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Why square donuts? After pondering the question, one begins to wonder instead why donuts are almost always round. Square donuts are simple to cut without waste and are more efficiently displayed on trays and packed into boxes. In spite of numerous advantages, fry cakes in the regular quadrilateral format are rare. I got to try one at the aptly named Square Donuts, a small chain in Western Indiana.





It was toward the end of the day so unfortunately only crème-filled maple-glazed donuts were left (there were a few round items like cinnamon rolls but we surely didn't want those). If there's a less appealing donut variety I have yet to find it. A small taste of a corner (how often can you use that term for a donut?) suggested Squares are decent donuts. If I'm ever in Terre Haute earlier in the day I'll try some more.

Square Donuts
several locations including
935 Wabash Av
Terre Haute IN
812-232-6463

Square donuts are not unheard of, and certainly not limited to Tere Haute. When I visit the Chow Poodle's home town of Owosso, MI, there is a local donut shop that also offers square cut donuts. They're quite good, too. I'll take some pics and report back next time we visit.

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Steve Z.
Photographer/Pseudojournalist

"The only time to eat diet food is while you’re waiting for the steak to cook." - Julia Child

I think the obvious answer for round donuts is more contact w/the oil, leaving for more overall crispness.

Square donuts are not wholly unheard of; for instance, New Orleans style donuts or beignets are square. Just last week, I was in Madison, at Greenbush, a top-notch donut shop for sure, and many of the donuts come, not quite square, but almost hexagonal-ish, as in square with a little twist. On the other hand, a common compromise is the rectangular donut, as exemplified by the long john. Less waste but more surface. Even better to me, than long johns are the "LA Style" bars, which can be found at any corner donut shop in LA, but here, as far as I know, in the Harwood Heights-esque Wheeling Donuts. So, there are indeed, good non-round donuts around town.

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Think Yiddish, Dress British - Advice of Evil Ronnie to me.

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Even Square Donuts aren't limited to Terre Haute. They have a couple stores in Bloomington.


The donut makers of Owosso sound like real rebels. "White's Triangle" is still spoken of fondly even though it is no longer available in town. The legendary three-sided donut was a cream-filled maple-glazed creation (bleh!).

Is it Benny's Donuts you're talking about? I couldn't find any photos of their donuts. Are they all square?


A circle has the maximum possible area for a given perimeter, so a round shape offers less contact with the oil. One thing I appreciated about Square Donuts was the increased surface area at the corners.


When I said square donuts are rare I was thinking mostly of standard donuts with a hole. I don't often seek out donut shops but Square Donuts was the first I've visited that makes almost all their donuts, holed or not, with four equal sides.

Hexagonal donuts may be more common than many realize. I first noticed this when watching donuts being cut at Munster Donuts (I'm not sure all their donuts are cut this way). I found this geometrically clever, as hexagons can be packed with no space in between (like squares but unlike circles) so there's no leftover dough. The hexagons "round out" somewhat during rising and frying so the shape doesn't offend traditionalists.

Yes, it is Benny's that I'm talking about, and I believe they also sell something like "White's triangle". They're easily the best donuts in town, though the shop itself may not be the most inviting. I promise a full report complete with pictures next time we visit, which should be sometime in the fall.

Owosso has turned into a baked goods destination of sorts. Between these donuts and the Czech Kolachhe (SIC) maker, there's always something sweet to eat. They even have a Tim Horton's in town, though TH's donuts could easily be confused with Duncan Donuts, and therefore have no appeal to me.

_________________
Steve Z.
Photographer/Pseudojournalist

"The only time to eat diet food is while you’re waiting for the steak to cook." - Julia Child

I guess. Never did get around to taking calculus, but that's not what makes circle donuts have more surface area. I guess it's not the circle per se that I was thinking of.

_________________
Think Yiddish, Dress British - Advice of Evil Ronnie to me.

The Local Beet's very big list of 2013 Farmer's Markets

I woke up this AM with something important on my mind. Donuts. I was thinking about this whole square/round/rectangular thing, and I realized I got, maybe something wrong. See, if you've had a LA style buttermilk bar you know they're heavy but not necessarily dense, and there's a good amount of crisp surface to them too. I think the beauty of this kinda donut is that it can be fried longer.

Anyways, next time you're on your way to (or from) Harwood Heights, stop by for some LA donuts in Wheeling to see the effects of round and non-round donuts. I'll even give you the address:

729 W Dundee Rd
(between Elmhurst & Wheeling Rds)
Wheeling, IL 60090
(847) 419-9619

_________________
Think Yiddish, Dress British - Advice of Evil Ronnie to me.

The Local Beet's very big list of 2013 Farmer's Markets