Try these homemade maple bacon donuts next time your donut cravings kick in. Pillowy soft and fluffy donuts topped with a sweet maple glaze and salty bacon bits make for the ultimate indulgent treat!
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Why you’ll love these maple bacon donuts
- The donut itself is tall, soft and fluffy.
- The maple glaze hardens so you don’t have to worry about messy donuts.
- The sweet maple and salty bacon balance each other out to make the perfect flavor combination for your tastebuds.
I know that salty bacon on sweet donuts might be a strange concept to some people and if you’re one of them, I hope to have you convinced to try them by them time you get to the end of this post! When I first tried them a few years ago, I was surprised at how good they were and since then I’ve made them at home a few times. I’m usually not a fan of mixing sweet and salty flavors, but these donuts are the exception! Just think of them as a pancakes-and-bacon breakfast in donut form. Yes, please!
Overview of these maple bacon donuts
The donut dough
All good donuts start with an enriched, sweetened yeast dough. Mix the yeast, a tablespoon of sugar and warm milk; let it stand until it’s bubbly. This ensures that your yeast is active and ready to get to work. Then add the eggs, more sugar, vanilla extract, salt, and most of the flour.
In this recipe, we stir the butter in after most of the flour has been added. Why? Because the fat in the butter bonds with the gluten in the flour, which keeps the gluten proteins from bonding with each other. So by stirring the butter in last, we give the gluten a chance to develop. It’s going to take some extra muscle work, but keep mixing until the butter is incorporated. Then add the remaining flour. The dough will be soft and tacky, but as long as it isn’t sticking to your hands, resist the urge to add more flour (too much flour and you’ll run the risk of getting dry donuts).
Then knead the dough until it’s smooth and elastic, around 8 minutes. Kneading helps develop the gluten and gives structure to your donuts. Grease a clean bowl and add the dough, turning it once to coat; this will keep the dough from drying out. Let the dough rest until it’s doubled in size, 60-90 minutes.
Shaping the donuts
After the dough has risen, punch it down and roll it out to be between 3/8 and 1/2 inch thick. Then use a donut cutter to cut into donuts. In the past I’ve used a large round cookie cutter and a smaller one for the center, but a donut cutter makes this job a lot easier and quicker. In case you’re interested in buying one, I have one linked down below.
If your dough keeps shrinking and the donuts don’t hold their round shapes as you cut them, make sure the dough isn’t stretched out and stuck the the work surface; then let the dough rest for 10 minutes so the gluten can relax.
After cutting the donuts, place them on parchment paper to rise. Gather the scraps of dough, knead them together, then roll out and cut again. You want to be careful not to handle the dough more than necessary since over-handling will result in tough donuts. But at the same time, make sure to knead the scraps together so your donuts will be smooth.
Let the donuts rise until they’re puffy and jiggly. If you lightly press them with your finger and the indentation stays, they’re ready to fry; if not, give them a little more time. Do you see the donut’s “midriff” (the white line in the center of the donut) in the picture below? According to The Washington Post, this means you fried the donut at the perfect time. While this doesn’t make or break a donut, I do get a small sense of satisfaction in knowing that I caught the donut in its prime stage. 😅
Frying the donuts
I like to fry my donuts in an electric skillet because it keeps the oil at a pretty consistent temperature and it’s big enough to fry several donuts at once. Whatever you’re using to fry the donuts, make sure it contains at least one inch of oil. Also take care not to over-crowd the pan as this will cause the temperature of the oil to drop significantly.
The oil for frying donuts should be somewhere between 350° and 375° F. I recommend using a food or deep frying thermometer (I have one linked below) to make sure your oil is the correct temperature. If your oil is too hot, the donuts will burn on the outside and be raw in the middle. Whereas, if the oil is not hot enough, your donuts will end up being soggy and greasy.
Here’s a tip to keep your donuts from deflating as you transfer them to the hot oil: Cut the parchment paper into squares around each donut, then drop them in the hot oil and remove the parchment paper with a pair of tongs.
Fry the donuts 1-2 minutes, then flip them and fry another 1-2 minutes, until they’re golden. Remove and hold them above the pot/skillet for a few seconds to let the excess oil drip off, then place them on a baking sheet lined with paper towel.
Repeat with the remaining donuts and let them cool before glazing.
The maple glaze
You’ll need only a few ingredients for the glaze. Start by melting the butter, then add the maple syrup. Sift in the powdered sugar and a pinch of salt; whisk until smooth. The glaze needs to be pretty thick so it won’t drip down the sides of the donuts, but if it’s too thick to dip the donuts in, stir in 1 tablespoon of milk at a time to get the right consistency. If you need to add milk, make sure it’s at room temperature; cold milk can cause the butter in the glaze to separate. Trust me, I’ve done this too many times and ended up with unappetizing-looking donuts.
I’ve found that the best way to dip the donuts is to dip just the surface of the donuts in the glaze, because the glaze tends to run down the sides of the donut.
Let the glaze set for 1-2 minutes, then sprinkle the bacon on top. For these donuts I like chopping my bacon to tiny pieces in my electric chopper, but if you prefer bigger pieces, go for it!
Finally, let the donuts set at least an hour before serving; this gives the glaze time to harden.
Make-ahead instructions for these maple bacon donuts
Most baked goods taste best the same day they’re made, and these donuts are no exception. The glaze will start melting into the donuts if the donuts are stored overnight. And depending on what kind of bacon you use or how crisp you fry it, it can get soggy if you store the donuts too long.
To start making these donuts ahead of time, knead the dough and let it rise according to the instructions, then punch it down and refrigerate overnight. I actually love doing this because that extra resting time results in a more enhanced flavor and extra fluffy donuts. Just make sure to place the dough in a large bowl to give it room to rise and tightly cover with plastic wrap so the dough won’t dry out. From there you can proceed with the recipe instructions, except you’ll need to increase the donut rising time to 1½ or 2 hours.
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Kitchen gadgets you’ll find helpful to make these maple bacon donuts
Happy baking, friends!
Ingredients
- For the donuts:
- 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
- ¾ cup warm milk, (110°F-115°F)
- ¼ cup + 1 tablespoon granulated sugar, divided
- 2 eggs, at room temperature
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup butter, at room temperature
- 3½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1-2 quarts vegetable oil, for frying
- For the maple glaze:
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 6 tablespoons maple syrup
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- pinch of salt
- 1-2 tablespoons milk, at room temperature (optional)
- 6 slices bacon
Instructions
- Dissolve the yeast and 1 tablespoon sugar in warm milk; let it stand until bubbly, 5-10 minutes. Add the remaining ¼ cup of sugar, eggs, salt, vanilla extract and 2½ cups of the flour; mix until combined. Then add half of the butter and stir it in until combined; repeat with remaining butter. Mix in the remaining cup of flour, adding only enough to form a soft dough; it should still be tacky. Knead for 6-8 minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic. Place in a greased bowl and cover with a clean kitchen towel. Let rise until the dough has doubled in size, 60-90 minutes.
- Roll the dough out to 3/8-inch thickness. Cut with a 3½-inch donut cutter and place donuts on a large sheet of parchment paper. Knead the scraps of dough together, being careful not to over-handle the dough. Roll out again and cut more donuts. You'll likely end up with 16-18 donuts. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let the donuts until doubled, 45-60 minutes.
- Meanwhile, add vegetable oil to a deep pot or electric skillet and heat to 365°F. Line two large baking sheets with paper towel and set aside.
- Fry donuts 3-5 at a time (depending on the size of your pot) for 1-2 minutes; flip and cook another 1-2 minutes until golden. Place on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining donuts; let them cool completely.
- Fry the bacon strips until crisp and chop into tiny pieces.
- For the glaze, melt the butter in a small saucepan and add the maple syrup. Sift in the powdered sugar and salt; whisk until smooth. If the glaze is too thick to dip the donuts, add enough milk to reach desired consistency. Keep in mind that if the glaze is too thin, it will run down the sides. Let the glaze set for 1-2 minutes, then sprinkle with bacon bits.
- Let the donuts set for at least an hour before serving.
Notes
These donuts are best eaten the same day they're made. If stored overnight, the glaze will melt into the donuts and the bacon will become soggy. For overnight instructions and extra tips, read the post above.