What makes a doughnut worth $5? Real ingredients and a lot of time

First came the cupcake craze. Now specialty doughnuts are all the rage in Saskatchewan.

Jimmy Schimmel makes about 200 doughnuts five days a week to sell at pop-up locations in Regina. His average sell-out time? Under an hour.

In October, lineups stretched out into the street during Darkside Donut's opening weekend in Saskatoon.

Pals Donuts' owner Jayde Hryniuk often makes 600 a day to fill online pre-orders.  

So why are people willing to spend up to $5 on a handcrafted doughnut?

First off, set aside any comparisons to cheaper doughnuts sold at national coffee chains. Those are made off-site from a list of ingredients difficult to pronounce, frozen, then shipped. Making handmade doughnuts from scratch is incredibly time-consuming.

Second, we don't need a doughnut. It's a luxury item. It's worth spending a bit more on the occasional artisanal treat. 

Embracing the Darkside

Darkside is popular for good reason. The doughnuts aren't the typical yeast-raised variety; they're made from a sourdough brioche base. These babies are chewy, substantial and packed full of flavour. 

"It's very delicious," said owner Bryn Rawlyk.

Rawlyk sold doughnuts on Father's Day at his bakery, the Night Oven, for five years. He said the sourdough base combined with handmade toppings and fillings was "wildly popular." Customers kept asking for more. Darkside, Saskatoon's only specialty doughnut shop, was born. 

Managers Leeane Berger and Nikita Brown celebrate the ridiculous in weird and wacky flavours. Recent doughnut creations include bacon jam with ricotta, honey glazed with walnut Parmesan dusting and the Homer Jay, a play on Homer Simpson's trademark treat. Vegan doughnuts are in heavy rotation, as are classic styles. Prices range from $2.50 to $5. 

'I could make these'

Creative is the name of the game for Regina's Schimmel. His earlier career was spent in marketing and design roles, but since early 2017 HoBo Donuts – and dreaming up new flavours – is a full-time gig. 

Doughnuts like the Viva Puff or New Nutella (topped with crushed hazelnuts and Nutella glaze) have gained him a legion of fans in the Queen City. His goal is to make 100 different flavours each year. 

Schimmel has baking in his blood. His parents own a bakery in Swift Current and are long-time vendors at the farmers' market there. They bring in a big portable oven and fill the market with the scent of freshly baked cinnamon buns. His dad's mini-doughnuts are always a hit, too.

Schimmel didn't have aspirations to become a baker. It was only after a few trips to other parts of the continent, where specialty doughnuts took off earlier than in Saskatchewan, that he decided to launch his own business.

"There was one of those moments where I (thought), 'I could make these.' " 

Do Si dough

Lindsay Klassen has fond childhood memories of a bakery in her hometown that sold handmade doughnuts. 

After experimenting in her spare time, she launched Do Si Donut at the Regina Farmers' Market in 2017. The response was "pretty crazy," with regular lineups and sell-outs. 

"It was kind of intense but really cool to see people enjoying them," she said. 

At her new storefront, Happy Hi Coffee, she combines her barista experience with her doughnut passion. Pro tip: order a latte with Klassen's homemade pistachio and cashew nut milk.

Klassen uses a Regina-milled organic flour in the doughnut base and makes the custard fillings in-house. 

'It's so time consuming'

The doughnut biz isn't for the faint of heart. Jayde Hryniuk's day starts at 3 a.m. in the kitchen at the Capitol Music Club's kitchen in Saskatoon. 

Drawn to baking at an early age (her grandma taught her how to make doughnuts), Hryniuk launched Pals Donuts in late 2017 via pop-ups at retail locations.

"I knew it was going to be really trendy."

She and two friends later founded Revolve Cafe, an incubator for food startups. Hryniuk sells her doughnuts from the storefront and takes orders online.

She uses edible essential oils to make some of her doughnut flavours, like the London Fog. Another creation used Blackbridge Brewery's beer in a chocolate stout doughnut. 

"Now that I know how long it takes to make doughnuts every morning, I definitely understand why no other places have just doughnuts on their menu because it's so time consuming," she said. 

All the doughnut makers share a common bond: Their products are made from scratch and they don't use artificial ingredients. The same cannot be said for those coffee chain doughnuts. You can taste the difference immediately. 

The artisanal doughnut trend comes down to people appreciating the value. Plus, everyone loves Instagram-worthy doughnut pics. 

Jenn Sharp is a freelance writer travelling the province this year in search of stories that connect us to the people growing and making our food. 

If you're a baker, beekeeper, butcher, charcutier, cheesemaker, chocolatier, coffee roaster, craft brewer, distiller, farmer, farm-to-table chef, fishmonger, forager, market gardener, miller or orchardist in Saskatchewan, she wants to hear from you.

Her research will be compiled into the ultimate Saskatchewan food guide: Flat Out Delicious: Food Artisans of Saskatchewan. The book will be published by Touchwood Editions in spring 2020.