Held annually on the first Friday in June, National Donut Day offers a sweet time to celebrate America’s heroes. On June 4, The Salvation Army will thank the men and women on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic by delivering donuts and hope. 

To celebrate this special occasion, there are many new product solutions to bring donuts into the limelight.

Baker Boy launched The Donut Hole thaw-and-serve fully finished donut line in October 2019. It quickly became one of its hottest new product launches ever. Most recently, the company has transitioned into the new The Donut Hole® branded packaging, as of March 1.

The company offers 15 fully finished donuts, including three flavors of its award-winning Magic Ring Filled Donuts, which are iced and sprinkled ring donuts with filling in every bite. Individually wrapped donuts also fall under The Donut Hole® brand.

“With The Donut Hole line, we try to offer something for everyone. We have iced and glazed donuts, yeast-raised and cake donuts, and everything from old favorites to new innovations,” explains Dustin Monke, marketing manager for Baker Boy.

Options to suit your needs

BakeMark’s donut mixes contain the highest quality ingredients to enhance the flavor of your final product. Utilizing the highest quality milk and egg products, BakeMark mixes are formulated to bring the best flavor and texture to your donuts. BakeMark’s mixes are blended with you and the end consumer in mind.

“We know that our donut mixes will give you an edge over the competition,” explains David Lopez, director of marketing at BakeMark. “Our product is less susceptible to over proofing or over mixing, providing you with the correct consistency, bite after bite. Not only that, with consistent proofing, your donuts will have irresistible visual appeal and fly right out of the bakery case.”

The variety of mixes BakeMark has to offer are amazing, but some customer favorites are:

• Master Mix – the industries richest yeast raised donut mix
• Sup-R-Roll – a rich yeast raised donut mix that is easy to roll out
• 1440 – the industry’s most forgiving mix that is easy to roll out or machine

Each of these mixes is a favorite for different reasons. BakeMark’s Master Mix has the richest flavor and the highest quality milk and egg content.

Formulated for its ease of rolling out, Sup-R-Roll gives you a high volume, tender eating donut.

BakeMark’s 1440 mix is amazing if you have automated equipment making your donuts. The mix is formulated perfectly for use in in-store bakeries or in a wholesale environment where speed is key. This mix not only is formulated to run on your automated equipment, but also requires less rest time following cutting, which helps to keep product flowing consistently.

BakeMark formulates donut mixes that can be used by small bakeries, in-store grocery bakeries, and even wholesale operations. BakeMark also offers specialty mixes like potato donuts and vegan donuts.

Production issues

According to Roger Daniels, vice president research, development, innovation and quality for Stratas Foods LLC, it is important to select the right oil for donuts. For best results utilize a frying shortening based on a high-oleic oil.

“The chemistry of what defines a high-oleic oil provides the perfect frying medium to achieve the balance between donut visual attributes and flavor,” Daniels says. “We recommend 100% high-oleic soybean oil or oils made from high-oleic sunflower and cottonseed oils. If a high-oleic oil is not available, a basic high quality soybean oil would be the next choice.”

The single most common mistake made in the preparation of donuts, he advises, is having a temperature that is too low or too high.

“Frying donuts is a dehydration process in which we are heating the donut batter to a temperature to set the starch while driving out the water contained in the batter,” Daniels explains. “This is done most efficiently at or around 335°F. Too low of a temperature and the donut is underdeveloped in texture from excess oil pick-up and exhibits a light or low doughnut color. Too high a temperature and the donut will be too dark in color and the flavor may be off. Being consistently consistent via the use of the right frying shortening system is key.”

From Stratas Foods those three oil types are represented by these specific oil products:

• Frymax Soy Supreme made from 100% high-oleic soybean oil
• Frymax Sun Classic made from high-oleic sunflower and cottonseed oils, and
• Mazola ZT Soy Select, made from high quality soybean oil 

For all three of these oil types, the ideal oil temperature for quality donuts is at or around 335°F, Daniels advises.

The secret to maintenance of oil for frying donuts is to treat the oil as an investment and follow a disciplined approach to extend the fry life, he adds. This means employing robust fryer practices to protect the oil from air, heat and water.

“Protection from air is necessary because oxygen is absorbed by the oil and contributes to the breakdown of the oil via a process known as oxidative rancidity,” Daniels explains. “Protection from heat is necessary because an increase in oil temperature accelerates the oxidative rancidity process resulting in oil with poor color, and inferior flavor.”

Invest in a reliable thermometer to ensure you are frying at the right temperature, he advises. Protection from water is necessary because water is a component which also breaks down oil via a process known as hydrolytic rancidity. This results in oil with poor color and inferior flavor.

Further, ensure your fryer filtration practices minimize the potential for introducing water to the oil. Always turn the fryer off and cover the frying well when the fryer is not in use.

Instagram worthy

Bakeries face an ongoing demand for new, “Instagram-worthy” items, according to Phil DeWester, senior director of category marketing at Dawn Foods. Unique flavor combinations combined with an alluring presentation may allow bakeries the option to sell items at a premium.

For bakeries and donut shops, in particular, generating a steady stream of new items across a wide array of options can be an involved endeavor. To keep the production process manageable, numerous bakers are utilizing yeast-raised donut mixes, which require only adding oil or water, instead of a long list of ingredients.

Dawn’s Raised A mix, for instance, is a popular choice, DeWester says, because it can be used to make assorted types of donuts—from basic ring shapes, which can be formed when the dough is first rolled out, to fritters that can be crafted as the dough is re-rolled and gets stiffer.

“You can use all the dough, so it reduces waste; but you can fill an entire donut case with just that one mix,” he says. “It gives our customers the ability to bring new seasonal or limited-time-only items to their bakeries so there’s always something new [and it] gives their customers a reason to go back to the shop because they’re doing something exciting.”