For the next week, Austin, Texas will serve as the Donut to a thick glaze of independent music. Perfectly scruffy musicians, small time record execs, PR-folk and scores of bearded twenty-somethings will pour into the Lone Star capital to attend the nation’s premiere indie rock festival, South by Southwest. And while nearly every hour of every day will be packed with discussion panels, film screenings and loads of white dudes playing guitars, after days of non-stop schmoozing, partying and awkward dancing, festival-goers will definitely be in need of a food break.

Now I know what you’re thinking. This Donut guy’s about to recommend that we waste time in Austin eating Donuts rather than gorging on more regional fare. Well, you’re only partially right. I’m here to say that Texas actualy harbors a rich Donut history that while not as well-known as the State’s tradition of BBQed meats and tortilla-bound fare, still warrants a great deal of respect. So yes, while in Austin, definitely stop by El Sol y La Luna for a Taco de Peurco, and inhale some beef brisket at the Salt Lick, but also make the 20 minute drive north of the city to Round Rock Donuts.

Donuts most likely arrived in Texas with the slews of Eastern European immigrants that poured into the state in the mid-to-late 1800s. The Czechs brought the kolache, a bread pastry topped with jelly or cheese, and the Germans brought the Bismark, essentially a predecessor to the modern day jelly or cream filled Donut. The Donut caught on quickly and spawned numerous Donut dealers all over the state, the most famous of which is surely Shipley’s Do-Nuts, which survives today with nearly 200 franchises across Texas and the Deep South. In 1926 a lesser known, but equally impressive Donut bakery popped up in Round Rock, an Austin suburb 15 miles north of town. Initially founded by a fellow called Reinhold R. Moehring, and now owned by Jan and Dale Cohrs, Round Rock Donuts has over the years achieved regional dominance, now peddling their product at 19 locations in and around Austin, including the Chevron station of South Congress Street where on our first night in town we scored a late-night, post-rehearsal dinner Donut. Did I mention Mrs. Blognut and I were in Austin for a friend’s wedding?

But groggy Donut ingestion at a gas station at 2:00 AM doesn’t constitute a proper Round Rock evaluation. So first thing the next morning we made the trip to Round Rock, Texas for a taste of Round Rock, Donut.

In its third structural incarnation since opening, RR is the only Donut shop I’m aware of held together by sturdy rock walls and enormous, hunting lodge-esque wooden beams. Families, geriatrics and teenagers pack the place until the line extends out the door.

The first Donut we spot is a “Texas Donut” (pictured above), which really just means, “big-ass Donut.” And while a Donut over a foot in diameter certainly sounds tempting, the thought of ingesting such an object in between two gluttonous nights of booze and catered meals seems like a bad idea. I instead go for a Round Rock, an Apple Cider, and a Cream-filled Bismark.

Yellow Glazed

The Round Rock is a yeast-raised glazed like no other. The dough is so soft and warm it nearly disappears the moment it hits my tongue. The perfectly sweet glaze and airy dough shine with a bright orange hue, the origin of which I never figure out - although I’m guessing eggs and perhaps food coloring are involved. Surely one of the finest yeast raised glazed Donuts I’ve had, the Round Rock ranks right up there with its Texan cousin.

Apple Sauce

The Apple Sauce is also choice. The cake dough is super soft and moist and tastes as if it’s been soaked all morning in a vat of pureed apples. A modest coating of glaze provides an extra kick of SWEET.

Bismark with no creme

Lastly, the Bismark’s just OK. While composed of a soft and flavorful (though not orange) yeast dough, and coated with rich chocolate frosting, there’s merely a dollup of Boston-y creme stuffed in its belly. NEEDS MORE CREME!

Also on the menu are a selection of Kolaches. But even my Czech ancestry can’t convince me to order what amounts to a bland dinner roll carved out to house a pile of jam. My connection with the bohemian pastry is only cultural, as every version I’ve ever tasted has been a Texas-sized disappointment.

We polish off all three Donuts in our parked rental car and head back to Austin. Before long we’re crammed in a bus on the way to the Villa Antonia to join in our friend’s nuptials. The weather’s perfect, the bride and groom appear ecstatic and everyone’s adequately whiskey’d. Good times all around.

Round Rock Donuts
106 W. Liberty
Round Rock, TX

Donut Scores:

Round Rock -

Apple Cider -

Bismark -

This entry was posted on Sunday, March 11th, 2007 at 6:23 pm and is filed under Eat Donuts Here, Travelogue. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.