A Long John (also known as a bar, éclair, or finger doughnut) is a bar-shaped, yeast risen

doughnut A doughnut or donut () is a type of pastry made from leavened fried dough. It is popular in many countries and is prepared in various forms as a sweet snack that can be homemade or purchased in bakeries, supermarkets, food stalls, and fran ...

either coated entirely with glaze or top-coated with cake icing. They may be filled with

custard Custard is a variety of culinary preparations based on sweetened milk, cheese, or cream cooked with Eggs as food, egg or egg yolk to thicken it, and sometimes also flour, corn starch, or gelatin. Depending on the recipe, custard may vary in con ...

cream Cream is a dairy product composed of the higher-fat layer skimmed from the top of milk before homogenization. In un-homogenized milk, the fat, which is less dense, eventually rises to the top. In the industrial production of cream, this proces ...

. Names for the doughnut are highly regional, with the term ''Long John'' used frequently in the

Midwestern U.S. The Midwestern United States (also referred to as the Midwest, the Heartland or the American Midwest) is one of the four census regions defined by the United States Census Bureau. It occupies the northern central part of the United States. It ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

, and Texas. In other parts of the United States and Canada, such as the Mid-Atlantic and

Central Canada Central Canada (, sometimes the ''Central Provinces'') is a Canadian region consisting of Ontario and Quebec, the largest and most populous provinces of the country. Geographically, they are not at the centre of Canada but instead overlap wi ...

, Long Johns are sometimes marketed as "

éclair An éclair ( or , ; ) is a pastry made with choux dough filled with a cream and topped with a flavored icing. The dough, which is the same as that used for profiteroles, is typically piped into an oblong shape with a pastry bag and baked ...

s"; the two pastries look similar but are created with different types of dough (steam-puffed vs. yeast-risen) and sometimes different fillings (the éclair may have chiboust cream). The éclair has (usually chocolate)

fondant icing Fondant icing, also commonly just called fondant (, ; ), is an icing used to decorate or sculpt cakes and pastries. It is made from sugar, water, gelatin, vegetable oil or shortening, and glycerol. It does not have the texture of most icings; ...

. On the

American West Coast The West Coast of the United States, also known as the Pacific Coast and the Western Seaboard, is the coastline along which the Western United States meets the North Pacific Ocean. The term typically refers to the contiguous U.S. states of Calif ...

and

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

, Long Johns are called bars or bar doughnuts, such as the maple bar (topped with a maple glaze500 Things to Eat Before It's Too Late: and the Very Best Places to Eat Them - Jane Stern, Michael Stern
p. 382.) and the chocolate bar. Filled Long Johns are called ''filled bars'', or ''filled bar doughnuts''. For example, an unfilled (or even custard-filled) Long John with maple-flavored icing is called a ''maple bar'' in

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

. They may also be topped with chopped bacon and called a maple bacon bar. Maple bars are prominent on the West coast of the United States; they are also known as a maple-glazed Long John, Maple-Creamstick or maple Bismarck. Some parts of the American Midwest also call this type of pastry a finger doughnut or cream stick when filled.

References

American desserts Stuffed desserts American doughnuts Canadian doughnuts Cuisine of the Midwestern United States {{dessert-stub

See also

References