Manderfield’s Home Bakery

MAY 2017

One of my first of many donut road trips! Taylor and I planned out a weekend to drive around Wisconsin and Iowa with the primary goal of checking off two more states on my donut bucket list! First up was Wisconsin, and very far north in Wisconsin at that. We started off after work on a Friday and went due north from Chicago into Wisconsin for several hours. To ensure we got fresh donuts, we actually stayed at an airbnb near the donut shop so that we could get up bright and early and head right there. The airbnb was in a classic small-town suburb with brick houses and driveways and we were greeted by a couple lovely grandparents - midwest hospitality at it’s finest! They even had a nice breakfast spread for us with fresh fruit and some snacks when we woke up the next morning. I nibbled on it to not be rude but eventually broke the news to them that we were literally up there just to eat donuts so I wasn’t about to spoil my appetite on this breakfast when I knew what was coming my way soon!

We made it to Manderfield’s after a quick 10 minute drive and walked up to see what it was all about. The red-brick building was actually a bit larger than what I expected but that was really just a testament to the huge variety of bakery products they offered beyond just donuts (I guess people eat other things besides donuts??). We also passed the kitchen/dough prep area on the way inside where you could look through the giant window at what looked like a clean and well-run operation churning out a large quantity of products. The donuts were obviously a highlight and drew my attention when I first walked in, but there were tons of great looking breads and pastries all throughout the store on racks and display cases. There were a couple people in the store around 9AM on Saturday morning but definitely no line that we had to deal with which was nice.

Not only did the donuts look good, but the names were spot on and made me want to try one of each. We landed on a nice mix that included the turtle donut, the triple chocolate cream filled, and a chocolate fudgie cruller. The donuts were exceptionally fresh and on the whole were delicious. I am a sucker for good filled donuts so these were right up my alley. The softness and doughy-ness was especially noticeable on these donuts. It was a thick and dense dough but soft and chewy at the same time. The taste was not as strong as others we have had because of the doughy goodness of these donuts but they were very good. The frosting was spot on, especially for the raspberry jelly. The donuts were also cheap! We took home 6 for only $5 - we also could have (should have!) bought a frozen dozen that looked swell for only a few dollars.

It’s no surprise this place has been around for so long and is an institution up in Wisconsin. I would absolutely recommend a visit and would without a doubt be a frequent customer and friends with all the people working there if I lived nearby!