THE UNSURPASSED INDULGENCES ARE DELIGHTFULLY PLEASING at Jacky's Donut Hut!
I am a Foodie from San Francisco and with the multiplicity and diversity from diners to fine dining; a native's pallet becomes quite passionate about the food profiles that pass through our lips. In other words, we love our chow! While visiting friends and family, I happen to notice this little Mom & Pop donut shop, but they had already closed for the day. So while they are open 7 days a week, the Saturday and Sunday hours are 5am -2pm. Weekdays, I believe they are open from 5am - 4pm.
The owner, Amy, who is very personable and quite bubbly. I interviewed her at great length, along with several of her longtime customers, some who had been coming since the shop opened up 20 yrs.ago. They do not take debit or credit; it's cash only. It was my first time and I was curious about her donuts, as the reviews were raving. I bought my little bag of joy- you pay for 5 and you get the 6th one free! I intentionally picked the most popular common choices of donut lovers as I wanted my review to be fair. Findings: There is a sign up in the shop that states they use vegetable shortening in their recipes. I am certain this is what makes them delightfully pleasing! Most of the patrons are quite loyal and make no bones about their daily lot; some even disappointed when the last Apple Fritter was just sold to the customer before. The shop is dressed in a few small tables, with banquet chairs. The display case of donuts is the main focus upon entering with Amy behind the counter with a smile. If you're a regular, Amy knows your name, and has a canny ability to know exactly what you want.
1. French Cruller: I had the cherry icing, but Amy and her husband make several varieties such as maple, vanilla, chocolate, and orange. For those of you who have never tried one, it is a twisted ring-shaped (it can be oblong), made with choux pastry (the same dough used to make profiteroles; those pastries are baked, whereas French crullers are fried). The donut was perfectly golden and the inside was just as it should be which is light and the dough is what I consider upon the tongue as, "creamy" in texture! Crullers have a distinct sweetness to the dough, which makes it second to none in the donut categories. The shop gets an A+ for their French Crullers. PERFECT!
2. RAISED DONUTS: Include the following: Glazed, Sugar, Raised Chocolate or Maple, Cinnamon Crumb, and Long Johns: These all fall into the Yeast Donuts category in order for the dough to rise. I should mention that crème filled or jelly filled typically begin as a raised donut. I am particular when it comes to my standards of a good donut. I am quite partial to a long john covered in chocolate icing which I believe to be my favourite! Upon examination of yeast donuts--- First the outer appearance: this again was perfectly golden with my chocolate icing thick and spread meticulously. The icing seemed more like a rich, smooth, velvety ganache, with a slightly glossy appearance. Seriously, c'mon, it's like meeting for the first time and messy icing just isn't appealing on an over-fried donut! The Innards: I took a bit of my donut apart slowly by gently pulling it to see if the flour married well with yeast as a leavener. This wedding results in a light airy donut that stretches to one side with soft peaks pointing on the horizon. The ingredients performed as predicted. Lastly, the flavor and texture upon first bite: Oh My HEAVENS! Simply Delectable! My Palate was SINGING as my eyes rolled in the back of my head! I hate to admit this but it's part of the review process; I did this with every raised donut just to make sure it wasn't a stroke of luck with the one I had. This shop gets an A+ for their raised donuts! FLAWLESS!
3. Honey Wheat: This was a first for me and all I can say is its name sounds way too healthy to me. However, that being said, it is cake-style, particularly similar to a buttermilk bar style in terms of its texture. It has a tender center, very crusty, somewhat crispy outside. Nonetheless it is more flavourful, and moister, generally speaking. There is a note similar to a spice cake, giving a feeling of exotic spices from lands afar. Simply put, you could be in Sun City / Menifee , CA., and if you close your eyes while taking a bite, you have traveled away for .75 cents for a swift instant. How's that for a bargain?
4. My most stringent donut test: It is important to note if a good donut with icing will still perform to the same standards as the day it came out of the fryer on the next day at room temperature.Amy brought me out a day old glazed twist. The Results: PASSED! Overall, I give Jacky's Donut Hut the DONUT FABULICOUS AWARD in my book. read more