A Hole Lotta Good The Amish Baking Company
I am going to fail at this article. I am going let you down, readers.
If you've never eaten the melt-in-your-mouth magic of one of these treats, then I would only disappoint you with a description that couldn't possibly convey how marvelous these confections truly are. And if you have had these bewitching indulgences, you'll know my words simply didn't do them justice.
There is simply no way, no how, anyone outside of Whitman, Wordsworth or Wilde could describe just how extraordinarily, astonishingly, implausibly delicious The Amish Baking Company's sourdough donuts are. Really, move on to the next article and instead make a plan to get one for yourself any Wednesday at Phillippi Farmhouse Market.
Still here? Alright, I'll share what I know about this amazing mobile bakery and how it came to be, but promise me you'll keep Wednesday morning open to buy a bag full for yourself.
"I drove a horse and buggy until I was 21," says Sadie Peachey, co-owner of The Amish Baking Company alongside brother Nate. "I grew up with seven siblings on an Amish farm in North Carolina. That's where the company name came from, it's to honor the way we grew up."
Meanwhile, the product, traditional yeast-raised doughnuts with a unique sourdough starter, honors the Peachey's mother and grandmother. Those gigantic, super fluffy doughnuts were Grandma's special recipe and a staple throughout Sadie and Nate's childhood, while their mother, a well-known baker on the farm, was famed for her sourdough goods. Any Bahia Vista–driving Sarasotan worth her sugar knows that when it comes to desserts, the Amish are onto something sweeter than most and when you mix in Mom's and Grandma's family recipes, you're bound to bake up something extraordinary.
Extraordinary is exactly what these doughnuts are. Yeast-raised doughnuts create that feathery, luxurious texture while the sourdough creates a fermented dough that turns the already light-as-air treat into an ethereal pastry with a gossamer quality more akin to cotton candy than chewy doughnut. The homemade vanilla glaze practically absorbs into the freshly fried dough, creating a spellbinding mouthful that may be super simple, but is exquisite nonetheless.
The Peacheys can only serve these sweets here in season, as sourdough doesn't behave in the hot, humid summer months. Out of season, Sadie heads to Alaska to work for a fishing company while Nate takes the truck to festivals throughout the South, including the famous Bonnaroo music festival where they received killer praise from Rolling Stone magazine: "warm, cottony dough and glaze so sweet it put Krispy Kreme's to shame. [...] The Amish Baking Company's donuts were the best thing to hit our taste buds all weekend."
The Peacheys have no plans to expand, so don't expect a storefront any time soon. "We want to keep it as a small family operation. We really enjoy being able to bring the doughnut to where it's needed." Which means weekly markets, as well as catering events and private parties.
"They don't hold up because there are no preservatives," says Sadie. "They're meant to be eaten fresh." I gather she must be kidding, because one bite in and you'll know you'd have a better chance of spontaneously turning into a poodle than you would saving a single sugary crumb for later.
