Post updated to add more photos at 12:21 p.m. Friday, Sept. 9:
“Donut” freak out. Lawrence is getting another donut option, and it debuts Saturday.
Recognized nationally for his baking prowess, Taylor Petrehn is having a “popup” opening for Taylor’s Donuts at 19th and Louisiana streets — a spinoff of his 1900 Barker Bakery and Cafe.
Any Lawrencians drooling over donuts can be satisfied Saturday with 12 varieties, all specially made: a vanilla-yeasted glaze donut, a cinnamon sugar cake donut, and a locally sourced apple fritter are a few choices.
Staff will prepare the donuts from scratch in the store over the course of three days.
“Our donuts are kind of a hybrid between naturally leavened and yeasted,” Petrehn said.
“It first involves taking care of a special sourdough starter that houses our yeast, bacteria culture. And that is about … a daylong lead time to … create that into what it needs to be. And then there’s a significant … mixing stage that happens, and then the dough actually ferments overnight.”
After the dough ferments, staff cuts and shapes it and it ferments another day.
“It’s a long, slow leavening process that adds a ton of flavor and yeah, it really creates a more enjoyable eating experience,” he said.
The place itself will be vibrant and friendly, he said.
“We want to create an inviting, welcoming space. And so it’s going to be a super lively place,” he said. “It’s really colorful inside here. Loud music, lots of donuts.”
The corner donut shop will be open from 8 a.m. to noon — or until supplies run out — this Saturday, Sept. 10, but it won’t be open consistently just yet. Petrehn wants to start slowly, giving his staff and himself time to adjust to the flow of production and customer needs.
“It’s going to be … sort of a practice run,” he said. “Hopefully people can kind of be patient with us as we figure out the flow of things and go from there.”
He said it’ll probably be a one-day-a-week kind of thing for a little while, but eventually the store will be open every day.
Petrehn purchased and repurposed the College Corner Laundromat, and he’s been working on his donut shop for the past three years. The building required a significant redesign, which involved zoning requests and building permits and lots of city approvals.
But now with all that finished, Petrehn is able to concentrate on the donuts.
“It’s going to be a fun little place to swing by,” he said.
Taylor’s Donuts, 1827 Louisiana St., will also have coffee and soft-serve ice cream. Parking is limited, so Petrehn recommends parking at Veterans Park and walking over.
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Lawrence Lowdown is a feature on developments around town. Have a tip? Let us know.
Chansi Long (she/her) reported for The Lawrence Times from July 2022 through August 2023. Read more of her work for the Times here.
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