Maple Bacon Doughnut Bars

By
Leah Maroney
Leah Maroney
Leah Maroney
A recipe developer and food photographer, Leah Maroney is an ardent home cook and food blogger who has written over 300 recipes for The Spruce Eats.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Updated on 09/23/21
maple bacon bars
Leah Maroney
Prep: 90 mins
Cook: 30 mins
Total: 2 hrs
Servings: 12 servings
Yield: 12 doughnuts

The soft doughnut bars are incredibly soft while being slightly chewy and completely melt in your mouth. The sweet maple frosting complements the crispy bacon, and it all comes together in a beautiful breakfast indulgence. 

These maple bacon bars are a labor of love. Much like cinnamon rolls, they cannot be made quickly and do require quite a bit of time to rise and then fry. However, when you have the time, they are 100 percent worth it.

Ingredients

For the Doughnuts:

  • 1 (1/4-ounce package) dry active yeast, or 2 1/4 teaspoons

  • 1/4 cup lukewarm water

  • 3/4 cup milk, scalded

  • 1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter

  • 1/4 cup sugar

  • 1 teaspoon salt

  • 1 large egg, beaten

  • 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

  • Oil, for frying

For the Glaze and Bacon Topping:

  • 6 slices bacon, cooked until crisp, and chopped

  • 2 cups confectioners' sugar

  • 3 tablespoons milk

  • 1 teaspoon maple flavoring

  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

  • 1 tablespoon maple syrup

  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

  2.  Soften the yeast in the lukewarm water.

  3. Combine the scalded milk (make sure not to boil the milk!), sugar, butter, and salt. Let it cool until it is lukewarm.

  4. Place the milk mixture in the bowl of a stand mixer. Add one cup of the flour and mix to combine.

  5. Add the softened yeast and beaten egg.

  6. Add in the remaining flour.

  7. The dough will be soft. Using the paddle attachment, knead the dough until smooth and satiny (about 5 minutes).

  8. Place the dough in a greased bowl (turn the dough in the bowl to grease all sides)

  9. Cover with a towel and let them rise until double. It should take about an hour.

  10. Punch the dough dough and let it rise again for another 30 minutes.

  11. Cut the dough into two balls. Roll out each ball into a a rectangle that is about 1/2-inch thick. Cut each rectangle into 6 rectangles.

  12. Separate the bars on a piece of parchment paper. Cover then and let them rise another 30 minutes.

  13. Heat the oil in a large dutch oven or heavy bottomed pot to 375 F.

  14. Fry about 2 bars at a time, until brown on each side.

  15. Drain on paper towels and then place them on a cooling rack.

  16. Whisk together all of the frosting ingredients.

  17. Let the doughnuts completely cool and then spread the frosting over each bar.

  18. Lastly, sprinkle with bacon.

  19. Serve and enjoy!

Tips

  • The dough can be made the night before you are ready to fry them.
  • You can let it rise in the fridge overnight and then cut them into the bar shapes and let them quickly rise again before frying them.
  • They are definitely best eaten the same day that they are fried, but you can store them overnight.
  • Make sure that they are completely cooled before placing them in a container. Don't completely seal the container, as this will make them soggy.
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
424 Calories
20g Fat
53g Carbs
7g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 12
Amount per serving
Calories 424
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 20g 26%
Saturated Fat 5g 25%
Cholesterol 35mg 12%
Sodium 328mg 14%
Total Carbohydrate 53g 19%
Dietary Fiber 1g 4%
Total Sugars 24g
Protein 7g
Vitamin C 0mg 0%
Calcium 35mg 3%
Iron 2mg 10%
Potassium 114mg 2%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)