The year 2020 has been nothing short of transformative, and we want to offer you some sweet reprieve in honor of National Donut Day, June 5, with a recipe from Berkeley Donuts. Denver’s only potato-style donut shop is located inside of Hops & Pie, a cult favorite craft beer bar and pizzeria, opening right before COVID-19 in February and despite the difficult timing, continuously sells out of their sugary creations every operating day, from Wednesday to Sunday.
So what denotes potato-style donuts? Quite literally, the additional starch. This style, made with both potatoes and traditional flour, came to fruition in the ’40s when New England bakers made the brilliant discovery that results in a fluffier and slightly sweeter donut. Berkeley uses local potatoes from Jones Farms Organics in Hooper, Colorado, accompanied by an eight-year-old sourdough starter courtesy of their roomies, Hops & Pie.
The spot sells multiple varieties of sourdough-raised donut flavors that includes eight to 10 cake donuts, vegan and gluten free options plus, an epic egg, cheese and house-made maple sausage breakfast sandwich served on a classic sourdough donut.
Other popular rotators are their bourbon sourdough with Hops & Pie’s iconic bread pudding sauce, blueberry pancake, Almond Joy, s’mores, brown butter with Rice Krispies and Hawaiian black lava sea salt with chocolate and caramel. Plus, a “Strawberry Homer” which pays homage to Homer Simpson in the form of a strawberry glazed donut.
Right now wouldn’t it would be so lovely if we can all come together and agree upon one thing: “Forget Cake vs. Yeast, Potato Doughnuts are the Greatest,” a statement Priya Krishna defines in her Bon Appetit article. We are with you lady and give a nod to your valid point that these moist puppies “are truly the best thing that’s happened to doughnuts—or potatoes, for that matter—in a long time.”
Berkeley Donuts’ Chocolate Potato Cake Donut Holes with Strawberry Glaze & Sprinkles
~Makes 40 donut holes
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups flour
- ½ cup sugar
- ½ Tablespoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup cocoa powder
- 2 Tablespoons yogurt
- 1.5 Tablespoons vanilla extract
- ¼ cup cold mashed potatoes
- 1 cup milk
- 2 Tablespoons butter
- 2 large eggs
Strawberry Glaze
- 2 tablespoons strawberry milk
- 2 cups of powdered sugar
- Few drops of red food coloring
Instructions
With paddle attachment on a stand-up mixer, blend room temperature butter and flour until it is coarse and resembles cornmeal. Add potatoes and sugar. Once incorporated, mix in remaining ingredients until it is a smooth batter.
Using small 2 oz. scoop or spoon, drop dough into hot oil (360 degrees). Fry for 20 seconds on each side and transfer to a towel-lined pan to absorb excess fat.
Whisk together the milk and powdered sugar, once combined add food coloring.
Once chocolate donut holes are cooled, drop into bowl with glaze and roll them around. Move them to a cooling rack and add sprinkles before frosting hardens.
*All images courtesy of Dustin Hall
