Why Dunkin' Had To Change The Recipe For This Iconic Donut

Before Dunkin' Donuts began to offer dozens of different kinds of baked goods, only four kinds of donuts were available when the store first opened in 1950: Plain cake, jelly, yeast-raised, and crullers. The word cruller means twisted cake, and these oblong pieces have long been shaped by hand or braided before they are fried to puffy perfection. Instead of the kind of yeasty or cake donut dough used in typical donuts, piping bags filled with pâte à choux are laid out to make French cruller, resulting in a tyre-tread type of texture that helps bleary-eyed customers differentiate these goodies from others.

Unfortunately, it is this exact handmade requirement that forced Dunkin' Donuts to reevaluate this donut's recipe. The cinnamon and sugar covered crullers have seen their share of comings and goings in the line-up of Dunkin' goodies, and it is largely due to the process involved. The labor-intensive recipe isn't ideal for certain establishments focused on quantity and speed, like Dunkin'. Store representatives have been quoted attributing the menu change to customer preferences yet have also admitted that the Dunkin' machines were unable to replicate the braids of the original cruller recipe and can only make sticks and rings out of dough, ultimately leading to the decision to remove the order from stores before replacing the original crullers' handmade recipe with a modified version that could be handled by Dunkin's machines.

Crullers can vary in recipe depending on where they are purchased, with some presented as rings and others braided into strands. The texture of these donuts is known for its crispy exterior that gives way to an airy middle beloved by many Dunkin' visitors.

Should you be on a quest to try to locate crullers in a Dunkin' store, Boston.com compiled a map where the elusive donuts could be tracked down across a section of the East coast since several Dunkin' stores still have the French cruller listed on the menu. But elsewhere in the U.S., you'll have to do your own research. If you happen to visit a Dunkin' and are disappointed to find that the cruller is nowhere to be seen among the lineup of treats, you can find copycat recipes online to make at home. Just be warned: You'll experience the hand-making process for yourself, and you should be prepared to spend the better part of an hour to make a baker's dozen in your own kitchen.