HE wants to serve up coffee for customers craving something else entirely.
A molecular scientist turned cafe owner in the US has come up with a way to add the perk-me-up kick of coffee to cakes and doughnuts without any trace of the telltale taste.
'This gives people the opportunity if they want to have a glass of milk and want to have caffeine. It will get them going,' Dr Robert Bohannon said.
He has found a way to add up to 100mg of caffeine - the equivalent of a 150ml cup of drip-brewed coffee - to baked goods without any trace of the coffee taste.
He came up with the idea after having a glass of milk and a doughnut for breakfast one morning, and realising that he missed the 'jolt' of his usual coffee.
He devised a way to turn caffeine into small, flour-like tastless particles.
But the owner of the the Sips Coffee & Tea cafe in Durham, North Carolina, is not showcasing his new creations on his own counter top just yet.
Instead, he's thinking bigger, pitching them to major US chains like Dunkin' Donuts and Starbucks under brand names like Buzz Donuts and Buzzed Bagels. But with waistlines expanding and anxiety levels rising across the US, critics question whether it's wise to combine the two key sources of these problems - caffeine and calories.
'I see nothing positive from this,' said nutrition scientist Barry Popkin from the University of North Carolina.
'It's like getting a candy bar and putting Vitamin C in it, saying you're getting your Vitamin C from this candy bar. I see nothing positive from this.
'In many ways, we're creating a super caffeine generation. They're undersleeping, they consume a lot of caffeine to stay awake but they don't understand there are health effects.'
Dr Bohannon, 53, says he was aware of caffeine overload, but said in moderation, it can have a positive effect, such as improving alertness.
Sips Coffee & Tea customer Stephanie Harris predicted the new creations would prove a hit.
'There are some mornings I'd like juice instead of coffee, but I still want that caffeine kick,' she said. 'So I would love a caffeinated doughnut. That would be awesome.' - AP.
Source
Scientist's plan to make dough: The coffee you can sink your teeth into 
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