Small pieces of fried doughnut dough are commonly called what?

Small pieces of fried doughnut dough are commonly called “doughnut holes.” They are bite-sized pieces made from dough or batter, often spherical after frying and served plain, glazed, powdered, or coated with sugar.

Traditionally, a doughnut hole was the small center cut from a ring doughnut. A cutter removes both the outer ring and the inner circle, leaving a piece that can be fried separately. The term reflects the idea that the hole in the ring could be filled by the little ball of dough.

Modern doughnut makers do not always produce holes by cutting them from full-size rings. Many are shaped and fried independently, allowing bakeries to sell bite-sized versions of cake doughnuts, yeast-raised doughnuts, fritters, and even filled varieties. Thus, “doughnut holes” describes the size and style as much as the manufacturing method.

Names vary by company and region. Dunkin’ sells its versions as Munchkins, while Tim Hortons calls them Timbits. Those brand names refer to the same general kind of small fried dough, not to a separate pastry category.