MAN BAIT- Whiskey Bacon Donuts

We all know the way to a man's heart is through his stomach. If you want to successfully compete with steak & beer, then you need to bring out the big guns: donuts, bacon and whiskey!

Ingredients:

Donuts:
donut recipe adapted from secretdonutrecipe.com

2 cups flour

1/2 cup warm mashed potato

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1/4 cup sugar

1 cup warm milk (not hot) 

pinch of sugar

5 tsp. yeast

Canola Oil for frying + 2 tbsp

1 cup milk

pinch of sugar

Candied Bacon

1/2 cup golden brown sugar

1/2 to 1 tsp. Cayenne pepper

8-10 Bacon Slices

Whiskey Glaze
inspired by Saveur magazine's Maple glaze- I left out the maple syrup & added whiskey

To taste- 3-5 tbsp high quality whiskey

2 cups confectioners sugar

1/4 cup heavy cream

pinch of kosher salt

5 tbsp. Whiskey

Make the Dough:

To make the donuts, start by gathering all the ingredients. The donut recipe suggests baking the potato in the microwave, but I boiled mine. Either way will work. Clean and peel your potato. Bake in the microwave for five minutes or boil for 10-15 or until tender. Mash the potato. You will need 1/2 cup for this recipe. 

Next, you need to make a milk mixture by warming 1 cup of milk in the microwave for a few seconds or on the stove. You want the milk to be slightly warm. Not hot. Once the milk mixture is warm, remove it from the heat and stir in 5 tsp. of yeast and a pinch of sugar. Stir and let the mixture sit for 5 minutes until it bubbles. 

Next, in a kitchen add mixer bowl,  combine the flour, sugar, salt & potato. Next, add the milk mixture and 2 tbsp. of Canola oil. Using the paddle attachment, knead the dough for three minutes. The dough was really sticky, so I added a few extra tbsp. of flour as needed.  You can also do this step by hand. Remove the paddle attachment and cover with saran wrap. Place a cool damp cloth over the top allow the dough to rise for at least an hour. 

Make the Candied Bacon:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F.  Combine 1/2 cup of brown sugar with 1/2- to 1 tsp. pf cayenne in a large bowl. Stir the mixture until no sugar clumps remain. One bacon strip at a time, press one side of the bacon into the mixture and coat it. Place it on a  baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. Repeat with the remaining bacon strips. Bake for 8-12 minutes or until the bacon is crispy or done to your likeness. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Cut the bacon into bit size pieces. 

Back to the Donuts: Once the dough has risen, punch it down and lightly flour your work surface & rolling pin. Roll the dough out and use a donut cutter or glass to cut out the circles. Allow the dough to rise again while you heat up the oil. 

In a deep cast iron skillet, pour in the canola oil. You don't need to put in too much. Just enough to cover the donuts. The oil should be about 360 degrees. You can do a test run with the donut holes. 

Place the donuts in the oil, three at a time. Flip the donuts over after 8-12 seconds and allow the donut to get golden brown. Remove the donuts with a heat safe spatula and place on a rack to cool. 

Make the Whiskey Glaze:

Combine whiskey, confectioners sugar, heavy cream & salt in a bowl. Whisk until smooth. 

Glaze the donuts:

Dip the donuts face down into the glaze and using a circular motion with your wrist, coat the donut. Top immediately with the candied bacon sprinkles. 

cheers!