6 Tips For Making Donuts According To The Salty’s Director Of Pastry

Audrey Scheib knows a thing or two about how to make a delicious donut. Donut fanatics in the southeast have likely heard of (or waited in line for) donuts from The Salty (formerly Salty Donut) that opened its first location in Miami nearly seven years ago out of a cute little blue and white trailer.

These days the cult-followed donut shop has introduced pastries, coffee, and homeware to the brand with donuts still being the driving factor and a huge focus at its growing number of shops around the country.

As the Director of Flavor + Pastry Innovation at The Salty, Scheib is in charge of flavor development for all of The Salty’s locations. Growing up, she always knew pastry was her one and only life plan. As a child she was the sibling that was in charge of deciding what would be served for dessert and baking fresh cookies is still one of her defaults (ask her about her brown butter chocolate chip cookies).

With a background in fine dining, she graduated from The Culinary Institute of America specializing in pastry and became a pastry chef at just 24 years old.

Before The Salty, she worked at a few different places including a high production bakery in Napa and a Japanese-inspired restaurant on the pastry line where she focused on seasonality and local farms. The Salty team found her on LinkedIn and sent her a message ahead of opening their first Texas shop, the third store for the brand and first one outside of Miami.

Based in Texas, her day to day includes being in the kitchen and testing new flavors and creations — plus planning the menu for the year in advance. In fact, she works so far ahead that she’s currently testing for Halloween. The brand is known for its maple + bacon, guava & cheese, and numerous other fluffy brioche donuts that have continuously been awarded and hailed as some of the best donuts in the country.

In honor of National Donut Day, which falls on June 2 every year, Scheib shared a handful of do’s and don’ts to keep in mind when making your own donuts at home.

What should you be doing when trying your hand at donut making?

Scheib says that well balanced flavors are absolutely key. “We want to make sure to hit the sweetness with a hint of salt or acid in every bite. Keeping the flavors nice and bright while avoiding a crazy sugar coma.” She swears you can avoid sugar overload when making donuts.

Textures are just as important as the taste. “Adding a crunchy vs crispy vs ‘sandy’ (no, not like the beach — think finely chopped warm graham crackers or tiny Oreo cookies crumbs) element will change the way you experience that donut,” says Scheib. She continues by explaining it’s “something to break up the softness of the brioche and keep it fun on the palate.”

We’re all guilty of eating with our eyes and in that vein, Scheib says you always want to keep it pretty, adding that in her kitchen, “if it isn’t cute, it isn’t The Salty.”

What shouldn’t you be doing when trying your hand at donut making?

Scheib says to avoid tight and tough donuts. “When making a brioche donut should be fluffy and tender, just like our donuts,” she shares.

Additionally, there’s no room for gloopy glaze. “Keep the glaze thin, shiny and creamy,” Scheib explains.

And if you plan on sharing, “Absolutely never ever *ever* use day-old donuts. Fry fresh everyday, throughout the day,” says Scheib. That’s the best way to ensure a fluffy, pristine donut everyone will love.

If you’re thinking you’ll leave the donut making to the pros, we get it. Fortunately, The Salty has nine locations throughout Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, and Texas, with five more slated to open by the end of this year in Atlanta (two more locations), Tampa (two locations), and Coconut Grove.