How Round Rock Donuts reached 100 years

Round Rock Donuts reaches its 100-year mark in 2026 with a recipe its founder developed to help his bakery survive. Reinhold R. Moehring opened Lone Star Bakery on Main Street in Round Rock in 1926, then began experimenting with dough during the 1930s. By the early 1940s, according to the bakery's history, he had perfected the donut that became its signature.

The yellow color comes from fresh eggs, the bakery explains, and the dough rises with yeast. Making it still means rolling, cutting, frying and icing by hand. The business says it continues to use its original owner's recipe, connecting today's glazed donut to those early experiments.

The founder sold the bakery, then came back

The bakery changed hands several times while Moehring was still part of its story. Selma Erlanson bought it in 1943, and she and her sister Louise Johnson sold it to Roy Hester in 1946. After Hester's short tenure, ownership returned to Moehring. Johnson bought the business in 1960, and Moehring stayed for a time as a part-time baker.

Charlie Baird bought the bakery in 1965 and eventually confronted a problem customers could recognize today: too little parking downtown. He built a new bakery on West Liberty in 1970, establishing the location the business still uses. Jan and Dale Cohrs bought Lone Star Bakery from Baird in 1978. The bakery's published history identifies them as its sixth owners.

Where can you try Round Rock Donuts today?

Round Rock Donuts operates in Round Rock and Cedar Park, where it expanded in 2022. Both locations use drive-thru and walk-up ordering, according to the bakery's current FAQ. Visitors with dietary restrictions should know that the bakery lists no vegan, gluten-free or sugar-free options.

A box also has limits as a long-distance gift. The bakery does not ship its donuts, explaining that its scratch-made products contain no preservatives. It says they would fall below its quality standard by the time they arrived.