How Brown Butter Salted Caramel Doughnuts Became One of New York’s Most Popular Pastries — Handmade - Summary

Summary

The owner of Fan-Fan doughnut shop shares her passion for creating the perfect doughnuts. She emphasizes the importance of using fresh ingredients, making doughnuts in small batches throughout the day, and adding a personal touch to each one. She explains her approach to pastry-making is more instinctive, acquired through experience and feeling. The shop's doughnuts are inspired by Latin American flavors, and she highlights the process of making a specific doughnut, the "Danny Boy," which features a salted brown butter caramel glaze. The owner also discusses the importance of community, nostalgia, and joy in her work, believing that the happiness and love put into making the doughnuts can be tasted by customers.

Facts

Here are the key facts extracted from the text:

1. The doughnut shop makes doughnuts in small batches throughout the day to ensure freshness.
2. The dough is the most important part of the doughnut, and it's made with a secret recipe.
3. The shop uses a dry kit that cannot be mixed with certain ingredients, or the yeast will start to activate.
4. The liquid in the recipe is adjusted based on the weather, humidity, and temperature.
5. The shop owner was born and raised in Mexico City and incorporates Latin flavors into the doughnuts.
6. Mexican cinnamon is used in the doughnuts, which is more floral and less spicy than regular cinnamon.
7. The shop owner started their career in the savory side of cooking, not pastry.
8. The doughnuts are made by hand, and the process requires a lot of heart and human connection.
9. The shop uses a machine called a sheeter to roll out the dough, but every doughnut is cut by hand.
10. The doughnuts are proofed twice before being fried.
11. The shop owner creates different shapes, including a classic braid and a flower shape inspired by challah.
12. The shop owner is Mexican and Jewish and incorporates traditions from both cultures into the doughnuts.
13. The shop uses natural ingredients and no artificial colorings.
14. The glazing process is meditative and requires patience and attention to detail.
15. The shop owner's favorite doughnut is the Danny Boy, which is named after their husband.
16. The shop owner uses a cream cheese filling from an Amish farm in upstate New York.
17. The guava and cheese Fan-Fan is the most popular item on the menu.
18. The shop owner's goal is to bring joy to customers through their doughnuts.