Balance The Sweetness Of Donuts With A Salty Addition

Who doesn't love a little saltiness with their sweets? Salted caramel, peanut butter cups, and even salted chocolate are all well-loved sweet-and-savory combos. Combining salty and sweet foods may seem counterintuitive; after all, wouldn't adding savory elements to sweet foods cancel out both aspects? Well, no, actually. As it turns out, foods can taste sweeter with a dash of salt, as it can help activate sweet tasting receptors. With this in mind, you might want to try adding some savory aspects to otherwise sweet dishes, and we know just where to start: donuts.

That's right: Those delightful fried-and-frosted rings of dough could seriously benefit from a salty kick, and said kick is closer than you'd think. It might even be on the same plate as your frosted donut, which is considered a breakfast food in the U.S. unlike other parts of the world. The answer to your sweet-and-salty donut query is bacon thanks to its savory, smoked, and crunchy nature.

To add bacon to your donut, simply slice raw bacon into small pieces and then fry it up until fully cooked. You can then sprinkle your cooked bacon bits onto your frosted donut, whether cake or yeast. If you're making Long Johns, you can place full strips on the top. This flavor combo works particularly well with a maple glaze. Then again, there are a few more creative ways to bacon your donut.

Now, bacon-ized donuts aren't exactly new. In fact, they were quite the trend in the 2000s and 2010s, when donut shops such as the Portland-based Voodoo Doughnut churned out bacon Long Johns for its loyal customers. And while the fad for bacon is long gone, it still remains a well-loved addition to many foods, including donuts. However, if this sweet-and-savory mix-em-up feels a bit stale for you, there are ways in which you can make bacon on a donut feel fresh and exciting. For one, you can ditch the maple icing and instead go for a flavor like caramel or chocolate. Both of these flavors will still complement the taste of bacon well.

You can also pair your bacon with another ingredient in order to add more complexity. Bacon might pair especially well with jalapeño, especially in its candied form. The pepper will add a fresh and spicy component that will seriously kick up the flavor of your bacon donut. If you want to go super high concept, you can make a batch of donuts with a sweet cream cheese filling and a candied bacon and jalapeño topping for a pastry version of a jalapeño popper. Then again, you can always go bare bones and create a full breakfast by turning two classic glazed donuts into buns for a bacon and egg sandwich. Let this be your call to explore the full possibilities of a bacon-and-donut combo!