Sweet and sticky orange and hazelnut knots with a cinnamon and hazelnut filling.
They’re soft and fluffy, full of orange flavor and topped with a cinnamon glaze and a sprinkle of toasted hazelnuts.
I have had so much fun making these orange and hazelnut knots. Any bread dough that requires a bit of artistic twisting is fun to me!
Orange and hazelnut go together like bread and butter, or peas and carrots or chocolate and cookies! These delightful orange scented buns have a whole orange (zest and juice) in the dough. In the middle is a layer of toasted hazelnut, brown sugar and cinnamon. Once baked they’re topped with a cinnamon glaze and more toasted hazelnuts.
Don’t miss the toasting of the hazelnuts step. It’s crucial for flavour!
The dough
The dough is simple to throw together, and you don’t even need a mixer. I’m using instant yeast in this mixture which speeds up the rising time.
Combine the flour, instant yeast, sugar, salt and orange zest. Then warm together the milk and butter. Pour this over the dry ingredients along with the orange juice and mix it with a fork to make a shaggy dough.
Now tip the dough onto a floured bench and knead away until it is smooth and glossy. I slap the dough down and pull it up in quick motions.
Then place it in a greased bowl, cover it and leave it to sit and double, before tipping it on to a lightly floured bench for shaping.
Look at those gorgeous flecks of orange.
Shaping the knots
Though dough is rolled out into a long rectangle and the hazelnut sugar mixture is spread on. Then it is folded it into three like a pamphlet and cut into 12 even strips.
Take a strip and twist it around to lengthen it. Then take the twisted strip and cross one end over the other, tucking one piece at the back and one at the front.
Once baked, lavishly top with cinnamon glaze and a sprinkle of toasted hazlenuts.
Pretty simple huh! My 9 year old loves to make these. His knots can be interesting shapes but it’s all part of the knot’s rustic charm!
Have you made this? Tag me and let me know! @home_grown_happinessnz
Orange and Hazelnut knots
Ingredients
Dough
- 450 g bread flour plus extra for dusting
- 2 Tbsp white sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 8 g instant dry yeast
- 1 Tbsp orange zest
- 60 ml orange juice
- 190 ml milk
- 1 medium egg
- 50 g butter room temperature
Filling
- 4 tablespoons butter room temperature
- 150 g soft brown sugar
- 2 Tbsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 cup whole hazelnuts
Glaze
- 150 g confectioners sugar
- 2 Tbsp milk
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
Instructions
- In a bowl or a stand mixer, combine the flour, instant yeast, sugar, salt and orange zest.
- In a saucepan heat the milk and 50g of butter until the butter melts. Let it get nice and hot but don’t let it boil.
- Grab a fork and slowly pour the hot milk mixtue into the flour mixture and give it a stir.
- Add in the egg and orange juice and mix it with a fork until it forms a shaggy and slightly sticky dough ball.
- Tip the dough onto a floured bench and knead for 5-7 minutes until smooth. I slap the dough down and pull it up in quick motions.
- Lightly grease a bowl and place in the dough.
- Cover with a damp tea towel and leave to double in size in a warm space, for about 45-60 minutes.
- Place an ungreased pan on medium heat and add the hazelnuts. Toast them for 5 minutes until they're hot and toasted all the way through. Leave them to cool for 10 minutes.
- Add the hazelnuts to a blender and blitz them into crumbs. Remove and reserve 2 Tbsp of the blitzed hazelnuts for the topping.
- Add 4 tablespoons of butter, the cinnamon and the brown sugar to the remaining hazelnuts in the blender. Blitz it together into a paste.
- Roll the dough on a floured bench into a rectangle of about 60 x 30 cm.
- Spread on the hazelnut mixture, then fold the rectangle into thirds, like a pamphlet.
- Cut the folded dough into 12 even strips. Take a strip and twist it around to lengthen it. Then take the twisted strip and cross one end over the other, tucking one piece at the back and one at the front. Do this for all 12 strips until they are all knotted.
- Place the knots onto a lined baking tray and let them rise for 30 minutes. Heat the oven to 356°F (180°C). Bake the knots for 15-17 minutes until golden brown, then leave to cool for 20 minutes before glazing.
- Mix all the ingredients of the glaze in a bowl and drizzle over the knot. Sprinkle over the reserved hazelnuts.
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