Recipe

February 4, 2025

Hazelnut-chocolate Filled Donuts

Recipe: Bëtul Tunç

“There’s something comforting about a fresh, fluffy donut paired with a cup of coffee for breakfast. I have a soft spot for the ones filled with chocolate or apples, but a simple one with a cinnamon sugar coating is just as enjoyable. The secret to great donuts? Make them at home and eat them warm right after frying. Serve with tea or coffee” – Bëtul Tunç

Ingredients

Hazelnut-chocolate Spread

  • 2 cups skin-on hazelnuts
  • 1⁄2 cup skin-on almonds
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 1⁄4 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder
  • 1⁄4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
  • 1⁄8 tsp kosher salt
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp hazelnut or almond extract
  • 1⁄4 cup peanut or hazelnut oil

Dough

  • 2 1⁄4 tsp dry yeast
  • 1⁄4 cup warm water (110°F)
  • 5 tbsp granulated sugar
  • 4 1⁄2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1⁄4 tsp kosher salt
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 6 tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature

Filling

  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1⁄2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • Neutral oil, for deep-frying
  • Hazelnut-Chocolate Spread (see above)

Directions

Yield: Makes 20 Donuts

Make Hazelnut-chocolate Spread

  1. Preheat the oven to 380°F.
  2. Place the hazelnuts and almonds on a baking sheet and roast until they are just lightly brown, 8 to 10 minutes.
  3. Remove the nuts from the oven and let them cool. Transfer them to a clean kitchen towel and rub the nuts together in the kitchen towel until the skins come off. Place the nuts in a high-powered food processor or blender and blend them until they turn into a hazelnut/almond butter, 5 to 6 minutes.
  4. Add the powdered sugar, cocoa powder, chocolate chips, salt, vanilla, and hazelnut extract and continue to blend for 2 to 3 minutes. While blending, slowly drizzle in the oil and continue to blend the mixture until smooth, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a clean jar and let cool in the fridge for 10 minutes before using. Store in the fridge for 20 to 30 days.

Make Dough

  1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together the yeast, water, and 1 teaspoon of the sugar. Let it rest 5 to 7 minutes, until foamy. Add the flour, milk, remaining sugar, the salt, eggs, and vanilla. Snap on the dough hook and knead the dough on low speed for 4 to 5 minutes, until well combined. Cover with a kitchen towel and let rest for 10 minutes.
  2. Using your hands, make a hole in the middle of the dough. Add the butter in the middle and close the dough over it. Knead the dough on medium-low speed for 10 minutes, periodically using a bowl scraper to incorporate everything on the sides of the bowl back into the dough. Cover with a kitchen towel and let rest for 5 to 6 minutes. Knead again for 7 to 10 minutes; the dough should look smooth and shiny at this point and no longer stick to the sides of the bowl. To make sure it is fully kneaded, perform a windowpane test (see note below). If it is not ready at this point, continue to knead and rest periodically until it is ready.
  3. Very lightly flour a work surface. Slap and fold the dough 5 to 7 times, until smooth. Round the dough and place in a large bowl with the open edge down. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest at room temperature for 10 to 15 minutes, then move to the refrigerator to rest overnight. (Alternatively, you can let it rest at room temperature for 30 to 45 minutes, and then in the refrigerator for 2 to 4 hours, until doubled in size.)
  4. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside. Flour a work surface and place the dough in the middle. Roll the dough into a log and use a sharp knife or bench scraper to cut it into 20 equal portions (about 55 g each). Round each piece of dough into a smooth ball. Place on the prepared baking sheets and flatten each with your hand until about 1⁄2″ thick. Loosely cover with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel and rest again at room temperature until almost doubled in size, 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes. (If the dough wasn’t in the fridge overnight, rest for 40 to 45 minutes or until almost doubled in size.)

To Finish

  1. In a shallow dish, whisk together the sugar and cinnamon. Line a plate with paper towels and have near the stove.
  2. Pour 2 1⁄2″ of oil into a medium saucepan and heat the oil over medium heat to 350°F.
  3. Working in batches of a couple of donuts at a time, fry each side until golden brown with an internal temperature of 185° to 190°F, 3 to 4 minutes in total, flipping periodically with a straining spoon. (Monitor the oil temperature to make sure it is not too hot or it will be difficult to cook the donuts evenly.) Transfer the donuts to the paper towels to drain. While still hot, dip the donuts into the sugar and cinnamon mixture.
  4. Fit a pastry bag with a 1⁄2″ round tip and fill the bag with the hazelnut-chocolate spread. Using the end of a wooden spoon, make a hole in the side of each donut. Pipe the filling into the donuts. Serve within a day.

Note: To ensure that your dough is well kneaded, take a small piece of dough and roll it into a ball. Stretch the dough without tearing it and hold it up to a light source. If the light can pass through without the dough tearing, your dough is well-kneaded. If not, continue kneading and test again.

Source:

Reprinted with permission from Turkuaz Kitchen: Traditional and Modern Dough Recipes for Sweet and Savory Bakes by Betül Tunç. Copyright © 2024 by Betül Tunç. Photographs copyright © 2024 by Betül Tunç and Gentl and Hyers. Published by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC, New York