Dough Doughnuts Is Now Kosher Certified

ASTORIA, QUEENS — New Yorkers who keep kosher now have another shop where they can buy doughnuts for Hanukkah.

Dough Doughnuts, a local chain that's known nationally for making oversized doughnuts in extravagant, unlikely flavors, announced on Wednesday that its doughnuts are kosher certified under IKC supervision — a certification that co-owner Steven Klein told Patch customers have been wanting for a while.

"A lot of people used to come into the store and ask if we're kosher, and we'd say yes our product is kosher but we don't have a certification. Sometimes that person might try our doughnuts, but sometimes they wouldn't," Klein said, explaining that while Dough has always used hekshered — or kosher certified — products, the chain itself didn't have kosher credentials until now.

Instead of missing out on a market of possible doughnut eaters, Klein decided to go through the process of getting kosher certified, which meant bringing a rabbi to Dough's Flatiron District location.

"The rabbi came in with his group and they checked all of our procedures and products," he said, adding that the chain got a referral for the rabbi from a company employee who keeps kosher themselves. "We would never choose a random rabbi, we wanted to have someone we knew; it's a comfort level, getting certified."

After verifying that all of the ingredients and production tools had no trace of non-kosher substances, the rabbi gave Dough a stamp of approval from the International Kosher Council — one of the thousands of kosher certifying agencies, which incidentally has certified other well-known New York City chains, including By Chloe, Juice Press, and 16 Handles.

Klein sees the certification as something that will continue to bolster Dough's business, as the chain mounts a citywide expansion in the wake of a tumultuous year; the certification is good for all four of Dough's storefronts, including its Astoria outpost, since all of the shops' doughnuts are made at the Flatiron location.

"Being kosher gives us a diversity and another market," Klein said, adding that he especially expects the certification to pay off at the shop's newest location in Rockefeller Center, which is located near the historically Jewish Diamond District and its row of kosher businesses on 47th Street.

With Hanukkah around the corner, Klein said that the certification's timing is intentional, too.

Dough typically makes Hanukkah themed-doughnuts, since eating doughnuts and other fried food is a traditional part of the holiday, but this year the chain is preparing for more demand.

"Last year Hanukkah wasn't as big in a sense because of COVID, but this year I think it's going to be bigger," he said.

Beyond the Festival of Lights, Klein is setting his sights on temple events and school celebrations that Dough will now be able to cater to thanks to its kosher certification.

Bar and Bat Mitzvahs, for instance, have always been popular events for Dough, and he expects that being kosher certified will expand the chain's reach.

"People want our product like crazy for bar and bat mitzvahs," he said. " Now we'll be able to create kosher doughnuts walls and doughnut letters."

Dough Doughnuts is certified kosher under International Kosher Certification supervision. All vegan products are certified kosher parve, and all other products are certified kosher dairy (cholov stam).