Dunkin' Donuts

Glazed, cake, cruller, frosted and sprinkled, Duncan has a donut for just about every occasion. They basically invented the grab and go breakfast with their coffee and donut combo, and you'll now find them serving early birds at more than 13,000 shops across 30 countries. Today we're taking a closer look at what goes into these golden rings of dough and their bite-sized companions. So grab a coffee and snag some munchkins because we're rolling inside to see just how America runs on Duncan. During the first half of the 20th century, grabbing a quick breakfast of coffee and donuts simply wasn'the norm, until a visionary by the name of Bill Rosenberg would change that forever. By 1946, Rosenberg was running a fleet of lunch trucks in Quincy, Massachusetts, when he noticed Spotting the trend, he opened a no-frills bakery called the Open Kettle in 1948, dedicated entirely on selling what customers clearly W So Rosenberg embraced the idea and renamed the Open Kettle as the first Dunkin' Donuts in 1950. But success didn't come instantly. To draw in more customers, Rosenberg unveiled 52 donut varieties, far more than any other bakery at the time, and the lineup created a colorful display case, tempting customers to take home a mix instead of just one flavor. From that moment on, Dunkin' became more than just a donut shop, it became a morning ritual. So let'step inside one of their modern kitchens and see how a few favorites are made. Be Some shops need and fry them fresh each morning, while others have trays delivered from a regional factory, and smaller shops The method chosen usually comes down to management preference and available store space. All of them start with one of two batter types, yeast or cake. Yeast donuts are soft and fluffy and easy to spot by the faint ring around their middle, w Customers will check out how the cake donuts are mixed and fried in the store's kitchen. Then we'll look at the yeast versions and finish with the toppings. So in the words of Fred the Baker, Time to make the donuts! Dunkin''s cake donut batter starts with 42 ounces of water, mixed with 100 ounces of their secret proprietary premix. That includes wheat flour, nutmeg, non-fat dry milk, egg powder, sugar and salt. There's no waiting, the batter has to be used right away. It's loaded into a specialized tool called the Bell Shaw Donut Plunger, w And for a consistent cook time across every batch, a timer is set for 30 seconds, w One ring of batter drops every second into a blend of palm, soy and cotton seed oils heated to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. They sizzle in the oil for 45 seconds, then another timer allows 10 seconds for flipping, followed by another 45 seconds to finish the other side. Once they've turned golden, they're lifted out of the oil and arranged on t But we'll get to that step in a moment. The chocolate cake donut batter starts with the same proprietary dry premix, but the batter is loaded into the plunger depositor, w They fry for a minute and a half on each side, before being lifted out, cooled and set aside for the finis The cake munchkins start with the same batter as the cake donuts, except the plunger's nozzle is designed to release four bite-sized portions with just one turn of the handle. After We're then lifted up and left to cool on the screen for 20 minutes, until it's time for toppings, w To make the French crawlers, Duncan Bakers begin with a shoe pastry mix, enriched with and just The shoe batter goes into a Bell Shaw donut plunger, fitted with a nozzle designed specifically for crawlers. Turning the crank forces the perfect amount of batter through the ridged ring, shaping those characteristic vertical swirls. W This also gives them a custard- Each side fries for 2 minutes and 45 seconds in the 375 degree palm oil. Then the crawlers are removed to drain and cool, before heading off for toppings. Making the yeast-raised donut dough, requires a few more steps than preparing the cake or crawler batters. The process starts with Duncan's proprietary premix of wheat flour, non-fat milk powder, egg powder, dough conditioners, and stabilizers. A baker combines the premix with active yeast and water, using a commercial floor mixer that needs it into a smooth, elastic dough. This dough rests in a proof box for 10 minutes at around 90 degrees and 80% h The risen dough is then fed through t Switc The raw dough rings are then arranged on t After proofing, the screens of dough rings go directly into the 375 degree palm oil. They fry for 45 seconds, are flipped with donut sticks, then fry another 45 seconds before being lifted out to drain on the cooling rack, ready for decorations. Filled yeast donuts start from the same dough as the regular rings, except the roll cutter doesn't have the center hole punch and stamps out solid rounds of dough. Following the same 45 minute proof box session, the rounds are fried for at least 3 minutes per side, allowing their centers to cook all the way through. They're then set aside to cool, waiting for their injected fillings and frostings that come next. Yeast munchkins begin by manually collecting the dough centers from the stamped out donut dough. A baker then arranges the centers on the frying screen before lowering them into the hot oil. For approximately 1 u00bd minutes, they're agitated, rolled and held beneath the surface with another frying screen for even cooking. Once cooked through, they're lifted out and set aside to drain and cool. And here's a fun fact, munchkins first came about in 1972, Hartford, Connecticut, when store manager Edna Demri came up with a simple but brilliant idea. Instead of throwing away the dough cutouts, why not sell them as their own treat? Another clever idea to repurpose the scrap dough quickly went from an in-store novelty to one of Duncan's biggest Duncan's coffee roll is their take on the classic cinnamon roll, and it starts with the yeast dough being pressed through the sheather, then shaped into a rectangle on t A water spritz comes first, followed by a generous dusting of cinnamon distributed over the entire sheet w Then, the outer edges are spritzed again. Folding begins at the top edge, continuing repeatedly down the dough sheet until forming a round loaf. The loaf is divided into 3-ounce slices, w Following a 45-minute proof box session, they go into the oil for 2 minutes on each side. Once golden, they're lifted out, dusted with cinnamon, and finished with a sweet glaze. With the leftover yeast dough scraps, the bakers will typically recycle it into making other goodies They compile about 5 pounds of scrap dough on a floured workspace, layer it with 1 pound of apple filling, a generous shake of cinnamon, and scatter 4-5 ounces of flour on top. Using a bench knife, the mixture is chopped and folded until everyt The glob is shaped into a loaf, then cut into 3-ounce portions. Each portion is dusted with flour, arranged on a donut screen, and proofed for 45 minutes. They're lowered into 375-degree palm oil, and because of their heft and density, they need to fry for at least 3 minutes on each side. Once fried through, the fritters are lifted, given a sprinkle of cinnamon, and coated with the icing. Now comes the moment everyone's been waiting for, the toppings. Duncan is known for its line-up that stretches well beyond 52 flavors, but for time'sake, we'll just stick to the fan favorites The still warm cake donuts are taken to the glazing screen. Then, a large ladle is dipped in the icing, and poured across the donuts, drenc Cake donuts that are powdered or cinnamon coated, are placed in the cake munchkins get the same sweet treatment as their larger counterparts, giving the bite-sized treats a smooth, glossy shell of sweetness. Frillers are finished with a glaze as well, settling beautifully into the ridges, dripping down for that signature look. Next up, are the yeast donuts. These make up the majority of Duncan's donut sales, so the topping options here are much broader. Naturally, the line-up begins with the classic glaze, wrapping each donut in a sweet, glistening finish that's instantly recognizable. Top frosted yeast donuts are prepared at t Each one is flipped upside down, then lowered into the frosting, whether it's chocolate, strawberry, or vanilla. Then flipped right side up again. And in some kitchens, the baker still hand dips each donut in the frosting, then decorates with rainbow sprinkles before arranging them on the display tray. During the holidays, you'll also see themed frostings, such as p Next the yeast munchkins receive their rich coating of smooth, sweet glaze. But there's actually nine munchkin varieties, and you'll never find them all in one store. The line-up includes butternut, cinnamon, blueberry glazed, chocolate glazed, jelly-filled, powdered sugar, old-fas The yeast-filled donuts are next in line. To keep it simple, we'll just cover two of Duncan's best sellers, Boston Cream and Jelly Powdered. While there are plenty of other options At the heart of every Boston Cream is a Bavarian-style custard that'supplied premade by a t In the kitchen, bags of the filling are loaded into the hopper of the yeast donut shells are pressed onto the spouts, where a measured shot of custard is injected into each one. Then the filled donuts move to the frosting prep table. Each shell is inverted, dipped in rich chocolate icing, then returned upright, finished as one of Duncan's most popular creations. The filling for jelly donuts is also prepared off-site, and it's most commonly raspberry or strawberry-flavored. It's generally made with granulated sugar and corn syrup for sweetness and body, plus pectin, to give it a thick, jam- Once the jelly is loaded into the hopper of the pastry filler, the attachment is switched out. The yeast shells are pressed onto the spouts, then injected with a measured dose. After that, they're dropped into a container of powdered sugar and t With their finis Whether you crave a simple ring, a filled treat, or somet There's no doubt that Duncan Donuts reshaped the way we start our mornings. They turned coffee and donuts into the definition of a lunch break, with their early marketing campaigns promoting a coffee paired with a snack that actually coined the phrase, coffee break. And thanks to Bill Rosenberg's vision of 52 varieties, he turned a simple treat into a full-on experience, with choice, tradition, and a bit of fun. W Drop your favorite in the comments.