Long John (doughnut) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Long John (pastry)

Long John with maple frosting (maple bar doughnut)
Alternative names	Cream stick, filled stick, chocolate bar, maple bar
Type	Pastry
Main ingredients	Dough, and glaze or icing
Other information	May be called an "éclair", but has yeast-risen dough

A Long John is a delicious pastry that looks like a long, rectangular doughnut. It's made from a special kind of dough that rises with yeast, making it soft and fluffy. You'll often find Long Johns covered completely in a shiny glaze or topped with sweet cake icing.

Sometimes, Long Johns are even filled with yummy things like creamy custard or light whipped cream. This tasty treat is popular in different parts of North America, especially in the Midwestern United States and Canada.

What Makes a Long John Special?

Long Johns are a type of pastry that uses "yeast-risen" dough. This means that tiny organisms called yeast are added to the dough. As the dough rests, the yeast creates gas bubbles, which makes the dough puff up and become light and airy. This is similar to how many types of bread and some doughnuts are made.

Toppings and Fillings

Long Johns can come with many different toppings. The most common are a simple sweet glaze or a layer of smooth icing. This icing can be flavored, like maple or chocolate.

For those who love a surprise inside, Long Johns are often filled. Popular fillings include:

• Rich, creamy custard
• Light and airy whipped cream

A Long John with sprinkles from Minnesota

Long Johns Around the United States

This tasty pastry has different names depending on where you are!

Different Names for Long Johns

• In the Midwestern United States and Canada, it's usually called a Long John.
• On the West Coast of the United States, like in California, these pastries are often called bars or bar doughnuts.
  • If it has maple-flavored icing, it's a maple bar.
  • If it has chocolate icing, it's a chocolate bar.
• If a bar doughnut is filled, it's simply called a filled bar or filled bar doughnut.
• Some places in the Midwest call a filled Long John a cream stick.

Long Johns vs. Éclairs

You might notice that a Long John looks a lot like an éclair. However, they are actually quite different!

• Long Johns are made with yeast-risen dough, which is soft and bread-like.
• Éclairs are made with a special dough called choux pastry. This dough puffs up with steam when baked, creating a hollow shell.
• Éclairs are typically filled with chiboust cream or pastry cream and often have a shiny chocolate fondant icing on top.

So, while they might look like cousins, they are made in very different ways!

A "cream-filled" maple bar doughnut (filled with custard)