Old Fashioned Donut [and Abundance]

Killing two birds with one stone...

Wanted to know more about it, recall one GWiv post raving about it on the other
forum a while ago, but was unable to track it down for some reason. And
since there is an attempt to add good old posts to the archive in this forum too,
thought I'd bring it up.

I do recall great praise for the Apple Fritter. Is it much superior to Abundance
on 47th? I'll be around 55th - worth the extra trek to 120th or whatever
the address for Old Fashioned is? Also, are they open only Saturdays, or
Sundays as well? Anyone have their hours of operation at hand? Anything
else that is as much of a standout there as the Apple Fritter, a glazed
or blueberry or something?

Thanks in advance,

c8w

P.S. Why doesnt Old Fashioned show up in a google search for chowhound,
anyway? It used to IIRC, unless Iam doing something wrong now.

Abundance Bakery Apple Fritter
(previously posted)

Paul,

Thanks ever so much for posting the Abundance Bakery recommendation, the Apple Fritters were wonderful and, as you said, huge. How can a fellow resist going to a bakery that has apple fritters "the size of a Jaguar hubcap"

I got there at 6am, just as Bill Ball, the owner, was unlocking the door, which I thought might be a bad sign, until I realized there was a baker in back. Bill was very friendly, even let me in the back to take a few pictures, though he did make coffee before conversing, this is a man who has his priorities straight.

I thought the apple fritter excellent, real apple, not overly sweet, some crisp edges, good texture and a faint flavor of real butter. This is a very good apple fritter. That said, I prefer Old Fashioned's Apple Fritter. Old Fashioned's apple fritter could be custom designed for my taste. I'll link to a past Old Fashioned Donut post where I waxed poetic about their Apple Fritters.

All in all Abundance Bakery's Apple Fritter is excellent, the second best apple fritter I have had in the last 20-years, and the second best in Chicago, which a quick yahoo yellow pages search shows has, at least, 441 bakeries.

Thanks again Paul.

Enjoy,
Gary

Owner of Abundance with tray of Apple Fritters (two rows on left) and Cinnamon Rolls (row on right)


Abundance Bakery
105 E 47th St
Chicago, IL 60653
773-373-1971

HI,

Yesterday I came to the 47th-athon just after the major shopping had been done at Abundance Bakery. After sampling the apple fritters, I knew they would be well received at home. I quickly learned from Gary all the remaining apple fritters were sitting on his trunk. They make 4-6 apples fritters a day unless they are otherwise special ordered.

I walked into Abudance anyway hoping to find something to take home. On the bottom shelf were their bread puddings cut into very generous portions. Later at home I found these glazed bread puddings chuck full of apples, raisins, walnuts and maybe some bits of cherries. Easily one bread pudding cut into four pieces with quality ice cream would be considered a generous dessert. I don't usually like bread puddings because they just taste too much like barely disguised leftovers, but those from Abundance screamed delicious!

Regards,

oh my god.

I have been waiting not-so-patiently for someone to enlighten me with a donut not preceded by the word "dunkin" or "BAKERY BULK 3 @ 4.99". Thank you so much for this; I am kicking myself having been right in the area yesterday.

Next time I will indulge! Thanks again.

Oculi wrote:oh my god.

I have been waiting not-so-patiently for someone to enlighten me with a donut not preceded by the word "dunkin" or "BAKERY BULK 3 @ 4.99". Thank you so much for this; I am kicking myself having been right in the area yesterday.

Next time I will indulge! Thanks again.

Here's the place you are looking for

Cathy2 wrote:I quickly learned from Gary all the remaining apple fritters were sitting on his trunk. They make 4-6 apples fritters a day unless they are otherwise special ordered.

C2,

Abundance typically makes 9 apple fritters per day, that day, for whatever reason, they only made 4, 3 of which were left when we arrived. Lucky I had called around 8am or there would not have been any left, though I should have called the day before to reserve 5-6 apple fritters.

I ended up taking 1/2 of an apple fritter home, but LTHers made short work of the other 2-1/2, plus other assorted delicious Abundance Bakery treats.

Abundance Bakery (4.29.06)





Enjoy,
Gary

Cathy2 wrote:HI,

Yesterday I came to the 47th-athon just after the major shopping had been done at Abundance Bakery. After sampling the apple fritters, I knew they would be well received at home. I quickly learned from Gary all the remaining apple fritters were sitting on his trunk. They make 4-6 apples fritters a day unless they are otherwise special ordered.

I walked into Abudance anyway hoping to find something to take home. On the bottom shelf were their bread puddings cut into very generous portions. Later at home I found these glazed bread puddings chuck full of apples, raisins, walnuts and maybe some bits of cherries. Easily one bread pudding cut into four pieces with quality ice cream would be considered a generous dessert. I don't usually like bread puddings because they just taste too much like barely disguised leftovers, but those from Abundance screamed delicious!

Regards,

Abundance is an excellent bakery in general - their "other" donuts are pretty
good too. Have tried their blueberry cake on a couple of occasions, for
example, and that too is terrific.

They make my "fallback" Apple Fritter - usually had one for breakfast
almost every Saturday morning all summer last year. However, while
they make a very good fritter, IMHO the Old Fashioned Donuts Apple
Fritter is superior by a bit - it isnt quite as large (the Old Fashioned
Fritter is just very very big, while the Abundance Fritter is monstrously
large , but is overall tastier IMHO. Its just that Old Fashioned is much
further away (112th and Michigan). Abundance, however, is IMHO
quite clearly the second-best Apple Fritter in town, and the added
convenience makes it the obvious purchase (while I stopped in at
Abundance almost every week last summer, I made it down to
Old Fashioned only 2 or 3 times due to the distance factor).

The Bread Pudding, as you pointed out above, is a good version at
Abundance. Another item defniitely worth trying is the Banana Pudding -
it comes in a small size as well as a pint IIRC, and is very good indeed.

All in all its an excellent little bakery (and there's even a Harold's
right across the street - though I dont know where on the "great
Harold's" list this particular branch falls).

c8w

Old Fashioned Donuts got a nice mention on Yahoo! Food today. Dat Donuts also made the list. I've never been to Dat, but Old Fashioned is such a great little place. I encourage everyone to brave the traffic and try it out.

Old Fashioned Donuts
11248 S. Michigan Avenue, Chicago
773-995-7420

I suppose that there is no good way to get to Old Fashioned Donuts without a car! Since I moved to Chicago last September and started reading this forum, it has become a kind of mecca for me. I'm convinced I have to try an apple fritter before I leave (most likely) in August.

Maybe I can bribe some nice commuter to meet me in the loop one morning on the way in!

dat donuts is really good. all donuts are cooked slightly (and perfectly) crispy and glazed. i'm tempted to try the "big dat." i've never been to huck finn; how do these compare?

Say it ain't so!! Someone over on Yelp is reporting that Old Fashioned Donut is out of business. I hope it's not true.

http://www.yelp.com/biz/old-fashioned-donuts-chicago

The guy says he went on Sunday when, of course, they are closed, and found where it "used to be." I suspect (assuming he even went to the right address) OFD may well look like they've been closed for ten years when they're closed. In any case, the phone is not disconnected, which is probably the only actual info that can be gleaned until the week and they reopen or not.

Mike G, Donut Detective

Good news. Thanks for the detective work.

Someone in our mailroom brought in a ton of Old Fashioned on Saturday.

What's Yelp?

Abundance makes sweet potato pies. You have to order ahead of time but they are pretty fantastic and you can always get a few giant donuts when picking up your order.

As suspected, OFD is open for business.

JeffB wrote:Someone in our mailroom brought in a ton of Old Fashioned on Saturday.

What's Yelp?

Sorry for the false alarm folks. I wrote the Yelp poster and advised him that Old Fashioned was open for business this morning. Hopefully, he'll change his review on the site.

I'm going to ask a stupid question. Is that apple fritter from Old Fashioned Donuts supposed to be eaten in one sitting?

Pie Lady wrote:I'm going to ask a stupid question. Is that apple fritter from Old Fashioned Donuts supposed to be eaten in one sitting?

Frequently, one gets eaten in the car before even arriving home. Always buy a spare or three.

stevez wrote:

Pie Lady wrote:I'm going to ask a stupid question. Is that apple fritter from Old Fashioned Donuts supposed to be eaten in one sitting?

Frequently, one gets eaten in the car before even arriving home. Always buy a spare or three.

It freezes well. I can't do it but I do know some who have done it in one sitting. It was a very tall man & he complained of being very full after it. I think he liked it. I usually get half a dozen to a dozen and between making friends by giving them away and placing the rest in the freezer it always works out. Well worth the trip.

pairs4life wrote:

stevez wrote:

Pie Lady wrote:I'm going to ask a stupid question. Is that apple fritter from Old Fashioned Donuts supposed to be eaten in one sitting?

Frequently, one gets eaten in the car before even arriving home. Always buy a spare or three.

It freezes well. I can't do it but I do know some who have done it in one sitting. It was a very tall man & he complained of being very full after it.

This admission really doesn't reflect well on me, but I've eaten a whole OFD apple fritter in one sitting. I am neither very tall nor a man.

Last week, I bartered a sandwich from Panozzo's for an OFD apple fritter via Twitter, which I ate not in one sitting but all that same day.

And once, I ate an OFD apple fritter while lounging in a hot tub.

Happy food.

happy_stomach wrote:
And once, I ate an OFD apple fritter while lounging in a hot tub.

Happy food.

Now that sounds like a great time!

happy_stomach wrote:This admission really doesn't reflect well on me, but I've eaten a whole OFD apple fritter in one sitting. I am neither very tall nor a man.

Last week, I bartered a sandwich from Panozzo's for an OFD apple fritter via Twitter, which I ate not in one sitting but all that same day.

And once, I ate an OFD apple fritter while lounging in a hot tub.

Happy food.

yeah, but you do all that yoga and running up stairs and stuff us normal people cannot do anyways

happy_stomach wrote:Last week, I bartered a sandwich from Panozzo's for an OFD apple fritter via Twitter, which I ate not in one sitting but all that same day.

and some Calabrian hot cherry peppers, don't forget. They made the sandwich that much better

FWIW, I cannot eat an OFD apple fritter by myself all at once, or that is, I could probably fit it all in my stomach but the subsequent sugar coma and possible onset of diabetes give me pause...

btw earlier today I found that there is another of those fritters from that day left over in my work fridge. I'm pretty sure it can't still be good but I can't stop thinking about it.

Ah, I'm sure a sprinkling of water and a few seconds in the microwave or toaster oven will fix it right up.