The anatomy of a donut

Circle of life
It takes three heartbreaking hours to make yeast donuts from beginning to end, although most of that time is spent waiting for the dough to do its thing. After they are formed into the desired shape, the donuts are fried in a soy-based shortening (not lard!) for 45 seconds on each side. They are then topped and ready to eat. Cake donuts are less popular but also only take a mere 30 minutes to make.

Count ’em
One donut won’t kill you, but it’s tempting to reach for that second or third. Glazed donuts contain between 200 to 250 calories, depending on the size. Typically, the more ingredients there are, the more calories. Dunkin’ Donuts’ most gluttonous treat is the chocolate coconut cake donut, weighing in at 370 calories. Krispy Kreme’s unhealthiest donut is the apple fritter, at a whopping 380 calories.

Oh, hole-iness
Donut holes are deceiving too – about four of those little guys are equivalent to a whole donut. At B-town’s Crescent Donut Shop, donut holes are literally the center of the dough, with the exception of the cake donut holes, which are made from scratch.

Where’s the creme filling?
Unless you’re buying store-bought donuts, which are often glazed with a powdered sugar concoction, the glaze on homemade fresh donuts is a mixture of sugar, water, honey, maple, apricot, and other flavors. Creme and chocolate fillings are made in-house, but jellies and jams are typically purchased from a supplier.

Baker’s dozen
Crescent’s donuts are made in the wee hours of the morning so that they’ll be fresh at 5 a.m. The day of the week determines how many to make, with the beginning of the week being slower than the weekend. Owner Peter Sharpe estimates they make 250 to 300 dozen – up to 3,600 donuts – on the weekends and just 150 dozen on Mondays. Either way, that’s a lot of donuts.