This is DoughHeads, a Newcastle institution known for its artisan doughnuts.
The store has a long history of success in national baking competitions held by the Sydney Royal Fine Food Show and the Baking Association of Australia.
Cinnamon Sugar Doughnut ($6.50)
This featured brioche dough rolled in cinnamon sugar. It won Best Cinnamon Doughnut at the 2026 Baking Association of Australia competition.
The dough was fluffy and light, with a tender bite. Crispness came primarily from the cinnamon sugar coating, as the doughnut itself lacked a crisp exterior. The cinnamon had a subtle but distinct citrusy depth, and the ratio of cinnamon to sugar was well judged, allowing the spice to stand on its own without the sugar dominating either the texture or sweetness. We preferred it to second-place winner OMG! Donuts, as the gluten-containing dough offered a more toothsome texture than its allergy-friendly counterpart.
The O.G. Doughnut ($6.50)
This featured brioche dough topped with a vanilla bean glaze. It won silver in the Small Cakes Division at the 2026 Sydney Royal Fine Food Show.
The doughnut used the same brioche base, with the glaze providing the sweetness. However, the glaze was too thin to develop a satisfying crackle against the soft dough or deliver a notable vanilla presence. We preferred the version from Krispy Kreme.
Salted Caramel Doughnut ($8.00)
This featured brioche dough rolled in cinnamon sugar and filled with house-made salted caramel sauce. It won gold in the Small Cakes Division at the 2026 Sydney Royal Fine Food Show.
The restraint and balance of the salted caramel were unexpected, as we had anticipated a doughnut generously filled to the point of overwhelming sweetness. Instead, this was a cinnamon sugar doughnut with a spoonful of liquid caramel at its centre. The sauce had a deep, savoury umami quality that contrasted effectively with the cinnamon sugar’s sweetness and the denser dough. We could see why it won gold.
Gaytime Doughnut ($8.00)
This featured brioche dough filled with honeycomb custard, dipped in milk chocolate ganache and topped with honey biscuit crumble. It won bronze in the Small Cakes Division at the Sydney Royal Fine Food Show in 2026.
The doughnut was rather underwhelming, with the richness of the milk chocolate ganache compounded by the thick honeycomb custard and further sweetness from the biscuit crumble. Rather than providing any sweet relief, the crumble offered only textural variation against the otherwise heavy combination.
Lemon Meringue Doughnut ($8.00)
This featured brioche dough filled with house-made lemon curd and topped with torched Italian meringue.
The balance between the mouth-watering sourness of the lemon curd, the sweet, pillowy meringue and the dough’s tender bite was impeccably executed. Although the lemon curd was generous, the meringue was equally so, allowing the sweet-tart interplay to remain balanced rather than letting either component dominate.
Vegan Pineapple Doughnut ($8.00)
This featured vegan dough topped with pineapple icing, vegan buttercream and dried raspberries.
The doughnut was sufficiently close to its conventional counterpart that its vegan formulation was not immediately apparent. The dough had a comparable level of tenderness and flavour to the original. The icing tasted distinctly of pineapple juice, capturing a hint of tropical acidity that set it apart from the one-note sweetness and somewhat artificial pineapple profile of similarly flavoured doughnuts in Sydney. The buttercream was light and fluffy, with a recognisably non-dairy character that did not detract from the overall experience, while the freeze-dried raspberries added another source of tartness.
Low Gluten Blueberry Pie Doughnut ($8.00)
This featured low-gluten dough filled with blueberry compote, dipped in vanilla icing and topped with low-gluten crumble and vanilla buttercream.
Despite its dense, cake-like exterior appearance, the low-gluten dough was surprisingly tender, with a chew comparable to its gluten-containing counterpart while remaining moist and somewhat fluffy. The generous blueberry filling carried the doughnut with an earthy, slightly citrusy freshness, while the vanilla icing and buttercream added contrasting layers of softness alongside the crumble’s gentle crunch. It was a good demonstration of how far low-gluten baking has come.
Choc-Mint Scroll ($9.00)
This was the special of the day on 25 October 2026, featuring a chocolate scroll dipped in vanilla mint glaze, studded with dark chocolate chips and decorated with eyes and a mouth made from Italian meringue.
The scroll retained the same toothsome, tender and fluffy texture as the original dough. Thin layers of dark chocolate between the folds countered the sweetness of the mint-vanilla glaze, while the mint notes were bright and vibrant, finishing with subtle cooling without becoming dominant. Despite its substantial size, the scroll had a refreshing lightness, with the mint lifting the richness of the dough and mirroring its soft texture. Dark chocolate chips provided pockets of more intense richness, while the meringue added creamy sweetness. Well executed.
Overall, DoughHeads demonstrated a strong command of brioche texture and flavour balance, with the cinnamon sugar, salted caramel and lemon meringue varieties particularly successful. However, the heavier options were less consistent, with the Gaytime Doughnut’s cumulative richness and sweetness leaving it underwhelming, while the O.G. lacked sufficient glaze texture and vanilla presence.
DoughHeads is located at Shop 17a, Junction Fair, 204 Union St, The Junction NSW 2291.