DONUTS TO DOUGHNUTS -- Stop #1: DOUGH

DOUGH

305 Franklin Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11205

As previously mentioned on my Favorite Food Stops page, I've had my fair share of doughnuts from Dough at the Brooklyn Flea Market in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.  There was no denying that at first bite I fell in love with their unique flavors, from Passionfruit & Cacao Nibs to Cafe Au Lait.  I became a fan instantly and wanted the full effect of what they had to offer.  So I decided to take a ride with my twin sister Debra for a taste of their doughnuts from their shop in Clifton Park, Brooklyn. 

Only a short ride form my grandmother's house, we found the shop very easily and purposely parked a few blocks away to enjoy a nice walk on the sunny spring day before guzzling down a few doughnuts.  Arriving at the shop it was fairly small, laced with wood trimmings and a rustic decor.  The smell of fresh doughnuts immediately grabs you as you walk in a take the few steps toward the large case full of doughnuts.  With over 10 different type ranging from $2 -$2.50 each, we noticed some we had already been introduced to and some new and intriguing flavors like Nutella, Dulce de Leche, and Chocolate Cream.

Going in the shop my sister and I already had an idea of which doughnut we definitely wanted to try.  Being huge lemon fans we were dying to try the Lemon Meringue doughnut, filled with lemon curd and topped with gooey meringue.  To our dismay, they were all out!  Naturally taken off guard, it took us a little while to decide which doughnuts we wanted to try.  Sticking with the lemon, we opted for the Lemon Poppy Seed, and the Toasted Coconut doughnuts and decided to take a seat on two of the few stools overlooking the kitchen.

Toasted Coconut

Lemon Poppy Seed

We started with the Lemon Poppy Seed doughnut (pictured left) and loved it; the simple lemon glaze and crunch of the poppy seed complemented the dough very nicely with just a hint of sweetness and not too much bitterness from the lemon, making it a doughnut that even non-lemon fanatics can enjoy.  Next we tried the Toasted Coconut doughnut (pictured lower right).   Unfortunately we both felt the doughnut was lacking a bit.  We were expecting a bigger burst of coconut flavor.  It you're lucky enough to get a great deal of toasted coconut shreds on your glaze then you were able to taste some coconut, however we did not get so lucky.  We wanted more coconut! Sadly, we were disappointed.

Lemon Meringue

As we were finishing up the last doughnut, we were pleasantly surprised to see them pull out a rack filled with Lemon Meringue doughnuts (pictured left).  Although we had no complaints about the service the woman working the counter told us there were none coming out soon so we were not expecting any (hmm?).  To no ones surprise especially not our  own, we bought yet another doughnut to try to make up for the lack of flavor in our last one.  We sliced open the fluffy meringue-topped doughnut and out oozed the bittersweet lemon curd.  We were both excited yet hesitant as we knew this doughnut was going to be messy, seeing that the curd was just a bit too loose to handle neatly.  We bit into the doughnut starting with the fluffy meringue, then the dense dough, and then the lemon curd.  All three make for a nice bite, but it was tough to eat!  If I had an entire doughnut I don't think I could have stomached the whole thing and trust me I could eat.  The meringue and curd both had a nice sweet flavor but to me, the doughnut lacked that addictive quality and "oozed" more excess to me.  I prefer a bit more subtlety in my sweets and less of a "punch" of sweetness.  I base a lot of my judging of sweets on whether or not iI want more after I have finished my first helping.  If I don't give it a thought then I know that it was not my favorite.  Maybe the Lemon Meringue doughnut would be a great treat for someone with a sweeter tooth but my sister and I agreed that we would have preferred something a little less "in your face," and a little more sweet and simple.

On our way out we took a box of some doughnuts we thought our family would like and some we may want to try as well, including the Dulce de Leche doughnut and the Cafe Au Lait, we we loved at the flea market.  Taking a quick bite, I was happy to see that I still liked it as much as I did the first time.  However, the Dulce de Leche I was disappointed with.  It tasted more like a brown sugar glaze than it did a "dulce de leche" glaze.  I was expecting more of a milky-caramel flavor and didn't get it!  

After trying the doughnuts multiple times I found myself asking the question "Why do they have to be so big?"  I feel like I would love the doughnuts more if it were about three-quarters of its size.  I want to be able to take home a box of doughnuts and eat more than one of them.  Of course I have eaten my fair share of "Dough" doughnuts in one sitting but I don't thinkI will find myself doing that too often and that to me is a huge factor.  Overall, I have tasted some great doughnuts at "Dough" and from time-to-time I will probably be craving one of those large masses of doughy deliciousness.  However along with these great qualities came some disappointments and questions bringing my rating of Dough to:

 4 out of 5 STARS and a recommendation to go try it!