Homemade Maple Bacon Doughnuts

You’ll love these homemade Maple Bacon Doughnuts that are every bit delicious just like at your local bakery shop. Tender, fluffy, and easy-to-make yeast doughnuts paired with a delightful maple icing and topped with salty bacon. Incredibly good, wonderfully rich, and detailed post notes/images provided to ensure recipe success!

The temps are *slowly* starting to drop over in my neck of the woods, y’all. The sunshine state is full of humid-a$$ sunshine nonstop. But lately we’ve been blessed with less than 90° weather, ha! That means bring on the cozy soups/stews, maple, pumpkin, chai, apple, sweet potato, and all other warm fall flavors. Ahhh and doughnuts are one of my favorite eats to make, too.

Just call me a doughnut aficionado why don’t ya. I love that there’s no right or wrong time to eat a doughnut. Like, have one for breakfast and it’s very much socially acceptable. These maple bacon doughnuts are such a classic and I’m so hype to share a homemade recipe for you to whip up in your kitchen!

Homemade Maple Bacon Doughnuts 🍁🥓

Hello to these swoon-worthy maple bacon doughnuts. Real talk, these doughnuts are super soft and fluffy with a rich, robust maple icing. Topped with smoky bacon to seal the deal. No need to stress either because these doughnuts are so simple to make and have that bakery shop flair that you’ll be proud of.

⇢ More desserts: lemon sweet rolls, my fave gluten free chocolate cake, new orleans-style beignets, these cozy lil’ peach hand pies, easy lemon meringue pie, fun s’mores cupcakes with nutella, and these pecan praline sticky buns ♡

DISCLOSURE: This post is sponsored by Pete and Gerry’s Organic Eggs who I’m always so excited to partner with; all thoughts expressed here are my own. I’ve been a brand ambassador with them for some time now and love using their high-quality USDA Certified Organic eggs from free-range hens.

Their eggs come from small family farmers who raise their hens on farms where the hens are free to roam about in the sunshine. I like that their gold standard eggs are USDA Certified Organic, Certified Humane, and contain no antibiotics/hormones/pesticides. The best quality eggs for BBR recipes!

Ingredients Needed For These Doughnuts

(Note: the full ingredients list, including measurements, is provided in the recipe card directly below.)

• Whole milk: This milk provides the richness needed here, nuff said.
• Granulated sugar: Activates the yeast and for sweetness in the dough.
• Active dry yeast: This type of yeast needs to be dissolved in warm liquid to activate it. The mixture gets bubbly/foamy and gives off a fragrant smell prior to adding in the rest of the ingredients for the doughnut dough.
• Large eggs: Eggs are a critical ingredient for structured doughnuts, and they contribute to tenderness. You’ll def want high-quality eggs to use! I lean on Pete and Gerry’s Organic Eggs because their eggs are just that with golden, rich egg yolks. Organic eggs make a big difference in flavor!
• Butter: Richness from butter adds fat and flavor, #butterbeready! 🧈
• Bread flour: You will find bread flour sold in most grocery stores. Bread flour contains a higher protein content than traditional all-purpose flour and a higher protein content helps to create more gluten in the dough. Therefore, yielding ultra-soft, chewy, and tender doughnuts. Trust me on this.
• Salt: Just a bit to provide some balance in the dough.
• Vanilla bean paste: It’s the best and I use it whenever I make these homemade doughnuts. Those vanilla bean flecks, chef’s kiss!
• Oil: Used for deep-frying the maple bacon doughnuts, I often use vegetable or canola oil. However, feel free to use any kind of neutral (flavorless) oil.

How To Make Maple Bacon Doughnuts

(Note: please see the recipe card directly below for the complete written instructions.)

1. Make the dough. In the bowl of a stand mixer or large bowl, combine the warm milk and 2 tablespoons of sugar together. Then sprinkle the yeast on top and mix well. Let the mixture sit for 10-15 minutes or until foamy.
2. Then add in the remaining sugar, eggs, butter, flour, salt, and vanilla. If using a stand mixer, secure the dough hook attachment in place. 
3. Knead the dough. Mix on low speed for 1 minute. Then increase the speed to medium and knead the dough for 2-4 minutes more- looking for a smooth, elastic, and slightly sticky texture. *Alternatively, mix the dough with a rubber spatula/wooden spoon. Knead until the texture is achieved.
4. Let the dough rise/proof. Shape the dough into a ball, then place the dough into a lightly greased large bowl and cover the bowl with plastic wrap/clean kitchen linen. Allow the dough to rise in a warm environment for 1 1/2 – 2 hours or until nearly doubled in size. You can also refrigerate overnight.
5. Roll & shape doughnuts. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Then punch down the dough knocking out the air and turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Use a rolling pin to roll out the dough to about 1/2-inch in thickness. Use a doughnut cutter to cut out 12 doughnuts along with the holes, re-rolling scraps as needed.
6. Place the doughnuts onto the parchment paper. Cover and allow the doughnuts to rest while you prep the oil for frying.
7. Fry the doughnuts. Heat the oil in a large dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot to 350°F. Set aside a large baking sheet fitted with a wire rack. Once the oil temperature is achieved, working in batches, carefully add doughnuts into pot. Let fry for 1 minute per side until lightly golden brown. Then use a slotted spoon or fish spatula to transfer the fried doughnuts to the prepared wire rack. Repeat this process until all doughnuts have been fried. Allow the doughnuts to cool down for 10-15 minutes before icing.
8. To make the maple icing: In a medium bowl, combine the powdered sugar, maple syrup, milk, maple flavor/extract, and salt. Stir the mixture together until the icing is smooth and free of any lumps. Dip the doughnuts into the icing and set back onto wire rack to allow any excess maple icing to drip down. Immediately add the bacon pieces on top, gently pressing down.
9. Serve these maple bacon doughnuts right away while they’re at their best.

⇢ This Maple Bacon Doughnuts recipe comes together so easily, y’all. I love how straightforward and simple it all really is. Homemade doughnuts, especially fried doughnuts, can seem challenging but that isn’t the case here! 🙌🏾

Understanding Types of Doughnuts

>> For starters, let’s break down the 3 types of doughnuts:

• Yeasted doughnuts: These ones contain, you guessed it, yeast! It results in a tender, light, chewy, and airy type of doughnut because of the leavening. Much like cinnamon rolls, yeast doughnuts need to proof before frying.
• Cake doughnuts: These types of doughnuts are leavened using baking soda and baking powder. They have a denser texture which is like that of a slice of…cake. Many American doughnut spots sell these and the above.
• Baked doughnuts: Much more commonly made at home is the baked doughnut. The batter is looser and then piped/poured into a doughnut mold. They are a lot lighter, springy, and oftentimes healthier since there is no frying involved. Be sure to check out my baked pumpkin ones!

Tips + Tricks For The Best Yeast Doughnuts, Additional Recipe Notes, & More

• Fresh yeast! Check the expiration date on your yeast and make sure it’s fresh.
• Prep ahead! If you want to prep ahead, great! I highly recommend making the dough the night before you plan to serve these doughnuts. That way, the next day is just a roll out, cut/rest, and fry type of situation. This is perfect for serving for special occasions or on the weekends.
• Can I make overnight doughnuts? Sure thing! Make the dough as directed in the recipe card, below. Then cover and store in the fridge overnight (8-10 hours max). The following day, roll/cut out the doughnuts- the chilled doughnuts will need to rest on the counter to come up to room temperature before frying >> further details on this in the recipe card.
• Rising is crucial. Make sure the dough has risen, nearly doubled in size.
• How much oil do I need? Just enough for the oil to come halfway up the pot, enough for the doughnuts to float…anymore and splattering may occur.
• How do I get rid of oil? After frying, let the oil cool all the way back down to room temperature. Afterwards, use a funnel to strain the oil back into the same container it came from. Then discard like normal. Boom.
• Can I reuse the oil? Yup! Fried doughnut oil is relatively clean and nearly odorless. Follow the steps above to cool and then reuse instead of discarding.

Maple Icing, Ooh La La 😍

No maple bacon doughnut is complete without that signature maple icing/glaze. The maple icing here is downright drinkable…okay, that’s going a bit too far, but you feel me. It’s an all-natural maple icing with pure maple syrup and maple flavor or extract. If you can get your hands on maple flavor, do ittt. It’s much richer and more robust as opposed to extract. However, maple extract can still be used in place of to help boost and elevate the maple icing.

Love Doughnuts? Don’t Miss These Recipes:

• Homemade Brioche Doughnuts
• Baked Pumpkin Doughnuts with Coffee Glaze
• Yeast Doughnuts with Hibiscus Glaze
• New Orleans-Style Beignets

Tap into these Maple Bacon Doughnuts, friends. They’re the sweetest (and most scrumptious) treat to indulge in. Be sure to tag @butterbeready in your BBR recipe creations, I sure love to see it when you do. Until next time! 🤟🏾

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