Growing up in Nashville, there was only one donut store I knew as a child – Krispy Kreme. I think they had a contract with all the Catholic schools because it was guaranteed that anytime we were having a school breakfast or fundraiser, boxes of the original glazed and the chocolate frosted were ever present. As Krispy Kreme grew in popularity, they started opening more brick and mortar shops, and the famous “Hot Now” sign became a beacon calling all fans on to yummy freshness.
This past Easter, Sonia and I traveled to Nashville to spend the holiday with my family. I did some research as usual on places to visit as part of the donut crawls we are doing whenever we travel and came up with a few places. For this trip though, the crawl didn’t happen as some places were closed or the donuts were no longer being made. In the end, we made it to one place, and after having their donuts, I wouldn’t have wanted to try any others.
Five Daughters Bakery is a family owned and operated business with 3 locations in the Nashville area. One of their specialties is the 100 layer doughnut (their version of a croissant doughnut), and it comes in a variety of flavors with the staples being maple glaze, vanilla creme, chocolate sea salt, the king kong (which is a maple bacon doughnut), and vanilla sugar. In addition to these, they offer additional flavors each month which can be found on their web site.
From the moment we stepped into the Five Daughters location in the Factory in Franklin, we were in awe of the variety of baked goods and found ourselves resisting the urge to order one of everything. In the end, we were able to exercise some restraint and ordered a maple glaze, a chocolate sea salt, a king kong, and a lemon blueberry. We also ordered a Quinnamon roll because they looked so good.
Our box of deliciousness:
Sonia and I have had different versions of croissant donuts, and we both agree that these are the best we’ve ever had. For me, I feel the novelty of these types of donuts rested in the texture and layers, but Five Daughters has elevated these doughnuts beyond that. The texture of these were similar to that of a churro, having a nice crunch to the exterior with a soft, pillowy inside. And the quality of the ingredients and the flavors elevate these beyond not only any other croissant doughnut we’ve had but also over most of the regular donuts.
Each bite for each of the doughnuts was a burst of flavors that took center stage over the dough itself. It was like the dough was simply a platform used to showcase the maple flavor or the lemon and blueberry. In particular, with the lemon blueberry, we forgot we were even eating a croissant doughnut and found ourselves thinking it to be more like a sip of blueberry lemonade.
Another highlight for us was the king kong. When you first see the size and amount of bacon on it, you think that it is going to be a very bacon-y bite (which should not be read to be a bad thing), but then you take that bite, and you’re greeted with all the best flavors you could want for breakfast. The blend of the saltiness from the bacon with the sweetness of the maple glaze, all with just the right amount of dough leads to perfection.
While we may not have been able to do a full donut crawl in Nashville, I am glad we were able to get to Five Daughters Bakery. I may have grown up on Krispy Kreme, but Five Daughters takes Nashville donuts to a whole new level, and I cannot wait until I can get back home to get some more and try some of their other flavors. Special shout out to the staff also, who were beyond helpful and courteous.
Five Daughters Bakery has multiple locations. The one we visited is located at 230 Franklin Road (inside the Factory), Franklin, TN 37064.
