Flour, butter, oil, yeast and sugar. Five simple ingredients are all it takes to create one of the world’s most universal desserts, but these days the doughnut has gone from a simple deep fried dessert to a culinary delight. From the markets in London to the beaches of Sydney, here’s our guide to the best doughnuts around the world.
Foodcraft Espresso, Erskineville Sydney
Australians love Nutella. At around the same time Melbourne was experiencing a city-wide shortage of the sweet spread, this new Sydney cafe was generous stuffing its sugar coated doughnuts full of the stuff. The Tella Ball was born. And what followed was an Instagram-fuelled frenzy of Sydneysiders lining up for this sugar hit. And then there was the Tella Shake – a chocolate milkshake with a Tella Ball stuff on the straw. Expect to line up early for one of these babies but it’s well worth the wait.
Bread Ahead Donuts, London Borough Market
Justin Gellatly first began making doughnuts while working as the pastry chef at acclaimed London restaurant St Johns. After baking the bread for Kate and William’s royal wedding, he branched out with baker Matt Jones, and set up a doughnut stall at London’s Borough Market. He’s nicknamed his large, plump custard-filled doughnuts “custard grenades” and sells out of around 2,000 doughnuts every Saturday. Their staff are chased between the bakery and their market stall but no amount of bribery will get you a doughnut early. Line up and hope for the best. Flavours change daily and are worth the wait.
Tivoli Road Bakery, Melbourne
Michael James is the chef behind this hole-in-the-wall bakery in South Yarra. His team is kept busy baking artisan sourdough, sausage rolls and pastries, but it’s the doughnuts that have put Tivoli Road firmly on the foodie map. James was the first Australian chef to bring Dominique Ansel’s cronut to our shores – naming it the dossant. The doughnut/croissant hybrid had people lining up down the street. These days the more traditional, custard-filled doughnuts are back in fashion. Arrive early if you want to try the legendary salted caramel doughnut, although lemon curd is definitely a good consolation prize. The Como Melbourne is literally right around the corner so if visiting, stay there and you won’t miss out.
