A popular treat around the globe, doughnuts are gaining traction in the baking industry in a big way. But just where do these ring-shaped delights come from?
Going back to the beginning
For decades the doughnut has been considered an American classic.
As the story goes, the first doughnut machine was created in New York City in 1920, when Russian refugee Adolph Levitt began to sell the sweet pastry made from leavened fried dough in his bakery.
The ever-growing crowds at his business encouraged him to make a gadget that could churn out the baked products even faster. Spurred on, Levitt did, while at the same time also creating an almost theatre-like spectacle for onlookers.
The popularity was immediate, to the point that in WWI homesick American soldiers in the trenches in France were served up doughnuts by female volunteers to give them a taste of home.
However, the history of the doughnut – or at least that of sweet fried breads – actually extends back centuries and around the globe.
According to the Smithsonian Magazine, archaeologists have turned up fossils of what looks like doughnuts in the middens of prehistoric Native American settlements, while sweetened fried doughs are known to have been eaten by both the ancient Romans and Greeks.
The history of the doughnut as we know it today is often attributed to the Dutch immigrants in 17th and 18th century New York – then known as New Netherland.
They prepared fried dough balls that were called oli koeken, which translates to oil cakes, that were similar to modern doughnuts. However, rather than having the iconic ring shape, these oil cakes instead were stuffed with fruits and nuts in the middle as a solution to the issue of the dough at the centre cooking more slowly than on the outside.
When it comes to the iconic ring shape, the stories become more colourful. Folklore has it that an American sailor named Hanson Gregory cut a hole through the centre of the treat in 1850 and created the iconic shape we know today. In one version it’s said Hanson pierced the doughnut on a spoke of the ship’s wheel during a storm, while in another he cut out the hole using the lid of a tin pepper container.
It must be said, though, that each of these stories is now considered to be dubious. Nevertheless, however it was created, the iconic ring shape was here to stay.
Big Bears Donuts
Crafting perfection
Whatever their origin, doughnuts have firmly been established as a popular bakery item around the globe. Here in Australia it’s no different.
The doughnut’s enduring popularity was cemented Down Under in 2022 when the Baking Association of Australia established the inaugural National Donut Competition, which is held at the annual Baking Industry Trade Show.
The most recent iteration of the competition saw Anna Farthing from Newcastle-based Dough Heads, Ewan Fotheringham from Big Bear’s Donuts, and OMG Decadent Donuts among the national winners.
So, just what is it that makes an award-winning doughnut?
Dough Heads’ Pump Up The Jam doughnut has taken home the trophy for Best Traditional Jam Doughnut at the competition two years running, and Anna said it really all comes back to focusing on quality ingredients.
“We use real butter, eggs and milk in our dough and it is made fresh every single morning, without fail! There are no added artificial preservatives because we don’t believe that’s doughnuts are something you should be purchasing and leaving on the shelf or in the fridge,” she said.
Anna noted one common misconception about doughnuts that she often ran across was they were easy to make. However, she said, this couldn’t be further from the truth.
“When it comes to actually making doughnuts most people think of the cinnamon sugar cake doughnut they when they were a kid – the ones that are pumped out of the machine over the hot fryer as you watch. But these are cake doughnuts, not yeasted doughnuts like our product range,” she said.
“A yeasted dough needs to be mixed to just the right temperature, allowed to rest, rolled out and cut, proved in a humid warm environment, removed and allowed to skin, then fried at just the right time so they develop a ‘ring of life’ [the lighter ring around the centre of the doughnut that never sat in oil. This is because when the doughnut was turned the yeast activated and puffed up, so it floated in oil].
“…there are just so many things to take into consideration, and that’s just the dough. Then try adding icings, fillings, topping and garnishes.”
Big Bear’s Donuts claimed the Champion Show Donut at the 2024 National Donut Competition, alongside the Gourmet Donut – Yeast Raised and The Nutella Creation – Yeast Raised categories.
Owner Ewan agreed with Anna that when it came to ingredients, sourcing quality really mattered – and added at Big Bear’s Donuts they like to take it one step further by actively sourcing many of these from local producers.
“We try and use local ingredients where possible, and actively try and cross promote other local producers when we do, so that everyone benefits,” he said.
“In 2024 we won the Champion Show Donut award with a Honeyjoy Cheesecake that showcased a local honey producer. It was very humbling to receive the awards. The doughnuts we sent were the same you’d buy in our shop any other day of the week.
OMG Decadent Donuts set the bar high when it came to the chemical-raised category, after the company took out the entire podium at the 2024 National Donut Competition.
This is because the entire OMG Decadent Donuts range is completely free from gluten, dairy, yeast, nuts, eggs, and wheat, and is also plant-based.
OMG Decadent Donuts founder David Moore said the company’s product range had been built around the pillars of inclusivity, indulgence and quality.
“Our product development started with the goal of inclusivity for one of our directors who is coeliac. We wanted to create a doughnut that people with food allergies or dietary preferences could enjoy without compromise,” he said.
“It was a challenging process that took nearly a year of trial and error. We experimented with different flours, binding agents and dehydrating various fruits and vegetables to develop the right flavour profiles to achieve the perfect doughnut.
“The moment we saw people’s faces light up at their first bite, we knew we had nailed it.”
Taking it to the next level
OMG Decadent Donuts
So, just how much scope for creativity is there when it comes to an item like doughnuts? According to Anna, plenty. In fact, you’re only limited by your imagination.
“If you can think it, it probably can be done. You can flavour the dough, make the dough chocolate – it’s delicious – try using different fats and liquids in the dough to change the flavour in the end product. The world is your oyster,” she said.
“Then of course there are the shapes of doughnuts – round, filled, ‘bulleseyed where they are cooked and then the middle section is cut and removed after so it becomes a vessel to hold a filling and is visible from the outside. There’s fritters, long johns, twists and last, but not least, your icings, fillings, and toppings.”
However, both Anna and Ewan said it was vital to note creativity wasn’t the be all and end all. In the end it all comes back to perfect execution.
Anna said it was one thing to produce a product that should be eaten straight away, but the real difficulty lay in producing something that tasted just as good after it had been sitting on the shelf for half a day before being taken home and eaten later.
“These are all the critical things we have to think about when we are in the Research and Development phase – how will the texture taste now and in five hours? Will the icing be good now but melt as it sits on the shelf? And what about that filling? Will the dough soak up all the liquid and become mushy?” she said.
Ewan seconded that doughnuts were best eaten fresh.
“So many stores, franchises and suppliers now are focusing on the ‘freeze/thaw’ capability of their product. We make doughnuts fresh every day, and what doesn’t get sold by the end of the day gets thrown out so we’re ready to start again with fresh doughnuts the next day,” he said.
“We’ve made every other mistake you can make, but we haven’t made the mistake of selling doughnuts the next day.”
David agreed with Anna, saying doughnuts offered a surprising amount of creative potential.
“From experimenting with the combinations of our flavoured sugar dustings and drizzles to reimagining the traditional doughnut into doughnut bites, the possibilities are endless,” he said.
“A really good doughnut is about balance: the perfect texture, a flavour profile that delights the taste buds, and an experience that makes you want to come back for more. That said, creativity only shines when execution is flawless.
“A poorly made doughnut, no matter how inventive, won’t leave a lasting impression.”
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