bake - April 2018 - 34

chocolate & decorating

National
Donut Day
Celebrated on the ﬁrst Friday of every June, National Donut
Day is a day to celebrate donuts and the women who served
donuts to soldiers on the front lines during the First World War.
It is a day that is mainly celebrated in the United States. Other
donut shops around the world participate. Traditionally, a free
donut is given out to customers of donut shops on this unofﬁcial holiday.
This year marks the 80th anniversary of National Donut Day,
which was started in 1938 in Chicago to honor of The Salvation
Army "Doughnut Girls."

Middlebury, Indiana, for winning the Dawn Foods National
Donut Month contest, and the Cinnamon Caramel Donut from

There are many creative ways to celebrate National Donut Day,

Rise'n Roll Bakery has been named the Official Donut of Donut

and many involve the use of premium chocolate.

Day 2018 by Dawn Foods.

From iﬁGourmet, a wide array of chocolate decorations can

The history of National Donut Day traces back a century to 1917

be used to add elegance (and proﬁts) to chocolate-covered,

when The Salvation Army began a mission to provide spiritual

signature donuts to commemorate this special promotion.

and emotional support for US soldiers ﬁghting in France during

From triangle waves to mini ribbon spirals to multi-color swirls,

World War I. About 250 volunteers traveled overseas and set

there are numerous choices.

up small huts located near the front lines where they could give
soldiers clothes, supplies and baked goods.

Dobla offers many types of chocolate decorations to help
bakeries construct your own donut tower cake. Examples of

After discovering that serving baked goods would be difficult

chocolate decorations from Dobla include crushed curls (in

considering the conditions of the huts and the limited rations,

dark, white or pink), chocolate mini pearls and stars. Dobla's

two volunteers, Ensign Margaret Sheldon and Adjutant Helen

new Donut Topper allows you to create unique prints that

Purviance, began frying donuts in soldiers' helmets, according

provide your donuts with outstanding appearance and taste.

to The Salvation Army. These tasty treats boosted morale and

Studies show that consumers are willing to pay more for a

won the hearts of many soldiers. 

print-designed chocolatey topped donut compared to traditional donuts.

Nicknamed "Donut Lassies," the women who served donuts

Barry Callebaut, a leading manufacturer in high-quality choco-

the United States when the troops (nicknamed "doughboys")

late and cocoa products, has introduced a new chocolate that

returned home from war. During World War I, Donut Lassies

looks to join dark, milk, and white chocolate in the pantheon of

served coffee and donuts to soldiers in the trenches. Rations were

chocolate types. Ruby chocolate is the ﬁrst new natural color

poor, so the donut idea was conceived as a means of bringing

for chocolate in more than 80 years. Ruby chocolate from Barry

the soldiers cheer. Donuts were not the reason Salvation Army

Callebaut is described as an intense sensory delight, combining

workers were in the ﬁghting zones of France; they were there

berry-fruitiness and luscious smoothness.

primarily to give spiritual aid and comfort to the American soldier
and his allies. They were there to be a link with home and family.

Contests are another way to put the spotlight on creative

The Salvation Army continued to provide comfort, care and

donuts. In 2017, Dawn Foods honored Rise'n Roll Bakery in

donuts to American soldiers during World War II.

34 < APR 2018 | bakemag.com

JOHN UNREIN

to troops are often credited with popularizing the donut in
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bake - April 2018

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