Donut Connection prepares for busy Mardi Gras
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Savannah Oesterling puts on an apron as doughnuts are prepared at the Donut Connection on Center Avenue in preparation for Tuesday’s Mardi Gras on Monday, Mar. 3,2025. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Savannah Oesterling pours flour into a large mixer as doughnuts are prepared at the Donut Connection on Center Avenue in preparation for Tuesday’s Mardi Gras on Monday, Mar. 3,2025. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Savannah Oesterling pours yeast into the flour as doughnuts are prepared at the Donut Connection on Center Avenue in preparation for Tuesday’s Mardi Gras on Monday, Mar. 3,2025. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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A large mixer creates the dough that will be used for doughnuts as they are prepared at the Donut Connection on Center Avenue in preparation for Tuesday’s Mardi Gras on Monday, Mar. 3,2025. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Savannah Oesterling sprinkles flour on the table as doughnuts are prepared at the Donut Connection on Center Avenue in preparation for Tuesday’s Mardi Gras on Monday, Mar. 3,2025. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Savannah Oesterling prepares the dough to be flattened as doughnuts are prepared at the Donut Connection on Center Avenue in preparation for Tuesday’s Mardi Gras on Monday, Mar. 3,2025. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Savannah Oesterling flattens the dough out as doughnuts are prepared at the Donut Connection on Center Avenue in preparation for Tuesday’s Mardi Gras on Monday, Mar. 3,2025. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Savannah Oesterling uses a wooden rolling pin to prepare the dough to be cut into doughnuts as they are prepared at the Donut Connection on Center Avenue in preparation for Tuesday’s Mardi Gras on Monday, Mar. 3,2025. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Savannah Oesterling cuts out doughnuts as they are prepared at the Donut Connection on Center Avenue in preparation for Tuesday’s Mardi Gras on Monday, Mar. 3,2025. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Savannah Oesterling puts away trays of doughnuts as they are prepared at the Donut Connection on Center Avenue in preparation for Tuesday’s Mardi Gras on Monday, Mar. 3,2025. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Savannah Oesterling flattens more dough as doughnuts as are prepared at the Donut Connection on Center Avenue in preparation for Tuesday’s Mardi Gras on Monday, Mar. 3,2025. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Savannah Oesterling puts dough on trays as they are prepared to be cooked at the Donut Connection on Center Avenue in preparation for Tuesday’s Mardi Gras on Monday, Mar. 3,2025. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Savannah Oesterling puts dough on trays as they are prepared to be cooked at the Donut Connection on Center Avenue in preparation for Tuesday’s Mardi Gras on Monday, Mar. 3,2025. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Savannah Oesterling rolls dough for a cinnamon roll to be cooked at the Donut Connection on Center Avenue in preparation for Tuesday’s Mardi Gras on Monday, Mar. 3,2025. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Savannah Oesterling cuts dough as doughnuts are prepared at the Donut Connection on Center Avenue in preparation for Tuesday’s Mardi Gras on Monday, Mar. 3,2025. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Savannah Oesterling puts dough on trays as they are prepared to be cooked at the Donut Connection on Center Avenue in preparation for Tuesday’s Mardi Gras on Monday, Mar. 3,2025. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Savannah Oesterling puts dough in a proofer as doughnuts are prepared at the Donut Connection on Center Avenue in preparation for Tuesday’s Mardi Gras on Monday, Mar. 3,2025. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Courtney Baehr prepares a box of doughnuts for a customer at the Donut Connection on Center Avenue on Monday, Mar. 3,2025. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Courtney Baehr prepares a box of doughnuts for a customer at the Donut Connection on Center Avenue on Monday, Mar. 3,2025. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Malachi Void points out his selection of doughnuts for Courtney Baehr at the Donut Connection on Center Avenue on Monday, Mar. 3,2025. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Savannah Oesterling turns the cooked doughnuts over with sticks as doughnuts are prepared at the Donut Connection on Center Avenue in preparation for Tuesday’s Mardi Gras on Monday, Mar. 3,2025. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Savannah Oesterling puts cooked doughnuts on a cooling pan as doughnuts are prepared at the Donut Connection on Center Avenue in preparation for Tuesday’s Mardi Gras on Monday, Mar. 3,2025. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Savannah Oesterling decorates doughnuts at the Donut Connection on Center Avenue in preparation for Tuesday’s Mardi Gras on Monday, Mar. 3,2025. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Savannah Oesterling decorates doughnuts at the Donut Connection on Center Avenue in preparation for Tuesday’s Mardi Gras on Monday, Mar. 3,2025. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Savannah Oesterling decorates doughnuts at the Donut Connection on Center Avenue in preparation for Tuesday’s Mardi Gras on Monday, Mar. 3,2025. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Sisters Savannah Oesterling, left, and Courtney Baehr pose for a portrait with the Mardi Gras doughnuts on Monday, Mar. 3,2025. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Regular customers Bob Shuler, left, George Nani, and Gary Hockenberry enjoy the newly made Mardi Gras doughnuts at the Donut Connection on Center Avenue in preparation for Tuesday’s Mardi Gras on Monday, Mar. 3,2025. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Eli Fennick, right, plays around with regular George Nani at the Donut Connection on Center Avenue on Monday, Mar. 3, 2025. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Eli Fennick gives Dave Cricks his doughnut order at the Donut Connection on Center Avenue on Monday, Mar. 3, 2025. Fennick works at the donut shop through Community Care Connections and has been there two years. He says he loves working with and talking to everyone who comes in. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Special Mardi Gras doughnuts were made at the Donut Connection on Center Avenue on Monday, Mar. 3, 2025. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
As the last day before Lent, Mardi Gras serves as a time of feasting and celebration before a fasting period for many Christians.
To celebrate the occasion, people flock to their favorite sweet treat of choice before giving it up over the following weeks. One of Butler’s stops for such a treat, Donut Connection, located on Center Avenue, is ready for the influx of business the day brings.
Sisters Savannah Oesterling and Courtney Baehr, back of house and front of house managers, respectively, say Mardi Gras always is a day where sales are high.
For comparison, Oesterling said a normal day might see the sale of 70 dozen to 80 dozen doughnuts, while last Mardi Gras saw about 130 dozen sold.
For Donut Connection to have fresh doughnuts, three people work overnight. Oesterling, a baker and a “finisher,” who decorates the doughnuts, usually start around 10:30 p.m. the night prior and continue until opening at 6 a.m. or later. The process, from beginning to end, usually takes about an hour and a half.
To prepare for Mardi Gras, the process of making doughnuts is streamlined. Instead of focusing on a single batch at a time, multiple batches are produced in rapid succession.
The first step in the doughnut-making process is to properly weigh out dry mix for the batch on a dough scale. A dough scale has a large scoop to place the dry ingredients in, and another side for counterweights.
Once the ingredients are weighed, they are placed into the bowl of a commercial dough mixer where water and yeast are added. Then, the mixer is turned on a low setting to form into dough.
In terms of ingredients, the shop uses 25 pounds of mix per batch — requiring upward of two 50 pound bags on any given day.
The mixer is then placed on a higher setting for around 10 minutes to properly knead the dough. Once the dough has the necessary consistency, it is placed onto a lightly floured table to cut into smaller, easier to handle dough balls.
The dough is then taken through a rolling press to create a thin, flat sheet. It is then returned to the table and is further flattened by an extra-large rolling pin.
When the dough is finally flat enough, specialized tools are used to cut the doughnuts into shape. There are two primary types of doughnuts: “rings,” or the classic doughnut shape, or “pillows,” which have no hole and are used for filling.
When making the “pillow” doughnuts, a spiked dough roller creates small divots in the dough to stop it from bubbling when fried.
Both types are then cut with a doughnut cutter roller, which rolls across the dough sheet. When cutting for “rings,” small balls of leftover dough are collected to be fried as doughnut holes.
The uncooked doughnuts are placed onto large racks, which are taken to a proofing cabinet. Oesterling said the time doughnuts take to proof can vary wildly.
“Depending on a lot of things, the doughnuts usually take anywhere between 15 and 30 minutes to proof,” Oesterling said. “Even the outdoor weather can affect their proof time.”
When removed from the proofing cabinet, the racks of risen dough are ready to be fried. The fryer’s oil is heated to more than 370 degrees before doughnuts are dropped in.
Once in, the frying process takes only 30 seconds per side. Large sticks are wielded to flip the doughnuts as they float in the oil.
Oesterling keeps her own personal set of sticks separate from the container available in the kitchen.
After the doughnuts are fried, the next steps depend on the type of doughnut being made. If the doughnut is to be glazed, it is done right after frying. If the doughnut is to be decorated, it is placed on a rack to cool.
When decorating doughnuts, the icing is heated up before doughnuts are dunked into it, followed by sprinkles. The rack of doughnuts is then carried to the front, where it is stocked onto shelves.
For Mardi Gras, Donut Connection will be using themed sprinkles matching the purple, green and gold associated with the day’s festivities. The shop staff already has planned to make more holiday-themed doughnuts in the near future.
For St. Patrick’s Day, green icing and sprinkles have already been prepared. Oesterling is also considering experimenting with dying the doughnuts green.
“People dye their beards green! I think it could be interesting to sell some green doughnuts on that day,” she said. “I’ve been wanting to experiment with food coloring more already.”
Afterward, the staff already has a special surprise planned for April Fools’ Day. Previous years of the holiday have already seen strange creations such as a jalapeño doughnut in 2024.
“You wouldn’t believe how many people came in afterward and asked if we could still make them,” Oesterling said.
Oesterling started working for Donut Connection in 2022, and said it is her favorite of all the jobs she’s ever had. Her favorite aspect, by far, is the creativity she can channel into the baking.
“We are always experimenting. Half of our doughnuts come from ideas we have or customers have. I’ve even had ideas from my kids,” Oesterling said.
While many of the “experiments” never make it past a taste test, some become regular fixtures of the menu. Oesterling said she prides herself on some of the more unique offerings, such as the cherry and raspberry cheesecake and maple bacon.
However, Donut Connection is not limited to serving just doughnuts. Besides coffee, the shop serves other pastries such as cinnamon rolls, muffins and cookies.
Donut Connection is open from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Mardi Gras this year.
