Donuts are all the rage in the Valley at the moment, and we couldn’t be happier. There’s nothing better than a warm glazed donut covered in sprinkles, and we’re sure Homer Simpson would agree.
With the arrival of new donut shops popping up around town, it’s no surprise that they’ve become the sought-after sweet.
Born & Glazed is a new donut shop in Scottsdale that wants to show off the artistic side of donuts. Owner Joshua James believes making scratch-made donuts is a real art.
“Donuts are a lot harder to make than cupcakes. To me, personally, there is more of an artisanal appeal to it because it’s not just baking small cakes,” James says.
Another thing he loves how much variety comes with donuts, especially if you use yeast-risen donuts like Born & Glazed. The donuts are made 10 hours before to ensure they have enough time to rise so that they can be cut and shaped just right.
“They’re a little bit more airy, they’re not as dense as cupcakes, so you have the tendency to eat more and enjoy them more because you can have a couple different ones. You can’t crush six cupcakes for breakfast,” James says.
The coolest thing James has seen in the donut world is how people are using new methods to get the perfect donut.
“Lacto fermentation is becoming really popular, and I think it’s really cool. It’s a different way to extract flavors and enhance flavors,” James says.
People are also using stabilizers like agar to achieve what they want in their donuts.
“They’re making their products as perfect as they can with stabilizers. Not only scientifically, but in execution as well,” James says.
One of their signature cake donuts has an unusual ingredient.
“We take Idaho Russet Potatoes and we blend them into the dough. Generally a cake donut tends to be kind of dense, so we incorporate potato into it and that keeps it at that consistency but it also keeps it moist,” James says.
Other signature donuts include their Cactus-Shaped Prickly Pear, the Samoa, and the Salted Caramel.
James prefers donuts that bring him back to his childhood days.
“My favorite donut is a chocolate frosted cake donut. It’s iconic and my dad would always get those for us,” James says.
We also found out what goes into making the perfect donut:
“TLC for sure…and patience. It’s definitely a labor of love and it takes time. With scratch donuts there’s really no room for error and it’s not a process you can rush,” James says.
Another favorite Valley donut shop comes from the owners of Short Leash Hot Dogs.
Rollover Donuts owner, Brad Moore, says they’re not afraid to push the limits when it comes to their donuts.
“We thought let’s take a traditional American thing and give it a fun, unique twist. So I think our donuts are really unique with very different flavor profiles,” Moore says.
Experimenting with flavors is what Rollover does best, especially with their signature Thai Coconut.
“It’s got coconut custard on the inside and we infuse a little bit of Thai chili oil into it so it’s a little bit sweet and a little bit spicy,” Moore says.
He believes donuts are making their way into the mainstream because they’re no longer just a breakfast treat. In fact, when they introduced donuts into Short Leash, they were offered as a dessert option.
“When you’re being more experimental with flavors, it is really more of a dessert,” Moore says.
Fractured Prune at CityScape is a donut shop that started on the East Coast and made its way to Arizona just in time for the donut craze.
At Fractured Prune you can create your own donut or choose from their signature menu. Downtown manager Richard Ortega says the craziest flavor he’s ever had is their Pig Pen.
“It’s a cake donut with a honey barbeque glaze sauce and then we put bacon on top and tajin spice to top it off. It’s like a sandwich and you can’t go wrong with it,” Ortega says.
Owner Karen Prygocki says having a freshly-made donut is nothing new, but making donuts an experience is what sets them apart because their donuts are made-to-order.
“Whatever your taste is, we can make it. People have their favorite donuts. It’s just one of those timeless things,” Prygocki says.
Reinventing the donut has been the most exciting part of Fractured Prune’s journey.
“Where cupcakes went with different styles, you can now do that with the donut and people are seeing that and I think they like that,” Ortega says.
One thing’s for sure: These glazed confections aren’t going anywhere anytime soon, and we’re totally OK with that.
Born & Glazed, 3213 N. Hayden Road, Scottsdale, 480.284.5007, bornandglazed.com
Rollover Donuts, 10 W. Vernon Avenue, Phoenix, 480.620.8479, shortleashhotdogs.com
Fractured Prune, Multiple locations throughout the Valley, fracturedprune.com
