-
Heather Larson, owner of Sweet Grass in Wessington Springs, offers a special donut covered in Fruity Pebbles cereal.
By John Andrews
I often thought of that famous Dunkin’ Donuts television commercial from the early 1980s as we traveled the state on our great South Dakota Donut Tour. In the ad, a weary baker rises in the wee hours of the morning and says, almost robotically, “Time to make the donuts.”
For us, it was, “Time to eat the donuts.”
Not that we grew weary of sampling all the delicious pastries. It was inspiring to visit with the bakers, many of whom rise while the rest of us are still asleep, to make dozens upon dozens of treats that make our mornings a little sweeter. Here is just a sampling of what we found.
Stopping at Wall Drug for a donut and coffee is almost a rite of passage for South Dakotans traveling across the state on Interstate 90. The crew makes 348,000 donuts each year to satisfy the 2 million hungry locals and visitors who stop by. The chocolate donut is the best seller, but Wall Drug Chairman Rick Hustead told us that South Dakotans are “die-hard maple donut fans.”
If Wall Drug’s donuts are the most recognizable in the state, a close second would go to Centerville’s famous — and trademarked — Zebra donut. The marbled Zebra is glazed and then dipped in a chocolate frosting that Keith Ellis — longtime owner of the town’s Royal Bake Shop — spent three years perfecting. The Ellises sold the bakery in early 2023, but the Zebras remain popular, usually selling out before 10 a.m.
The Tyndall Roll has been a tradition in the Bon Homme County town for decades. It’s probably not as old as the Tyndall Bakery, which dates to 1905, but the townspeople have grown to love their special creation, a Bismarck-like pastry filled with white cream and topped with finely crushed peanuts.
The fluffernutter is an original creation that turns heads in Bryant. Addie Kirst developed the powdered sugar donut filled with creamy peanut butter and marshmallow fluff when she opened Kirst Confections in the town’s old drug store. It’s the star of a menu that features a large selection of gluten free treats.
On one occasion, the donuts came to us. Jacob Hause saw a Facebook advertisement for an old fire truck, so he drove six hours from his home in Armour to Eagle River, Wisconsin, brought it home and turned it into the Donut Department. He and his mother, Piper, take the bakery on wheels to fairs and festivals around South Dakota. We enjoyed a batch of cinnamon sugar donuts when they came to Yankton for Riverboat Days in August.
When we first sought bakery recommendations, we received far more than we could cover in a single article, which simply means that someday we’ll have to do this all over again. And that’s okay because somebody’s got to eat the donuts.
John Andrews is the editor of South Dakota Magazine, a bi-monthly publication that explores the people and places of our great state. For more information, visit www.southdakotamagazine.com.