National Donut Day

Facts About Donut Day

The First Doughnut Machine Changed Breakfast Forever

In 1920, Russian-born immigrant Adolph Levitt built what is often credited as the first automatic doughnut machine in his New York City bakery, producing consistent, ring-shaped doughnuts at high speed and drawing crowds to watch through the shop window.

The machine’s success led to the founding of the Doughnut Corporation of America, which sold equipment and mixes nationwide and helped transform doughnuts from a handmade bakery item into a standardized, industrially produced staple across the United States. 

Fried Dough Traditions Date Back to Ancient Civilizations

While modern doughnuts are relatively recent, the idea of frying bits of dough in fat can be traced to ancient cultures such as the Greeks and Romans, who made small honey-soaked fritters like loukoumades.

Medieval European cooks later developed their own versions of deep-fried pastries, often enriched with eggs and spices, which laid the groundwork for later ring-shaped and filled doughnuts that emerged in the 18th and 19th centuries.  

A Jewish Holiday Helped Popularize Jelly-Filled Doughnuts

In many Jewish communities, sufganiyot, which are round, jelly-filled doughnuts fried in oil, became a central food of Hanukkah in the 20th century, especially in Israel.

The use of oil in frying commemorates the Hanukkah miracle of the oil that lasted eight days, and state-backed labor organizations in early Israel promoted sufganiyot as a festive alternative to homemade potato latkes, helping cement the doughnut-like pastry in national holiday culture.  

Pre-Lenten Feasts Turned Rich Doughnuts into a Last Indulgence

In parts of Central and Eastern Europe, rich, egg- and fat-laden doughnuts such as Polish pączki and German Berliner Pfannkuchen became associated with the last days before Lent, when Christians traditionally used up luxury ingredients before the fasting period.

In Poland, “Tłusty Czwartek,” or Fat Thursday, is still marked by bakeries selling millions of pączki in a single day, reflecting a centuries-old custom of indulgence on sweet fried dough before religious restraint.  

A World War I “Doughnut Dugout” Helped Shape Soldier Morale

During World War I, Salvation Army volunteers, many of them women, set up small huts near the front lines in France where they cooked and served doughnuts, coffee, and other comforts to American troops.

Letters and diaries from soldiers describe waiting in long lines for the treats, and historians note that the simple act of eating fresh fried dough in muddy, dangerous conditions became a powerful symbol of home, boosting morale far beyond the food’s nutritional value.  

Steam, Starch, and Oil Physics Give Doughnuts Their Texture

The characteristic light interior and crisp exterior of a yeast-raised doughnut result from a balance of dough hydration, gluten development, and hot oil temperature that causes rapid steam expansion.

As the dough hits oil at roughly 350–375°F (about 175–190°C), moisture turns to steam and inflates gas cells while starches gelatinize and proteins set, creating a tender crumb, and any significant drop in temperature can cause the dough to absorb excess fat and turn greasy.  

Frying Creates Acrylamide, a Heat-Formed Contaminant

Like many carbohydrate-rich foods cooked at high temperatures, doughnuts can contain acrylamide, a chemical that forms when sugars react with the amino acid asparagine during frying, baking, or roasting.

Food safety agencies monitor acrylamide because high doses in animal studies have been linked to cancer, and researchers have found that lowering frying temperatures, adjusting recipe formulations, and avoiding over-browning are practical ways to reduce acrylamide levels in fried dough products.