Dawn Foods announced today the launch of its new sourdough donut mix. The donut is a mashup of sourdough bread and a yeast-raised donut that creates a buttery sourdough flavor with a soft, light and airy texture.

According to Datassentials Menu Trends, sourdough demand has increased by 11 percent over the last several years. This versatile donut mix allows bakers to create a wide array of unique, on-trend offerings. It also helps celebrate 100 years of Dawn partnering with customers on new and premium offerings that respond to the latest industry trends.

The mix, available for purchase by bakers as of January 15, can be used with in both sweet and savory offerings such as sourdough jelly donuts, glazed sourdough sweet rolls, and honey butter-fried chicken sandwich roll.

“It is critical that Dawn pushes the leading edge of innovation, since it’s what drives our customers’ business,” says Carrie Jones-Barber, CEO of Dawn Foods. “At Dawn, we pride ourselves on bringing customers new and exciting products and this new sourdough donut is just the latest example of how we’re staying true to this commitment. It’s fitting this launch coincides with our 100th anniversary and continues our legacy of providing the best donuts on the market.”

Dawn’s journey to the sourdough donut started in June 2019, when Dawn hosted five of the nation’s hottest pastry chefs for their Donut Co-Creation Competition at Dawn’s Innovation Studio. Executive Pastry Chef Mathew Rice, of Niche Media Group in Nashville, won the competition for his sourdough donut concept. It met the four criteria for the new product’s development: a combination of taste, texture, versatility, and fit with current trends. 

“As a baker myself, my motivation in creating a sourdough donut was to stretch bakers’ offerings beyond traditional desserts,” says Rice. “Sourdough can be used in sweet treats as well as savory offerings – which are extremely popular with Millennials and Gen Z consumers. In my experience, this type of new twist can be the creative kickstart to new possibilities.”

Learn more about the new sourdough donut mix in our latest slideshow.