Get ready, these Maple and Bacon Sweet Rolls are here to change your life! These sweet and salty homemade pastries are one of my favorite Fall bakes. I have been meaning to share these delicious rolls for a while, but now seemed like the perfect time. We could all use a little extra indulgence in our life! These rolls are just that. Indulgent and full of the rich flavors of sweet maple and salty bacon. These sweet rolls are great for Sunday brunch or the upcoming holiday season!
Maple and Bacon Sweet Rolls
My husband works in a hospital and they absolutely LOVE when I send him with treats from home. When I’m working on a new recipe, I always send the leftovers with him to work. This recipe was developed a couple of years ago when I was trying to come up with a fun spin on traditional cinnamon rolls. I decided to make a double batch that day to make sure there was enough for everyone at his work. I knew I had a winner when he told me they were gone in minutes of him arriving. Now, let’s learn how to make them!
How to Make Maple and Bacon Sweet Rolls
There are three main parts that make up these tasty treats: The sweet dough, the maple frosting and of course, the BACON! Let’s go through each part so you are comfortable with taking on this sweet project.
Making the Sweet Dough
The dough for these rolls is my standard “sweet dough” recipe. If you have ever made my Sweet Apple Cinnamon Rolls or Overnight Cinnamon Rolls, then you can make these!
When making any sort of yeast bread or dough, I prefer to mix all or part of it by hand. It’s definitely more work, but it gives me a better sense of the texture of the dough. That way, I know when to stop adding flour and when the dough is done kneading. When adding flour, start on the lower end of the range of flour noted in the recipe. Then, slowly add more flour (about 1/2 cup at a time) until the dough is tacky to the touch, but not sticking to your hands or the bowl. You can start mixing the dough in the stand mixer and then once the dough starts to form a ball, finish mixing and kneading by hand. All of the mixing and kneading can be done in a stand mixer too, if that’s what you prefer.
Kneading the dough before rising is important to help the gluten develops which will make your dough, or rolls rather, soft and springy. When kneading dough by hand, You will feel a point when the dough becomes less tough to knead and starts to soften. Once you get to that point, knead another minute or two and then you are ready for rising. If you decide to do your kneading in a stand mixer, just test your dough for elasticity. Simply stick your finger into the dough and if it springs back, it’s ready for rising. If the indentation sticks in the dough, then it needs some more time.
Ingredients for Maple Frosting
The frosting for these rolls is so creamy and delicious and is the perfect balance of flavor with the bacon. Here is what you need:
- Powdered Sugar
- Pure Maple Syrup
- Whole Milk
- Bacon Grease (reserved from cooking the bacon)
Simply whisk all of the ingredients together in a bowl and then it’s ready for frosting! If you like your frosting a bit on the thicker side, you can add less milk. If you like your frosting a bit on the thinner side, you can add a bit more to thin it out. PRO TIP: Make sure you let your rolls cool for a bit before frosting, otherwise your frosting won’t stick.
Tips for Making Crispy Bacon
Let’s be honest, this is the real star of the show. I tried to incorporate the bacon flavor in as many parts of these rolls as possible. Half of your cooked bacon will be used in the filling and the other half will be sprinkled on top of the frosting. Don’t forget to reserve the grease, you will use it in the frosting too!
There are about 100 different ways to cook bacon, but here are a few of my favorite ways to make super crispy bacon:
- Cook in a pre-heated oven at 400° on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil for about 20-30 minutes. Make sure your bacon doesn’t overlap so all parts get nice and crispy. Let the bacon slightly cool and then dice for this recipe.
- Cook in a pre-heated oven at 400° on cooling racks that have been placed on a baking sheet for approximately 20-30 minutes. Let the bacon slightly cool and then dice for this recipe.
- Dice the bacon up into small pieces and cook in a pre-heated cast iron or sauté pan over medium heat for approximately 15 minutes. Make sure you stir the bacon occasionally to ensure even cooking.
Maple and Bacon Sweet Rolls
Ingredients
- 1 lb bacon, diced
- 2 cups warm water
- 4 teaspoons dry active yeast
- ⅔ cup white granulated sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
- 8-10 cups all purpose flour
- 1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- ⅓ cup pure maple syrup
- ⅓ cup whole milk
- 2 Tablespoons reserved bacon grease
Instructions
- In a medium sized sauté pan over medium heat, add diced bacon and cook, stirring occasionally, until the bacon is browned and crispy. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and place on a paper towel to drain. Reserve 2 Tablespoons of the bacon grease from the pan for use in the frosting later.
- In a large bowl or in the bowl of a stand mixer, add warm water, yeast, and sugar. Let sit for approximately 5 minutes, until the yeast starts to get foamy.
- Add in eggs, salt and 6 cups of the flour. Mix ingredients together on low if using a stand mixer or mix by hand with a wooden spoon. If using a stand mixer, speed can be increased to medium once flour is mostly incorporated.
- Once all of the ingredients are mixed together, slowly add in the remaining flour, ½ cup at a time until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Once the dough forms a ball, turn it out onto a floured surface and begin to knead. Add in more flour as needed until the dough no longer sticks to your hands. Continue kneading the dough until it is smooth and elastic. Kneading can be done completely in the stand mixer as well.
- Grease a large bowl with baking spray or butter and place kneaded dough into it. Cover with a towel or plastic wrap and let sit in a warm place until doubled in size, approximately 1 hour.
- Once dough has risen to double in size, punch down the dough and remove it from the bowl. Place on a floured surface and roll out into a large rectangle that is approximately 10" by 25".
- Spread the surface of the dough evenly with butter and then sprinkle the butter with the brown sugar. Sprinkle half of the cooked bacon on top of the brown sugar and reserve the other half for later use.
- Starting on the long side of the cinnamon rolls, tightly roll up the dough. Using a serrated knife, cut the roll into 24 equal pieces.
- Line two baking sheets with baking mats or parchment paper and lay out the cut rolls evenly spaced on the baking sheets with the cut side facing up. Cover the rolls with a towel or plastic wrap and let rise in a warm spot until doubled in size, approximately one hour.
- While rolls are rising for the second time, combine powdered sugar, maple syrup, milk and reserved bacon grease in a medium sized bowl. Using a whisk, mix ingredients until thoroughly combined. Set aside.
- Preheat oven to 350°. Once the rolls have doubled in size bake in pre-heated oven for 25-30 minutes until filling is bubbly and rolls are slightly browned.
- Remove from the oven and let cool for 15 minutes. Once rolls have cooled slightly, spread frosting evenly over all of the rolls and sprinkle with the remaining cooked bacon pieces.
Thanks for stopping by to check out these deliciously decadent Maple and Bacon Sweet Rolls. Looking for more bacon recipes? Here are some more favorites from the blog:
- Carbonara Mac and Cheese
- Manchego Stuffed Bacon Wrapped Dates
- Blue Cheese Kettle Chips with Bacon & Onions
Happy Cooking!
