The Complete Handbook of Donuts

Finally a donut book that doesn't treat me like a tourist. I run a two-person shop and the chapter on choosing equipment alone was worth the price—the oil absorption numbers and cost-per-unit math are things I had to learn the hard way. I only wish it had more photos, but for a technical handbook it's exactly what it claims to be.

I'm a pastry instructor and I've assigned the first three chapters to my students already. The way it breaks down dough types and what actually controls crumb structure is clearer than any textbook I've used. It's dry in places, but that's what a reference should be. I docked one star only because I would have liked a few more troubleshooting examples.

Good practical book. It's not flashy, but it's thorough. The maintenance chapter helped me fix an inconsistency in our glazing line that we'd been fighting for months. The glossary is handy too. It's not bedtime reading, but if you treat it like the tool it is, you'll get a lot out of it.

Bought this for our bakery's back office and it's already got sticky notes all over it. The business opportunities chapter made me rethink our wholesale pricing model. It's serious, assumes you're competent, and doesn't waste your time. A star off only because the binding on my copy seems a bit tight—doesn't lie flat on my desk.

I was skeptical that any book could tell me something I didn't already know after 12 years in a donut plant, but the section on fat absorption and how it interacts with proofing conditions had some nuance I appreciated. It's a solid desk reference. My only complaint is the lack of a quick-reference fold-out chart for daily checks.

As a food truck operator, I don't have time to wander through a history of pastries. This gets to the point. The FAQ section is genuinely useful—things like 'why are my donuts dense?' are answered with actual causes, not vague advice. Good, dense reference. One star off because it would benefit from a small troubleshooting app or something.

It's thorough, no question, and the chapter on understanding donuts from the dough science up is solid. But for a book that claims to be a complete handbook, I expected more on the artisanal side—flavor development, sourdough-based donuts, unusual inclusions. It's very geared toward commercial production, which is fine, but the title overpromises for someone like me who's a serious home baker. Still a useful book, just not exactly what I hoped.

This is the reference I've been looking for. Every claim is concrete, every spec is measurable. I built my current menu and my equipment list based on the decision framework in Chapter 3, and my product now is more consistent than it's ever been. If you're serious about donuts as a craft or a business, this is the one book you need on the shelf next to your fryer manual.