A Potts Point Laneway Scores Sourdough Doughnuts and Coffee Till 8pm

The only thing better than finding a good cup of coffee after 3pm is finding one that arrives accompanied by a deeply golden, fluffy, just-fried doughnut dusted in cinnamon sugar. It’s a foolproof formula – and the exact formula at Full Proof, the spot a mother-daughter duo just opened in Potts Point.

Indi Thomas and her mum Jenifer Thomas just moved into a teeny corner slice on the Darlinghurst Road end of Llankelly Place. And the menu is tight: doughnuts aplenty and Allpress coffee, till 8pm five nights a week.

“We wanted to have a place together, to do something for the family,” Indi says. “It all came together once we saw the site – we were very lucky with the location.”

Doughnuts have always been a Thomas family favourite – homemade yeast-raised (not cakey) numbers, and sugar-dusted beignets when they wanted to celebrate. For the shop, they took it further with a sourdough base. “[It] ended up being phenomenal for the texture,” says Indi. “It means it takes a little bit longer to make them, but you can really taste the difference.”

Their sourdough starter – affectionately named Karen – powers a dough that forms the base of every doughnut. Jenifer owned and operated cafes in Wellington, New Zealand, and was a private chef. Now her family refers to her as their “resident doughnut technician”. Each night before service, she makes a batch of dough to be proofed overnight. First thing in the morning, it’s rolled out and left to proof for another hour. Then it’s ready to become whopping rings or rounds to be piped till they’re plump.

The rings are fried-to-order, arriving hot, crispy-edged and dusted in a classic cinnamon sugar, a sweet chilli-and-cinnamon combo or a moreish herby chicken salt. “We knew we wanted to do savoury doughnuts, and we were thinking we have to do something that’s a staple like cinnamon sugar,” says Indi. “I was thinking about these hot chips we used to get, heaps of chicken salt – they were the filthiest chips ever. I was like, ‘Oh my God, we have to do a chicken salt doughnut!’” The added rosemary and thyme give them a fancy edge.

The filled doughnuts are fried ahead of time but are filled fresh – with house-made jam and fresh whipped cream, “proper” vanilla bean pastry cream, a wicked whipped chocolate ganache, or a savoury mix of pesto and feta.

The opening menu includes a pair of house-made ice-creams, too. Currently it’s fresh mint, and vanilla rippled with raspberry jam – but the flavours will change regularly. Get your scoop tucked inside a doughnut, or under a double shot of espresso.

Each morning, a new batch of sourdough is made too, and proofed during the day so it’s ready to fry fresh after dark. Delivering good coffee and sourdough doughnuts to one of Sydney’s favourite laneways? Till 8pm? Foolproof.

Full Proof
Shop 4/31 Darlinghurst Road, Potts Point

Hours:
Wed to Sun 11am–8pm

@wearefullproof