HAPPY NATIONAL DOUGHNUT DAY - Dream Fluff Donuts - Berkeley, CA

Team Bloughnut joins in this national celebration of all things round and fried on the first Friday in June.  This day was first conceived by the Salvation Army 72 years ago to commemorate the women who served doughnuts to soldiers during World War 1.  For an early morning celebration we stopped by Dream Fluff Donuts on our way to breakfast at Mama's Royal Cafe for a sample pack: maple old fashioned, chocolate old fashioned (2), apple fritter (consumed in the Bloughnutmobile before we could get a picture), coconut cake, and crumb cake.

Dream Fluff knows what's up.  The fritter was aptly appley, massive, and the glaze not sickly-sweet.  The old fashioneds had the funky contours we have come to appreciate.  The cake doughnuts were moist, even after 5 hours in a paper bag in my backpack (though in all fairness maybe keeping doughnuts in a paper bag keeps them moist).  Our only concern is the maple glaze is very pale and sickly looking, noted on our maple OF and on the bars sitting in the store.  Overall we continue to give Dream Fluff high marks.

To acknowledge this important should-be public holiday we encourage YOU our faithful readers to in turn encourage your local shops to switch the incorrectly spelled "Donut" in their title to "Doughnut."  If you know us, you know how much "Krazy Glue" and "La-Z-Boy" and all the other stupidly misspelled, condensed, hyphenated, and otherwise annoyingly incorrect names really raise our hackles.

Happy National Doughnut Day, get out there and celebrate with some fried dough fireworks of your own.  Thanks to Bloughnut enthusiast Peter K. for the holiday heads up.

Pepple's Donuts via Mojo Cafe - San Francisco, CA

We decided to follow up last Saturday's Mojo session with an afternoon-motorcycle-ride-Mojo-birthday-doughnut-&-a-Gibraltar-extravaganza.  I don't know what it is, those Pepple's doughnuts always taste stale to me (even when they aren't a day old).  Let me again put out my plea for a blind taste test moderator: Pepple's vs. Bob's.  Who can help me out?

Coconut cake.  Tasted a little stale but maybe that's because Mojo leaves their doughnuts out on a plate, and it was four o'clock in the afternoon.  Or maybe "firm" is just the Pepple's way.  If you know me, you know I like to give the benefit of a doubt!

Pepple's Donuts via Mojo Cafe - San Francisco, CA

Team Bloughnut gave Pepple's's cinnamon-sugar cake doughnut another shake, not at Local 123 like last time but at my neighborhood cafe/bar/bike shop Mojo Bicycle Cafe.

Yep, that's right my dear readers.  Your eyes do not deceive you.  I went to People's Donuts' website today and their name has changed.

Whatever their reasoning for the switch, their doughnuts are still quite expensive and delicious.  However, side-by-side I would still go for a Bob's cake doughnut (currently looking for a volunteer to set up a blind taste test for me).  The Pepple's version was a little too dense for my liking.

Mojo is another great coffee & doughnut resource.  And they will tune up your bike while you snack.  They pulled a miracle with the city and installed a "parklet" in 3 parking spaces in front of their cafe on Divisadero.  Check it out!  It's packed with sun chasers and cyclists every time I roll by there.

People's Donuts via Local 123 - Berkeley, CA

Today Team Bloughnut finds ourselves on San Pablo Ave at University so we popped into Local 123 for a cuppa.  A single lonely day old cinnamon-sugar cake doughnut from People's Donuts was sitting there looking at me funny.  For only one dollar, I had to "bite."  This is the first vegan doughnut Bloughnut has reviewed and it didn't disappoint---even a day later.  The cake was moist, the cinnamon and sugar dusted all fairy-like.

Local 123 might be the end-all spot: good coffee brewed one cup at a time, with 3 or 4 selections to choose from (Costa Rican? Ethiopian? Kenyan? Fully processed? Washed?...) on top of tasty locally-made (vegan) doughnuts.  Not to mention it always seems to be sunny on their back patio.  I will have to sample more of People's to give the definitive word, but since Arlo used to bring them in to the Crucible by the bagful I can tell you there's some good stuff going on there.

In addition to the do-do's and coffee I also sampled a day old "morning bun."  Though I didn't ask where it was from, it sure tasted a lot like my old dumpster diving days at Semifreddi's.  So sweet, just the kick I needed to finish those bar stools in time for the art show at the Crucible's Open House this weekend.

Update: Our memory served us incorrectly, we called Local 123 and were informed the morning bun was not from Semifreddi's  It came from a place we have not heard of but will surely check out: Hopkins Street Bakery in North Berkeley.  Check out the website, that ham & cheese croissant looks bangin'!

Four Barrel - San Francisco CA

Yesterday we had the pleasant company of a certain friend and fellow doughnut enthusiast visiting from New York. She ordered the vanilla doughnut at Four Barrel Coffee, courtesy of Dynamo Donuts on 24th Street in the Mission. Certainly a spectacle to behold, this concoction, though not the typical pot o' gold the Bloughnut team seeks.

Orange zest in the dough, tiny flecks of vanilla bean in the frosting, a springy dough that rebounds when prodded. The vanilla was present but mellow, the whole package not candy-sweet but subtle.  This doughnut is not worth the markup to this tight-fisted reviewer, but the Dynamo Vanilla is most definitely a beautiful creature to be appreciated by the gourmet doughnut enthusiast.

And finally, a place to have a cup of excellent coffee with my morning dough-doughs. Check it out! They roast their own.  And they will make you a Gibraltar if you ask nicely.

Walton Donuts - Denver CO

We find ourselves in Denver on a business trip and treated our clients to a round of doughnuts from Walton. We got them to go and the nice lady unfortunately messed up our order: 2 glazed old-fashioneds instead of one glazed and a chocolate. Oh well. We also received a chocolate twist, maple raised, and a chocolate cake with chocolate frosting (Rule #5 of Sales: Know Your Client).



They were all good. Does the high altitude help or hinder the yeast rising? The old-fashioneds were formed beautifully, something I can appreciate after creating so many out of wax these days. The maple raised wasn't epic but my dear readers know that anything maple has a lot to live up to. The chocolate twist became an afternoon snack after a hike in Boulder. Nice and fluffy.

On Monday, back to the Bay Area and familiar ground.

Red's Donuts Family Love Fest - Monterey CA

There was a lot of love in Monterey as 31 Bloughnut relatives descended for Grandma Edna's 100th birthday. Needless to say, there were numerous trips to the Grand Daddy donut shop of them all, Red's Donuts on Alvarado Street in downtown Monterey.

Dominating the counter with my brothers, nieces, nephew, and cousins was a truly holy experience. Our tally for Saturday morning was 8 maple bars, 1 chocolate cake, 3 chocolate cakes with sprinkles, 1 cinnamon roll (microwaved with butter), 1 chocolate custard bar (to go for mom), and 5 cartons of milk. Donut hangover!

Younger Brother and I brought Grandma a maple bar on the morning of her 100th birthday, 25 Jan. 2010. We love you Grandma!

For our next posting we will re-visit Colonial Donuts in Oakland near Lake Merritt. You will see the most perfect maple old-fashioned (which someday will be re-created in bronze as a hood ornament for my truck). Thanks for visiting.