Bacon Donuts with Maple Glaze

Guest post from Sarah:

My friend Andree posted on Facebook about this recipe, and I decided to try it even though I'm working on healthy eating. (Hey, it's Easter, thus, a special occasion!) I hadn't ever made donuts or even anything fried until now. I think they turned out pretty well, except that I misjudged the amount of nutmeg, so they actually taste more of nutmeg than bacon.

Bacon Donuts with Maple Glaze

Ingredients:

• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• ½ a whole nutmeg grated fine
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• ¾ cup milk
• 2 tablespoons plain yogurt
• ¼ pound bacon, diced
• Maple syrup
• Powdered sugar
• Canola oil for deep frying

Directions:

1. Sift the first six ingredients together into the bowl of a stand mixer. 
2. Cook the bacon until crispy, then drain and set aside.
3. In another bowl combine the yogurt and milk and mix. Add the 1 cup of sugar and the 2 eggs, stir to combine. Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture and mix on medium until the two parts are well combined.  Add bacon and mix until evenly distributed.
4. Dump the dough out onto a well floured cutting board and roll the dough out to a ½ inch thickness. The dough is going to be very sticky so just use as much flour as you need to prevent it from sticking to the cutting board.
5. Cut out the donuts with a donut cutter or a drinking glass then cut out the center hole with something that will cut a teeny-tiny circle. I used the top of a Coke bottle.
6. Transfer the donuts to a floured baking sheet. Lay out a couple of baking racks over some baking sheets lined with paper towels.
7. In a small bowl, mix maple syrup and powdered sugar until you get a nice glaze consistency.
8. Put a heavy dutch oven on a burner with a medium flame and add the canola oil. I think I added about 1¾ quarts of oil. Heat it to 350°F and then carefully drop the donuts into the oil. I’m able to fit in about 6 at a time. Check your oil temp and if it has dropped below 340°F you’ll want to turn up the heat until the temperature returns to 350°F. Don’t let the temperature go over 355°F because then you’ll burn the donuts.
9. Gently flip the donut when it is a rich brown on one side. When the other side has browned you should carefully remove it from the oil and place it on the first rack. Wait a few minutes so you don’t burn your fingers then dip it in the glaze and place it on the other rack. Continue cooking the donuts until they are all done. Serve while they are still warm.

Notes:
The next day, they tasted much more like bacon.