Supermarket shoppers have been left disappointed after discovering a popular in-house bakery item has temporarily vanished from the shelves of Coles stores in the days before Christmas.
The Festive Bakery Pivot
The issue came to light when a customer took to social media on December 22 to express their frustration, revealing their local Coles had said there would be no more doughnuts available until after Christmas. This prompted an explanation from the supermarket giant, which confirmed that in-house bakeries were reprioritising their output in the final festive rush.
A spokesperson for Coles told media that while doughnuts remain available in some stores, production is significantly scaled back. "Our hardworking bakers are focused on delivering the fresh products customers love most for their Christmas celebrations," they stated. The surge in demand is for items like fresh bread rolls, loaves, and cookies, essential for Christmas Day entertaining.
Why Doughnuts Are So Time-Consuming
Coles bakery staff provided detailed insights online, explaining the decision is purely logistical. The process of making their signature, hand-iced doughnuts from scratch is lengthy, taking around five hours from start to finish. This includes cooking, cooling, hand-icing or sugaring, and extensive cleaning of specialist equipment.
With orders for scratch-made bread sometimes doubling or even quadrupling in the lead-up to Christmas, bakery teams simply do not have the capacity for both. "We need all hands on deck packing the rolls and loaves," one baker explained. Consequently, many stores make an internal decision to halt production of less essential items like doughnuts and savouries for about a week.
Shopper Reaction and the Hot Cross Bun Joke
The revelation surprised many customers who were unaware the doughnuts were made fresh daily in-store. While some expressed gratitude to the bakery staff for their hard work, others responded with cheeky humour.
A number of comments sarcastically suggested the real reason for the doughnut shortage was that Coles was "getting ready to start pumping out hot cross buns on Boxing Day." This nods to the annual tradition and predictable public debate around supermarkets launching the Easter treat immediately after Christmas.
Coles has assured customers that their popular doughnuts will be "back in full supply straight after Christmas." The situation highlights the complex behind-the-scenes operations in major supermarkets as they work to meet shifting consumer demand during peak holiday periods.
