Choice Morsel on International Doughnut Culture

A new weekly column that scours the Sound for the treats you crave (even if you don't know it yet)

text and photography by Tracy Schneider

French and Louisiana-style beignets have found their way onto menus in and around Seattle.
(top, from left) Artisanal Brasserie, Spring Hill, Toulouse Petit; (bottom, from left) Pearl, Café Flora, Monsoon East.

Ever since Jane and Michael Stern gave the nod to Seattle’s Top Pot Doughnuts, back in 2006, we’ve become known as a doughnut town, of sorts. It’s no surprise really. Vegans have been flocking to Mighty-O’s for egg and dairy-free doughnuts since early 2000, and Pike Place Market’s Daily Dozen Donut Co. has been a market destination all its own since 1989.

But Seattle’s doughnut culture reaches well beyond the traditional American doughnut. Malasadas, loukoumades, karioka, churros — you can take a round-the-world tour without leaving the Puget Sound, and that’s just what I intend to do over the next few weeks. Won’t you join me (after the jump) for beignets?

Beignets, made-to-order and served piping hot, are popping up at restaurants all around town. Though the word beignet is a generic term for “doughnut” in French, if you’re traveling in the American South, beignet refers to only one thing: the New Orleans-style, yeast-based doughnut that is served under a thick blanket of powdered sugar.

Cafe Flora has been serving this crispy version of beignet since the early ’90s, and for many people it’s been a weekend favorite ever since. Beignets are no small commitment in the kitchen. Proof the yeast. Prepare the dough. Let it rise. Knead it, roll it, and cut it out. Let it rise again, then deep fry. If you’re ambitious, you can make them yourself, using the restaurant’s signature cookbook.

For a completely different take on beignets, stop at Artisanal, where Chef Terrance Brennan’s feather-light orbs show up on both the brasserie’s brunch and dessert menus. Brunch regulars order their beignets as soon as they’re seated, and once you’ve tried Artisanal’s ethereal beignets, made from a brioche-like dough and filled with vanilla custard, you’ll understand why. Yes, these perfect, greaseless, pillow-soft spheres are really that addictive.

The apple beignets at Spring Hill are yet another version of beignet. Chef Mark Fuller, who grew up in Hawaii, originally planned to bring the Islands’ traditional Portuguese malasadas (more on those in another installment) to his West Seattle restaurant. The Northwest beignet he created instead for his brunch menu is made with apple rings that are battered and deep-fried, then dredged in cinnamon and sugar. Brunch simply isn’t over until you’ve eaten one of those apple beignets.

Beignets barely scratch the surface of the international doughnut culture we have in the Northwest. Join me here next week to explore Polish paczkis (available for a limited time only!).

Tracy Schneider, a “foodie” long before the term was coined, scours farmers markets, specialty food shops and out-of-the-way eateries for the choice morsel. She has eaten her way across Europe and Asia and now forages in and around the Pacific Northwest. Follow her weekly on the CAB and daily on Twitter.