SCHUYLKILL HAVEN — A local baker was busy making thousands of fastnachts Monday for Doughnut Day.
The annual celebration is held the day before Ash Wednesday, which is the first day of Lent.
Jim McKeone, owner of Plain & Fancy Donut Shop, Schuylkill Haven, said they planned to make about 2,000 dozen, or 24,000 fastnachts. He said that’s about twice as much as they made last year.
“They love them,” McKeone said.
He added that the tasty treats are the only doughnuts he eats despite owning a doughnut shop.
McKeone said the most fastnachts he ever made was 15,000 dozen about 20 years ago.
The shop, which celebrates its 51st anniversary in March, makes fastnachts every year. He said people start calling in January to place orders for the doughnuts. He said they make four flavors — plain, granulated sugar, powered sugar and glazed. From start to finish, it takes about three hours to make the doughy delicacy. The recipe consists of eggs, butter, water, a doughnut base, flour, real mashed potatoes and granulated sugar. After mixing, the dough sits for a little bit of time before it goes to a conveyor belt where it takes the fastnacht’s familiar shape. The fastnacht waits in a proof box, which is heated, before going to a deep fryer of vegetable oil at 375 degrees for about 40 seconds on each side. The final step is adding the topping.
Plain is the biggest seller, McKeone said.
Employee Jamie Brodeur, who is originally from Boston, said he didn’t have a fastnacht before he started working at the store.
“They are really good,” Brodeur said, adding he thinks they taste like a homemade pancake.
McKeone said they made fastnachts from 11 a.m. Sunday to 4 a.m. Monday. They took a break until noon Monday then started again. He said they expected to finished by 8 p.m. Monday.
With snow in the forecast, McKeone said he hopes the weather doesn’t deter people from getting out to buy their fastnachts. However, he said the shop will likely have them for a couple days.
The shop at 120 St. Charles St. is open from 5 a.m. to 7 p.m. today. Prices are $1.10 for a single fastnacht, $6.25 for half-dozen and $11 for a dozen.
Michelle Yarnell, 37, of Heckscherville, was waiting for pick up a half-dozen order in anticipation of the big day.
“Everybody looks forward to Fat Tuesday,” she said.
Yarnell said the day is one to indulge.
“It’s a tradition,” she said.
Jason Zimmerman, owner of Martin’s Farm Market, Wayne Township, said the store expects to sell about 30,000 fastnachts between orders and walk-ins. The store sells 10 flavors of fastnachts — plain, powered sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon sugar, glazed, Bavarian cream, white cream, peanut butter cream, strawberry and blueberry. A half-dozen cost $7, while a dozen costs $12.