Maple Bacon Donuts
I present, the best treat on earth: Maple Bacon Donuts! Filled to the brim with a sweet and silky maple custard then topped with maple glaze and salty bacon. As my favorite donut of all time, I promise you'll be raving about this odd combination!
Servings: 12
Calories: 497kcal
Ingredients
Donuts
- 1 cup milk lukewarm
- 1 tbsp active dry yeast
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 3 egg yolks
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 4 tbsp butter softened
- 4 1/4 cups flour all-purpose
- 1 1/2 tsp salt or to taste
- vegetable oil for frying
Custard filling
- 4 egg yolks
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 3/4 cup maple syrup
- 1/2 tsp salt or to taste
- 2 cups milk
- 1 tsp maple extract
- 2 tbsp butter unsalted, cold
Maple Glaze
- 2 cups icing sugar aka powdered sugar or confectioner's sugar
- 1 tbsp milk
- 1 1/2 tsp maple extract
- 6 slices bacon cooked and roughly chopped
Instructions
Dough
- Whisk the lukewarm milk, yeast, and 1 tsp of the sugar together. Let it sit for 10-15 minutes until the mixture becomes foamy. Whisk in the egg yolks and vanilla until well combined.
- Flour, butter, salt, remaining sugar, and prepared yeast mixture to the bowl of your stand mixer. Attach the dough hook to the mixer and start on low speed, working up to medium speed until the dough comes together. Knead for 5-10 minutes until the dough is soft and elastic*.
- Lightly grease a large mixing bowl. Shape the dough into a ball and place it into the bowl. Cover with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel and allow the dough to rise in a warm, draft-free environment for 1-2 hours, or until doubled in size.
Custard
- Beat the egg yolks in a medium-sized mixing bowl just until smooth. Add the cornstarch, maple syrup, and salt to the bowl and continue to beat until combined and pale yellow, about 1 minute.
- Heat the milk in a saucepan over medium-high heat until it comes to a bare simmer. Remove the pan from the heat. Ladle the milk into the egg mixture, whisking until completely smooth between each ladle. Pour the mixture into the saucepan and return it to the stovetop over medium heat.
- Continuously whisk the mixture until it's bubbling and completely thickened. Remove the pot from the heat. Add the vanilla and butter and whisk until the custard is glossy and the butter has melted.
- Cover the custard with plastic wrap, carefully pressing the plastic directly against the surface of the custard. Refrigerate for 1-2 hours or until completely cooled.
Donuts
- Punch the risen dough down and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough out until about 1/2" thick.
- Use a 3" biscuit or cookie cutter to cut rounds from the dough. You can knead the remaining dough back together to cut more rounds from it, but keep in mind the dough can become over-worked and result in donuts that aren't ideal.
- Place the rounds on a lightly greased baking sheet, leaving about 1" of room between each one for room to rise. Lightly cover them with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel and allow them to rise for 20-30 minutes, or until doubled in size.
- Fill a large, heavy-bottomed pot with 3-4 inches of vegetable oil. Carefully add 2-3 risen dough rounds to the oil. Cook for about 1 minute, or until golden brown, then flip and cook for another minute or until golden. Remove the donuts with a slotted spoon and allow them to drain on a paper towel-lined plate while you fry the remainder.
Fill & Glaze
- Add the custard to a piping bag fitted with a piping tip. Insert a skewer or chopstick into each donut, moving it around to create a pocket inside for the custard. Insert the tip of your piping bag into the hole created by the skewer and fill with the donut with custard. Repeat with the remaining donuts and custard**.
- Whisk the icing sugar, milk, and maple extract together until completely smooth. Taste the glaze and add more maple extract if needed. Dip the top of a donut into the glaze, then hold it on its side to let excess glaze drip off. Place the donut on a wire cookie rack and repeat with the remaining donuts.
- While the glaze is still wet, top each donut with the bacon pieces. Let the glaze set for 10-15 minutes before serving.
Notes
*If the dough is too sticky, mix in 1 tbsp of flour at a time until smooth. If the dough is too dry, mix in 1 tbsp milk or water until smooth.
**If you end up with extra custard, you can enjoy it like pudding! Top it with a drizzle of the glaze and some bacon pieces.
Nutritional information assumes each donut will absorb an estimate of 1 tsp oil while frying.
Nutritional information is an estimate and may vary depending on the ingredients you use.
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Nutrition
Calories: 497kcal | Carbohydrates: 79g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 136mg | Sodium: 474mg | Potassium: 192mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 41g | Vitamin A: 427IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 115mg | Iron: 2mg