Beach Donuts

Review by: Georgia Kral

Doughnuts may not be the first food item that comes to mind when you consider beach food. For most of us, it’s hot dogs, French fries, and burgers that sing of summer by the shore. But a visit to Beach Donuts in Connecticut en route to the beach and you just might find yourself hooked on fried dough with sugar—sand on the side—for life.

Maybe that’s because of the laid-back, coastal Connecticut vibes found inside the bakery. (Possibly.) Maybe salty sea air just something extra to the sweet and fried flavor found in doughnuts. (Probably.) Or maybe it’s because the doughnuts are fresh, delicious and satisfying. (Definitely.)

What to eat at Beach Donuts

Beach Donuts makes all types of doughnuts—yeast (raised) and cake (old-fashioned); there’s something for everyone. There are jelly-filled doughnuts, cream-filled doughnuts, crullers, Boston Creme doughnuts. The list goes on; and they’re all fantastic.

My favorite is sour cream cake. I’ve had them all over the country, and Beach Donuts makes one of the top two. (The other can be found at Peter Pan Bakery in Greenpoint, Brooklyn.) Interestingly, I generally prefer a raised doughnut because I like the texture better, and the unintended rock-in-the-stomach side effect is less likely. But the addition of sour cream gives cake doughnuts tanginess that is truly out of this world. The dairy also creates crags in the surface of the doughnut: a textural element that makes it the best ever.

The jelly stick is another winner. Its raspberry filling has a pronounced fruit flavor and the doughnut itself is rich, tasting of nutmeg and perhaps allspice. It’s a formula that almost takes the jelly stick into a league of its own—beyond doughnuts, if you will. But I still dunked mine in coffee, as one must do.

This is New England, so it’s no surprise that the Boston Creme is a standout. Its custard is less cloying than what you find at the innumerable nearby Dunkin Donuts locations. Its chocolate icing isn’t as sugary sweet as usually found on donuts, and its silky texture is luscious.

For a true taste of summer, make a pit stop at Beach Donuts the next time you’re driving the coast of Connecticut. And don’t worry, when the itch strikes at another time of year (trust me, it will) you’re in luck. It’s open year round.

What To Eat

Sour Cream Old Fashioned

DISH
Cruller

DISH
Glazed Jelly Stick

DISH
Boston Creme

DISH
Old-Fashioned

DISH

Beach Donuts Recipes

Discuss

What do you think of Beach Donuts?

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This Must Be

By Jane and Michael Stern Originally Published 2002 Gourmet Magazine ONE COLD DAY in the mid-1940s, Harold “Whitey” Miller, a Connecticut clam digger who sold littlenecks off the back...

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