Maple Bar Yeast Doughnuts

These maple bar doughnuts are lovely fried doughnuts, topped with a delicious maple glaze. Garnish if you like with chopped pecans or walnuts, maple sugar and/or chopped cooked bacon.

Yes, I know it’s Sunday. And I rarely post on a Sunday. But it’s #NationalDonutDay. And if you knew me, you’d know that I could never, ever let National Donut Day pass by without … a doughnut :) So I scoured my only doughnut cookbook and I think I found the perfect one for today!

These Maple Bar donuts come from Top Pot Donuts, in Seattle. According to their cookbook, they sell 5000 of them at every Seattle Seahawks home game. I don’t know if that’s still the case, but since my husband is a huge Seahawks fan and it’s Sunday and they’re playing today, what better way to enjoy a bit of the Seahawk fan’s donut experience too?

I’ve topped my Maple Bars three ways – with maple sugar, with chopped pecans and with cooked bacon, because I couldn’t resist.

While adapted from Top Pot Donuts cookbook, I have hugely simplified the process here. I have also used just real maple syrup in the glaze, and skipped the maple extract suggested in the original recipe. Adding the extract would probably have made a more maple-looking brownish icing, if you’d like that, go for the extract.

Cook’s Notes

I know what you’re thinking. Donuts. Good to eat, a pain to make! I hear you. Here are my tips for making fried doughnuts at home less … painful.

1) Invest in a small deep fryer. Something that doesn’t take a ton of oil to fill, which is always good. Deep fryers also have the huge advantage of regulating the oil temperature for you. No need for a stove-top pot/thermometer situation. And finally, deep fryers have lids and filters, to keep those frying smells to a minimum.

2) Make half the recipe! Yes, good donuts are all about the freshness and while donuts do freeze well, you really don’t need a bunch of donuts most of the time. And if you take my advice from point #1, you would find that you can only fry a donut or maybe two at a time, so the time it takes to fry a bunch of donuts is, well, too much. So make a smaller batch, save all that frying time and enjoy them fresh!

Get the Recipe: Maple Bar Yeast Doughnuts

Delicious doughnut bars, topped with a maple glaze. Garnish if you like, with chopped pecans, maple sugar and/or chopped cooked bacon.

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Prep Time: 2 hrs 20 mins

Cook Time: 20 mins

Total Time: 2 hrs 40 mins

Yield: 8 bars

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Ingredients

For the Doughnuts:

• 4 1/2 tsp active dry or instant yeast
• 1/2 cup water, very warm - 105-110F
• 2 Tbsp shortening, or lard
• 1 1/2 large egg yolks , *mix up two egg yolks and remove about 1/4 of it
• 1/4 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 cup + 2 tsp white sugar
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp ground mace
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 - 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour

To Cook Doughnuts:

• Oil, for frying

For the Glaze:

• 1 3/4 cups icing/confectioners' sugar
• 3/4 tsp light corn syrup
• Pinch salt
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 tsp maple extract
• 3 Tbsp maple syrup
• 2 Tbsp hot water, if needed, to thin

Topping Suggestions:

• Chopped pecans or walnuts
• Maple Sugar
• Chopped, cooked bacon

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Instructions

 

• For the doughnuts: In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add yeast to warm water, together with the 2 tsp of sugar. Stir and let stand to proof for 5 minutes. Add the shortening, egg yolks and vanilla to the yeast mixture and mix to combine.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the 1/4 cup white sugar, baking powder, mace, salt and 1 cup of the flour. Add this mixture to the yeast mixture and mix to combine. If using stand mixer, switch to kneading hook. Add additional flour, in small increments, as needed, to make a moist, soft dough. It should be smooth like bread dough, but a bit tacky.
• Remove dough to a greased bowl. Cover and allow to rise until doubled, about 1 hour.
• Remove dough to a floured surface and shape in to a rectangle about 10 x 6 inches. Cut dough in to 8 long rectangles, 1 1/2 inches wide and 5 inches long. Set pieces at least 2-inches apart on to a well- floured baking sheet. Cover with a clean tea towel and let rise until doubled and puffy, about 30-45 minutes.
• When dough is almost ready, heat at least 2 inches of oil in a heavy pot on the stove top or in a deep fryer to 350F. When doughnuts are ready, use a spatula to carefully transfer dough to the preheated fryer oil. Fry no more than 2 at a time for 30-40 seconds, flip, then fry for 20-30 seconds on the other side, or until evenly golden in colour. Remove to a cooling rack with a baking sheet underneath, to catch any drips of oil. Place doughnuts on to the cooling rack with the most rounded side up. Allow to cool completely before glazing.
• For the glaze: Combine all the glaze ingredients in a small bowl and stir until combined and all the icing sugar has dissolved. If to thick, add a bit more hot water to the mixture to thin.
• To finish the doughnuts: Dip the most rounded part of the cooled doughnuts in to the prepared glaze. Place on a rack with a baking sheet underneath (to catch the drips). While glaze is still wet, sprinkle with any toppings you might like to use, or leave plain. Allow to sit at least 15 minutes to allow the glaze to set up.

Cuisine: American, Canadian

Course: Snack

Author: Jennifer

Calories: 189kcal, Carbohydrates: 38g, Fat: 4g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 36mg, Sodium: 294mg, Potassium: 32mg, Sugar: 37g, Vitamin A: 50IU, Calcium: 19mg, Iron: 0.1mg

Tried this recipe?Mention @seasonsandsuppers on Instagram or tag #seasonsandsuppers.

 
Adapted from Top Pot Doughnuts Cookbook