The Salty Donut Celebrates First Anniversary With Limited-Edition "Croughnut"

This weekend marks a year since the Salty Donut settled into a permanent location at the Wynwood Arcade.

Though the concept debuted in December 2015, cofounders Andy Rodriguez and Amanda Pizarro spent weeks at numerous pop-ups in Wynwood and Miami Beach while they waited for construction and permit approvals. A year later, in December 2016, the duo debuted their long-awaited brick-and-mortar.

"It's hard to believe it's only been a year," Pizarro says. "We're still going through a lot of firsts, though. This year was only our first Thanksgiving. I'm excited to see our growth, but it's all still a little scary."

To celebrate, the shop has created a birthday-inspired doughnut/croissant hybrid. Pizarro calls it a "croughnut" (not to be confused with the trademarked Cronut).

Each one is made with 24-hour brioche dough similar to that used in the Salty's other doughnuts and rolled in light sugar, filled with homemade strawberry and lemon sorbet, and topped with confetti buttercream and gold chocolate pearls ($6). It's similar to the Salty's mango croughnut, which appeared for a short time in August.

"When we first made a croughnut with mango, it was so popular," she says. "So we thought it was the perfect thing to bring back to celebrate our anniversary."
Each croughnut is packed in a white gift box with a copper-foil-embossed Salty Donut logo. The shop is also selling an exclusive birthday coffee blend with Intelligentsia ($18) and offering 15 percent off all merchandise.

Looking ahead to 2018, Pizarro says customers can expect the sticky bun doughnut to return in January and should keep an eye out for news about a second shop.

"We've been on tour scouting locations," she says. "We're definitely being more aggressive, but we still have not decided where exactly we want to be. After our recent pop-up in New York, we realized how much of a following we have up there. If New York happened before Miami, we'd take advantage of it. But Miami will always be our hometown."

The Salty Donut's Birthday Croughnut. Available Friday, December 1, through Sunday, December 10, at the Salty Donut, 50 NW 23rd St., Miami; 305-925-8126; saltydonut.com. Tuesday through Friday 7:30 a.m. till the doughnuts are sold out, Saturday and Sunday 8 a.m. until sold out.