We created our first sourdough doughnut for our book Ideas in Food: great recipes and why they work. We revisited the recipe again when we were exploring what was possible with gluten free. After that we left the idea alone. We weren't making tons of doughnuts and we had tackled the problem, making a delicious sour-doughnut.
That is, until we opened a doughnut shop. The idea of our sour-doughnut came back into conversations. It had achieved a nostalgic place in our mind. But the more we thought about and discussed the idea, the more we realized that it had to happen. When we originally opened Curiosity Doughnuts we had a drop doughnut on the menu. The recipe was created for a doughnut robot, which did not work on opening day. Actually it never worked but that's another story. So we turned our doughnuts into sticks. As time went on, the sticks faded, more due production challenges than lack of popularity. Also, we were close to finishing up our new fashioned doughnuts and chose to focus on those.
The uniqueness and variety of doughnuts are part of the inexorable pull that continues to challenge me creatively. As we dial in our ever-changing line of doughnuts, I often consult my must-do list of ideas. Recently I became enthralled with the idea of yeasted cake doughnuts. That led quickly back to our sour-doughnuts. And in the process of connecting the dots, we have been fine tuning our sweet, tangy, tender, crisp sour-doughnut sticks. (These may become round doughnuts too, because for now we are working without a doughnut depositor.)
Years Past
Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work
Maximum Flavor: Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook
Gluten Free Flour Power: Bringing Your Favorite Foods Back to the Table
