kremes, click here.

I have to begin this post with a true confession. A doughnut seems like such a simple food, but do not be fooled. I felt I could cook just about anything, but I attempted doughnuts on a few occasions and never produced a great traditional glazed doughnut. A beignet yes, but with glazed doughnuts, I admit, I was a complete failure.

When I bought Twin Oaks, my sons were so excited when they noticed that the commercial kitchen had a deep fryer in it. One of them, I don't remember which of the boys, said, "This is great—you can make Krispy Kreme doughnuts," and I genuinely thought I could. I was quickly thrown off that horse. I think maybe I have not eaten enough of them to really figure out how to reproduce the product and so on, as I keep trying to justify my failure. One of my steady coffee partners claims to be a connoisseur of doughnuts, and one of his favorite topics is how perfect the Krispy Kreme doughnut is—from Natchez you have to drive 90 miles for one. He often tells how he has asked the person glazing the doughnuts to run his through once more. On occasion he will bring up the chink in my armor.

I am not a person who typically has dessert and I can easily avoid sweets without feeling I am depriving myself. But, every now and then, the craving begins, most often for just one perfect piece of chocolate, and right now Fran's Chocolates from Seattle are my addiction. The caramels dipped in dark chocolate with a touch of sea salt on top ... they totally have my number. Less often but with the same intensity of that chocolate craving, there is that rare occasion I crave a doughnut.

What inspired me to try my hand at doughnuts again began earlier this summer when I was walking toward Central Park from our apartment in New York. I happened on this charming shop named for an amazing Italian filled doughnut, "Bomboloni." The stylish storefront alone could draw you in, but when I spotted the pastry case filled with the most colorful array of these perfectly shaped round filled doughnuts, what really pulled me in even more than the perfectly fried yeast dough balls were the fillings. They were the kind of fillings I would put in doughnuts (if I had ever had success with them): chestnut, raspberry, Sicilian pistachio, apple, and peanut butter, or the amazing crème brulee, filled with a perfect creamed custard with drizzled caramelized sugar on top.

With this discovery, I decided to get back on the horse one more time. Most of the Southern men in my life believe Krispy Kreme still is the treasure of all doughnuts. I know Bomboloni is fast becoming a New York treasure. In Natchez we have a treasure—the Donut Shop. It is a landmark that I point out every time I give directions to Twin Oaks—whether you are coming from the Highway 61 South or across the Mississippi River Bridge, you turn at the blue doughnut shop. Alton Brown even visited it and featured it on his show "Feasting on Asphalt." My goal was to be able to make a doughnut just close to any of those. Knowing how to duplicate is nearly impossible when you do not have the same ingredients and equipment.

Regina Charboneau

I started to study and analyze and use all my baking knowledge to produce something edible. What all of these doughnut shops have in common is the light yeasty dough that defines their doughnuts as perfect doughnuts. The glazes and fillings can perfect them each in another way, but like most things in cooking you have to have the perfect vehicle to carry the sauces. Through much trial and error today, I was content with my recipe for the dough and glaze.

The key ingredient is patience—it takes time to make the dough. It needs to rise for the first time at least an hour, but 80 to 90 minutes is better. After you roll and cut out the doughnuts or bomboloni they need to rise another 45 minutes. My trip to the grocery for ingredients was $16. For me (and most likely you) to have a window of time to mix, rise, roll, and let the dough rise again before frying and glazing, I had to set my alarm for 5:15 a.m. The good news is I produced a doughnut that passed the test with all my critics—my son Martin, my coffee mate Jerry, and my painter Cathy. I will be honest—the next dozen doughnuts to be served at Twin Oaks will be purchased from the Donut Shop for six dollars. A dozen. I may make them again for a special occasion ... maybe.

Here is my recipe. Good luck.

Recipe: Homemade Doughnuts

Fran's Chocolates
[phone]
1325 1st Ave.
Seattle, WA 98101

Bomboloni
[phone]
187 Columbus Avenue (68th Street)
New York, NY 10023

The Donut Shop
[phone]
501 John R Junkin Drive
Natchez, MS 39120