Fany Gerson Brings Her Delicious Doughnuts Back To Bed-Stuy

Scott Lynch

Published Oct 16, 2020

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two boxes of doughnuts

Scott Lynch / Gothamist

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Scott Lynch

Published Oct 16, 2020

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In February, right before everything went to hell, Fany Gerson of Dough announced that she was leaving the company she helped found almost a decade ago, and shutting down the original Bed-Stuy shop that had become both a neighborhood hangout and a doughnut destination stop.

But Gerson was hardly finished — her Mexican paleta and ice cream parlor La Newyorkina reopened this summer in Greenwich Village after a brief pandemic-mandated closing. And just this past weekend, Gerson sprung Fan-Fan — her brand-new doughnut operation — onto giddy crowds of grateful customers. Best of all for Bed-Stuy residents, Gerson's new store is located in her old store, so the corner of Franklin and Lafayette is home once again to a true doughnut mecca.

Fan-Fan is only open on weekends for now, as Gerson refines her glazes and gets the crew up to speed, but on Sunday she rolled out a serious lineup of ten different flavors, all of which seemed pretty perfect to me. Gerson's Fan-Fan doughnuts are slightly smaller than those old Dough monsters, and though they look (and taste) wonderfully rich, the fried pastry part of these treats is surprisingly light and airy.

White Coffee, White Fox, Lemon Lime, Mexican Cinnamon Sugar, Glazed, Glazed Braid ($3 each)

Scott Lynch / Gothamist

The Fan-Fan menu will likely change and definitely expand in the coming weeks (at one point Gerson was talking about serving as many as 18 different flavors), but a few early favorites of mine would include the Danny Boy, a.k.a. Salted Brown Butter Caramel, studded with pecans; the White Fox, which features a coconut glaze and a pile of dark chocolate cookie crunch; and the simple Glaze Braid, which allows Gerson's chewy, buttery pastry to really shine.

The appropriately autumnal Miso Ringo is sticky with a cider caramel and white miso glaze, then topped in jaunty fashion by a slice of dried apple. The sprightly Lemon Lime, complete with candied peel, is as tart as you would hope it to be, and if you're in the mood for something super sweet, by all means get messy with the Choc Choc.

The Mexican Cinnamon Sugar was the only glaze-less pastry this weekend, and it was a sweet, crunchy delight. And there's no way I could resist Gerson's Sticky Buns, which she assembles from the "scraps" of the doughnut-making process, then drenches in syrup. Gerson has also made an ode to the Long John, at her shop they will be called Fan Fans.

Order with confidence no matter what you're craving, because everything is excellent. Go early though. There were at least 25 people already on line when Fan-Fan started serving at 10 a.m. on Sunday.

Fan-Fan Doughnuts is located at 448 Lafayette Avenue, at the corner of Franklin Avenue, and is currently open on Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. until they sell out, but follow @fanfandoughnuts on Instagram for updates about flavors and hours.

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