The Anatomy of the Perfect Doughnut (2024)

The following guide will outline the 5 essential components of the world’s greatest dessert (with pictures!). The following (very subjective) data has been painstakingly collected from across the globe. I’ve selected, instagrammed, and devoured countless doughnuts, sacrificing calories to create the following report for all of you.

A basic tenant of all good food, it is especially true for doughnuts. Doughnuts are sensitive baked goods; their shelf-life is short and precious. Thus, freshness is key. The truly devoted should circle the block waiting for the hot-light to come on at Krispy Kreme. At other establishments that do not provide a useful signal like the hot light, there is no shame in asking if there are any fresh ones coming out soon. Freshness is a prerequisite for the remaining qualities — without it, all hope of a perfect doughnut is lost. If effort is required to bite into a doughnut and remove the bite from the remainder of the pastry, then a problem has occurred. If icing falls off in a mess of dried flakes, then a problem has occurred. If — god forbid — the doughnut smells like nothing, then a very serious problem has occurred.

The second pillar of doughnut perfection is moisture level. Don’t be misled — there are several different ways a doughnut can meet this requirement. Not all doughnuts are the same, and there is beauty in variety. Your traditional glazed doughnut must be moist in the traditional sense. Gooey icing. Buoyant but slightly buttery interior mass. However, the cake doughnut should also meet the moisture requirement. A difficult balance must be achieved; a firm and lightly crisp exterior must easily give way to an interior that does not have any visually moist components yet literally “melts in the mouth” upon consuming. However, do not be fooled! Excellent glaze does not necessarily imply moisture. The doughnut is the whole package, and the relationship between the exterior layer and interior dough is an integral part in creating moisture.

Doughnuts are not a purely gustatory experience, but also an ocular experience as well. The doughnut being consumed must have visual delight. This can present itself in many forms: a doughnut piled with an obscene amount of sprinkles, icing cooled in the perfect drip shape, sugary crystals formed on the surface, a pleasing visual relationship between hole diameter and outer circumference, or expert linework in icing decoration.

Doughnuts are wonderful not only because they are delicious, but also because of their shape. The repetition and symmetry of the circular forms are incredibly pleasing to the human eye. But perfection does not lie only with the doughnuts that are flawlessly round with perfect proportions. Other doughnuts that have imperfect shapes can be even more pleasing. A pucker, a fold, or a pinch of dough give the doughnuts life. As has been said by many, there is perfection in imperfection.

Finally, doughnuts must contain an element of surprise. Whether that is an unusual topping, a creative shape, or something else, a doughnut cannot be mundane. The surprise component of the doughnut may even be as simple as finding yourself walking past a doughnut truck, stopping, and eating the best doughnut of your life, or waking up in the morning to a dozen doughnuts in a box on the kitchen counter. Unexpected doughnuts are the best kind of doughnuts.

In conclusion, I hope that these 5 elements help you select your next perfect doughnut in the very near future!

Best doughnuts I’ve ever eaten:*

1. Apple Cider Doughnut from Carpe Donut Truck on the corner of Court Street and Bergen Street in Brooklyn, NY

2. Lavender Vanilla Peach Bourbon doughnut from Rosebud American Kitchen & Bar in Somerville, MA

3. Homemade blueberry doughnuts on Monhegan island off the coast of Maine

4. Chocolate cake glazed with coconut from the Dunkin’ Donuts down the street from the apartment I had in Maitland, FL (just something about those were better than other Dunkin’ Donuts)

5. Coconut doughnut from Union Square Donuts in Cambridge, MA

Honorable mentions include: Krispy Kreme original glazed with chocolate icing and sprinkles, Sweet Bread from Kyoto, Japan, Birthday Cake doughnut from Blackbird Doughnuts in Boston, MA, and mini doughnuts from a street vendor in Portland, WA.

*as of September 12, 2016.