Hazelnut rolls work because roughly chopped nuts stay visible in the dough after kneading and toast during baking. Finely ground nuts dissolve into the dough and add only fat, not texture.
That is why we chop the hazelnuts for just 3 seconds at speed 5. This gives coarse pieces that crack in the finished roll. Blending longer produces nut flour, which makes soggy rolls with no bite.
Hazelnut Rolls with the Thermomix®
Ingredients 0 / 9 ✓
- 100 g hazelnuts
- 50 g butter
- 1/4 cube fresh yeast
- 10 g honey
- 250 g water
- 150 g wheat flour (type 1050) + extra for dusting
- 50 g spelt flour
- 200 g rye flour, type 997
- 1/2 tsp salt
Instructions 0 / 7
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1
Chop the hazelnuts.
Place the hazelnuts in the mixing bowl and chop for 3 sec / speed 5, then set aside.
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2
Warm the yeast.
Cut the butter into pieces, add to the mixing bowl together with the yeast, honey and water, and warm for 4 min / 37°C / speed 2.
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3
Knead the dough.
Add the flour, salt and chopped nuts to the mixing bowl, knead for 3 min / kneading mode, set aside and leave to rise covered for 2 hours.
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4
Shape the rolls.
Line a baking tray with baking paper and dust the work surface with flour. Roll the dough into a log shape, divide into 10 equal pieces, form small rolls and place them on the baking tray.
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5
Score and leave to rise again.
Score each roll twice with a serrated knife, cover and leave to rise for a further 15 minutes.
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6
Preheat the oven.
Preheat the oven to 200°C (fan 180°C, gas mark 3).
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7
Bake.
Bake in the preheated oven on the middle shelf for 20 to 25 minutes.
Video
Nutrition per serving
Three-flour blend instead of plain wheat flour
The recipe card uses 150 g wheat flour type 1050, 50 g spelt flour and 200 g rye flour type 997. Plain wheat flour gives a light crumb, but rye binds the moisture and makes the crumb compact. Spelt adds a nutty flavour of its own that enhances the hazelnuts.
Rye needs more water than wheat. That is why the ingredient list calls for 250 g water to 400 g flour. With plain wheat flour the dough would be too wet.
37°C for the yeast, no warmer
Yeast activates at 37°C. Higher temperatures make it sluggish or kill it altogether. We add the butter, yeast, honey and water to the mixing bowl together and warm for 4 minutes at speed 2. The butter melts, the yeast dissolves and the honey provides food for the yeast.
Adding cold yeast straight to the flour does not work. It needs moisture and warmth to get going. The Thermomix® provides both at the same time.
Kneading mode binds the flour and nuts
After warming the yeast, add the three flours, salt and chopped nuts to the mixing bowl. 3 minutes on kneading mode is enough. The dough becomes smooth and the nuts distribute evenly.
Under-kneading leaves pockets of dry flour. Over-kneading overheats the dough and makes it sticky. 3 minutes is the point at which the gluten builds structure without the dough getting warm.
2 hours of proving time is essential
Yeast dough needs time. The yeast metabolises the honey and produces CO2. The gas expands the dough. After 2 hours the volume will have doubled. A shorter prove produces flat, dense rolls.
Covering is important. Exposed dough dries out at the surface and forms a skin that prevents it from rising. We place a damp cloth over the bowl.
Scoring gives controlled expansion
Each roll is scored twice before it goes into the oven. The cuts give the dough room to open in a controlled way. Without scoring, the surface splits at random points.
A serrated knife cuts more cleanly than a smooth blade. It does not drag the dough. The cuts need to be about 1 cm deep, not just a light scratch on the surface.
180°C fan for even browning
Fan heat distributes heat evenly. With top and bottom heat only, the rolls brown faster on top than underneath. 180°C fan (200°C top and bottom heat) on the middle shelf gives a baking time of 20 to 25 minutes.
The rolls are ready when they sound hollow when tapped on the base. That shows the crumb is baked through. Taking them out too early means a doughy centre, leaving them too long means a dry crust.
A paper bag keeps them fresh longer
Rolls keep for 2 days in a paper bag at room temperature. Plastic makes the crust go soft. In the fridge they go stale faster. Freezing works well: leave them to cool completely after baking, then pack into freezer bags. They keep for 3 months.
To reheat from frozen, place the rolls straight into the preheated oven at 180°C fan for 8 to 10 minutes. Do not defrost first, as that makes them soggy.
Goes well with: butter, cream cheese and jam.
Also worth a try: pretzel rolls made in the Thermomix®.
More bread roll recipes: quick breakfast rolls, overnight Thermomix® rolls, speedy rolls.
