You know it's autumn when this Jacksonville Beach bakery debuts its pumpkin doughnuts at midnight Friday

Teresa Stepzinski, Florida Times-Union
·3 min read
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(2019 video)

Update: Due to Hurricane Ian, Cinotti's has canceled the midnight event. Its pumpkin doughnuts, however, will be available at 6 a.m. Friday.

It's that time of year. Cinotti's Bakery's annual midnight premiere of its signature Pumpkin Donut is Friday.

The family-owned landmark Jacksonville Beach bakery will be serving up its fresh-from-scratch, subtly sweet and spiced doughnuts for 60 minutes until 1 a.m. or sooner if they sell out really quickly.

Mike Cinotti, bakery owner, said they are monitoring the approach of Hurricane Ian closely but as of Tuesday, they continue to prepare for the pumpkin donut release.

"We'll have them ready at midnight," he told the Times-Union.

The bakery also will have self-stable bread, breakfast items and other foods available to help customers prepare for the storm.

"Basically we stay open until they tell us not to," he said, explaining that the bakery will close, if and when, an evacuation order is issued for the Beaches.

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Each year, Cinotti's Bakery in Jacksonville Beach makes about 1,000 dozen of its signature pumpkin doughnuts for its midnight release party and first full day of sales.
Each year, Cinotti's Bakery in Jacksonville Beach makes about 1,000 dozen of its signature pumpkin doughnuts for its midnight release party and first full day of sales.

For more than a few folks, autumn doesn't really begin until their first bite into a pumpkin doughnut from Cinotti's at 1523 Penman Road.

People from throughout Northeast Florida as well as some from Southeast Georgia typically line up out the bakery door and through the parking lot for the seasonal treat.

"The storm's got people a little jittery so it will be what it will be. We've got no control over the weather," Cinotti said.

He said they plan to make about 1,000 dozen pumpkin doughnuts this year, which about the same as they did last year.

Customers can pre-order the pumpkin doughnuts with either the traditional glaze or rolled in the bakery's signature cinnamon-sugar blend.

Families, friends and neighbors routinely gather with strangers outside the bakery at least an hour before the doors open. The midnight release is a long-standing tradition.

The Cinotti family developed and perfected the from-scratch pumpkin doughnut recipe 19 years ago. Their homemade pumpkin spice blend is a closely held secret family formula, he said.

The bakery makes a variety of other doughnuts such as chocolate, red velvet, blueberry, strawberry, maple bacon, apple fritters, jelly and yeast doughnuts, too.

But their pumpkin doughnuts are the top favorite with customers in the fall.

Started by Mike Cinotti's grandfather 71 years ago, Cinotti's is a five-generation family bakery. Included in the bakery's staff of 30 are Cinotti's wife, Doodle, a couple of their grandkids, his brother and a nephew.

Cinotti's daughter, Michelle, came up with the idea for the midnight premiere of the pumpkin doughnuts about eight years ago.

The bakery's regular hours are 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Its sandwich shop serves breakfast all day, while cold sandwiches are served until 2:30 p.m. also Tuesday through Saturday.

Both the bakery and sandwich shop are closed Sunday and Monday.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Cinotti's Bakery in Jacksonville Beach releasing pumpkin donuts