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Business & Tech

Fresh Doughnuts Anyone?

Dough just opened in Bed-Stuy -- Better than Krispy Kreme? Really?

"I know that cop!" Kate called out from behind the counter, as a police car rolled by. Kate is the pastry chef at Dough, the new doughnut shop on the corner of Lafayette and Franklin Avenues.

"He came in with his wife and got some doughnuts," she continued. " Then he came back an hour later by himself and got a few more." 

If any cafe can bring back the age-old stereotype of policemen loving doughnuts, its Dough. The doughnuts here are like nothing you've tasted in a Krispy Kreme or Dunkin Donuts. Piled on wooden racks at the front of the shop, the doughnuts look homemade -- but in a good way, of course. Kate said she wants the display to look like dinner at a friend's place. But it's hard to imagine your average friend coming up with a dessert like this: The flavors range from Hibiscus to Cafe au Lait, all beatifully decorated with brightly colored, dripping glaze.

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"This one," said Cathy, one of the cashier, "makes your taste buds explode."

She was pointing to the Dulce de Leche doughnut with almonds, a sweet but not-too-sweet doughnut with an almost creamy flavor that calls for a long sigh of satisfaction after each bite.

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The Chipotle Chocolate is sweet with a surprisingly spicy aftertaste, the Lemon Poppyseed has a sour tinge to it, and the Hibiscus is actually made from hibiscus petals. All the flavors are in the glaze; the doughnut itself is wonderfully uniform. Unlike most doughnuts, they are yeast-based rather than cake-based. This means the chefs have to have patience, waiting for the precise moment the doughnuts finally rise to perfection.

"The doughnuts are slow today," said Kate, looking outside to the dreary, cold weather. She explained that the colder it is, the longer it takes for the doughnuts to rise. "Doughnuts are like people," she said. "It's cold outside and they don't want to wake up and go to work." But even lethargic donuts, when made right, are unbelievably tasty. Each bite melts in your mouth, doughy and soft rather than bready or crumbly like most donuts.

Dough launched the same weekend of the New York City Marathon, on the first Sunday in November. The owners also own Choice Market, a crowded cafe on the corner of Lafayette and Grand in Clinton Hill, and Choice Greens, an organic food market on Greene and Grand that sells fine cheeses, coffees, teas, farm fresh produce, fresh seafood, and more.  

Now, all the pastries sold at Choice Market are made in the large kitchen at Dough, on full display to passerbys and clientele because of the floor-to-ceiling windows that peer into the kitchen from inside the shop and outside on the street. While waiting in line, customers can watch blueberries placed in a tart or the final glaze brushed onto bread pudding.

Choice Market and Dough work in small batches so that everything is fresh and the menu changes constantly. They sell coffee, tea, hot cider, chocolate croissants, ginger bites, and filled doughnuts as well (with chai cream, nutella, or strawberry jam!). As each person in the neighborhood discovers these treats, they're making it their new breakfast stop.

At the end of the day, it comes down to this: Where else can you buy freshly made donuts, let alone ones with a Hibiscus petal glaze? Dough is open from 7am to 4pm daily, so get in early to beat the doughnut rush.

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