Company: Dawn Foods

Website: www.dawnfoods.com/sourdough

Ingredient Snapshot: Global bakery manufacturer and ingredients supplier Dawn Foods has announced the launch of its new sourdough doughnut mix. The doughnut is a mashup of sourdough bread and a yeast-raised doughnut that creates a buttery sourdough flavor with a soft, light and airy texture for a unique doughnut experience.

Following on Dawn’s 100-year legacy of bringing customers innovative, industry-leading products, this versatile doughnut mix allows bakers to create a wide array of unique, on-trend offerings to help grow their business and stand out amongst the competition.

As the first industrial donut mix company, donuts have always been at the core of Dawn’s business. To help celebrate 100 years of partnering with customers to create the industry’s best donuts, this sourdough innovation gives Dawn customers new and premium offerings that respond to the industry’s latest trends – with sourdough demand increasing by 11 percent over the last several years.

“It is critical that Dawn pushes the leading edge of innovation, since it’s what drives our customers’ business,” said 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 doughnut 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 doughnut 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." said 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.”

The mix can be used in both sweet and savory offerings – such as sourdough jelly donuts, glazed sourdough sweet rolls and honey butter-fried chicken sandwich rolls – providing bakers with versatility and myriad ways to innovate their menu offerings.

Dawn’s sourdough donut mix is available for purchase by bakers as of Jan. 15. and is the latest in Dawn’s full line of extensive donut mixes, fillings and glazes, which features new gourmet and vegan offerings. 

For more information on the sourdough mix, visit www.DawnFoods.com/sourdough.