Regina friends embark on doughnut odyssey to combat COVID cabin fever

It's an odyssey worthy of Homer — Homer Simpson, that is.

Arielle Zerr and two of her best friends decided to seek out the best doughnuts on offer in Regina to combat COVID cabin fever.

"I live alone, so my family is my best friend and her husband,' said Zerr. "We were looking for something to have a little more fun."

They noticed a trend of artisan doughnut shops popping up in the city, so they decided to do a doughnut tasting each week.

They are keeping it to Regina right now due to COVID-19, but plan on expanding their pastry project once restrictions are lifted.

They get three doughnuts of different flavours from each location.

"We call them a flight of doughnuts," Zerr said. "We take a photo and we try the same doughnut flavour at the same time."

The group then compares thoughts on each of the offerings.

"The cool thing is that every doughnut place is a little bit different," Zerr said.

They've tried sourdough, pink lemonade, strawberry cheesecake and many more flavours over several weeks of tastings.

"The diversity of the topping or the glaze has really grown from the traditional doughnut market," she said.

This small little trip has meant so much because of COVID-19. Zerr said it gives her and her friends something to talk about.

"lt's something to look forward to every week that's a little different."

One of the favourites so far was a sourdough doughnut from the Everyday Kitchen in Regina.

"We are the first 100 per cent sourdough shop in North America," said owner Katie Shmelinski.

She said sourdough doughnuts have a complex taste and are easier to digest. She came up with them by experimenting in the kitchen.

"My two-and-a-half year old had never eaten a doughnut before and I wanted to feel proud to create a doughnut to give him."

Right now, Everyday offers a simple brown butter doughnut and other classics, but will also do more complicated seasonal flavours, including a doughnut with homemade Nutella dip. Shmelinski said every topping is homemade, inluding hazlenuts roasted in-house.

"If we use Oreos we make Oreos from scratch."

Shmelinski said she has developed more than 80 flavours since opening and has some new ones on the go for St. Patrick's Day, including Irish cream custard and chocolate stout.

Leeane Berger, owner/operator of Darkside Donuts in Saskatoon, said she wants to stretch doughnut boundaries. Darkside's offerings have included Rice Krispies doughnuts, lemon meringue and every other flavour she and her staff can think of.

"We want to get people thinking about what doughnuts can be."

The store also has a doughnut cam, so customers can keep tabs on what's happening to the second.

"People love the cam. People watch it at work,' said Berger.  'It's kind of relaxing. You see people taking doughnuts and putting them in packages."

Darkside has a monthly menu and a 'Sunday Funday,' where people sign up for a mystery doughnut that is created only on Sunday. Staff members go to great lengths to make it over-the-top and quirky. The most recent one was for national cereal day, when they made a cornflake crunch doughnut with cereal milk panna cotta.

Berger said people seem to like something different and it's a creative outlet for her and her workers.

"All of the staff here gets really excited about coming up with ideas."

She said she tries to avoid eating too many doughnuts, but every now and again she can't resist.

"I'll cave and have one and they're just as good as they've always been."

Berger said Darkside uses a from-scratch enriched brioche dough made fresh every morning. She said the perfect doughnut she be light and fluffy, with a little chewiness.