Safeway

 Bakery: Safeway
Address: 2339 Hwy 97N, Kelowna BC (countless locations throughout Western Canada)
Website: http://www.safeway.ca
Style: Canadian
Price: $-$$

Well, in some ways this is a little silly and I'm always a little ashamed of frequenting big supermarket bakeries. Really, I do it very rarely, since 9/10 times they're awful and not even worth looking at, but growing up, I loved going to Safeway for baked goodies -- it did help that they gave free cookies to kids. ;) Returning to Safeway after a very long hiatus (due to relocation), I went to check out the bakery purely for old time's sake and found an entire area dedicated to doughnuts. Not icing- and candy-coated doughnuts, but good doughnuts like apple fritters, chocolate glazed, deep-fried croissants. For $0.89.

I was intrigued and went a little closer. Smooth glaze, perfect coverage that crackled slightly upon contact - a sign of freshness. A deep-friend crunch on the outside - another sign that they were freshly made. I have, however, returned on two other occasions and, on Sunday in particular, didn't find the doughnuts at peak freshness, though they were still baked that day. The classic glazed doughnut was... amazing and still remains my favourite after trying the delicious apple fritter as well (these two are the best of the bunch). I know, I know -- it's Safeway. I couldn't believe it myself and yet every time I passed Safeway, the craving returned. I just thought of doughnuts; I wanted them... it's shameful, an embarrassment for a proud supporter of small bakeries like me. How is this even possible!?!

Rating: ***1/2