## Discover the Delightful Hazelnut Gâteau Breton: A Culinary Journey of Sweetness and Tradition
Originating from the charming region of Brittany in France, the Hazelnut Gâteau Breton is an exceptional cake that embodies the perfect balance of rustic simplicity and sophisticated flavors. This classic French pastry boasts a golden crust, a moist and tender crumb, and an irresistibly nutty aroma that fills the air with warmth and comfort. Whether you're a seasoned baker or a curious home cook, this exquisite dessert is sure to captivate your taste buds and leave you craving for more. This article presents a collection of carefully curated recipes that unveil the secrets behind creating an authentic Hazelnut Gâteau Breton. From the traditional recipe using whole hazelnuts to variations that incorporate ground hazelnuts and even a gluten-free option, these recipes cater to diverse dietary preferences and skill levels. Get ready to embark on a culinary journey as we delve into the world of this beloved French pastry.
HAZELNUT GâTEAU BRETON (BRITTANY FRANCE)
This recipe was featured on week 38 of my food blog, "Travel by Stove." I am attempting to cook one meal from every nation on Earth (and some regions), and Brittany, France is my 38th stop. Unless otherwise noted, my Travel by Stove recipes are taken from authentic or traditional sources, and this recipe has been posted without any alternations or additions to the ingredients. This recipe originally appeared in Bon Appetit Magazine.
Provided by GiddyUpGo
Categories Dessert
Time 1h15m
Yield 8-10 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 8
Steps:
- Preheat your oven to 325 degrees, and butter a 9-inch springform pan.
- Mix the sugar with the vanilla extract to make vanilla sugar. Make sure to break apart any lumps that form.
- Now mix 2 tbsp of the vanilla sugar with the hazelnuts. Add them to a food processor or grinder and blend until the nuts form a fine powder.
- Mix the 6 egg yolks with the rest of the vanilla sugar and whisk for 2 minutes. Then add the hazelnut mixture, then gradually add the melted butter. Keep whisking.
- Now sift the flour over the batter and stir gently until just blended. Don't overmix; this is a thick batter and you don't want it to turn out rock hard.
- Put the batter in the prepared pan and smooth the top with a spatula or the back of a spoon. Brush the egg glaze over the top, then draw some cross hatches with a fork.
- Bake at 325 for about an hour, or until the cake is golden and a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool for 15 minutes, then loosen the springform pan and allow to cool completely. Serve with whole strawberries.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 543.7, Fat 31.9, SaturatedFat 16.2, Cholesterol 199.3, Sodium 210, Carbohydrate 59.4, Fiber 2.3, Sugar 33.3, Protein 7
GATEAU BRETON
Steps:
- Place the flour on the counter and make a well. Cut up the butter and place the sifted sugars, butter, yolks, rum, and vanilla powder in the well. Work the well together.
- Work in the flour then "fraisage" the dough, pushing it away from you on the counter with the heel of your hand. This helps schmear the butter into thin layers to make the cake flakey in the end. Chill the dough 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 360 degrees F.
- Butter an 8-inch cake pan and line the bottom with parchment and butter the paper. Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface to an 8-inch disk about 1/2-inch thick. Flip it over onto your hand and brush off the excess flour then place it in the pan. Brush the top with egg wash; then egg wash it again to get a thicker coating. Using a knife, decorate it with the traditional cross-hatching, or for restaurant presentation you carve a map of Brittany on the surface and do some angled lines all around the edge. Bake until golden brown, about 30 to 40 minutes. Let cool in the pan and serve in wedges.
- I kept this recipe in the original metric measurements I was taught it in to show the relationship between the ingredients. Quatre-Quarts (meaning "four quarters") is a French cake shaped like a rectangle and all the ingredients (butter, sugar, flour, and eggs-oooo that would make a good book title, don't you think?) are of equal weights. My teacher, Chef Claude at La Varenne said you weigh the eggs and then match that measurement with the other ingredients.
- If you look this up in the dictionary, Quarte-quarts translates to pound cake, the American version of a pound of 4 equal ingredients, but with air whipped in for leavening. This cake is dense and buttery with a big crumb, more like a shortbread than a cake.
- You can do the mixing in a food processor but this recipe is the traditional way.
GâTEAU BRETON
With its soft, buttery crumb, this classic French cake is similar to a giant shortbread, though moister and more tender. Its hidden prune filling is traditional, although you can use other dried fruit, such as apricot, instead. In France you sometimes even see bakers sandwiching melted chocolate or caramel between the layers. This keeps well if you want to bake it 1 or 2 days ahead. Store it well wrapped at room temperature.
Provided by Melissa Clark
Categories cakes, dessert
Time 1h45m
Yield 12 servings
Number Of Ingredients 7
Steps:
- In a small pot over medium-high heat, combine prunes, rum and 2 tablespoons water. (Use 1 cup/240 milliliters water if using dried apricots.) Cook until most of the liquid has been absorbed (about 5 minutes for prunes, 10 to 15 for apricots). Use a fork to mash into a thick purée. Cover and chill.
- In a food processor, pulse to combine flour, sugar and salt. Add butter and pulse until mixture resembles bread crumbs. Add 5 egg yolks and pulse until mixture comes together as a dough. Divide in half, form into disks, and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill at least 2 hours or until firm.
- Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and line an 8-inch round cake pan with parchment paper. Between two sheets of parchment paper or plastic wrap, roll one of the dough halves into an 8-inch circle. Transfer dough to prepared cake pan, pressing into edges. Spread prune or apricot purée across dough, leaving 3/4 inch border around outside edge. Roll second piece of dough into an 8-inch circle, transfer to cake pan, press around outside edge to stick the pieces together and seal in fruit purée.
- In a small bowl, combine remaining egg yolk with 1 teaspoon water and beat lightly. Brush over top of cake, then use a fork to score a crisscross pattern into the dough. Bake until golden brown, about 50 minutes (cover with foil if cake is browning too quickly). Cool in pan 15 minutes. Flip onto a plate, then invert onto a wire rack and let cool completely.
Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 442, UnsaturatedFat 7 grams, Carbohydrate 59 grams, Fat 19 grams, Fiber 2 grams, Protein 7 grams, SaturatedFat 11 grams, Sodium 21 milligrams, Sugar 20 grams, TransFat 1 gram
GâTEAU BRETON
Categories Cake Food Processor Mixer Egg Dessert Bake Hazelnut Bon Appétit Kidney Friendly Vegetarian Pescatarian Peanut Free Soy Free Kosher
Yield Serves 8
Number Of Ingredients 12
Steps:
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 9-inch-diameter cake pan with 1 1/2-high sides; dust with flour. Grind nuts finely in processor. Sift flour, cornstarch, baking powder, cinnamon and salt into medium bowl. Add 1/3 cup ground nuts; reserve remainder for garnish.
- Using electric mixer, beat butter and sugar in large bowl until light and fluffy. Set aside 1 teaspoon yolks for glaze; gradually add remainder to butter mixture, beating until fluffy. Mix in peel and vanilla. Add dry ingredients and mix until jut blended. Transfer to pan, smoothing top.
- Mix milk into reserved 1 teaspoon yolk. Brush atop batter for glaze. Draw tines of fork across top of cake in crisscross pattern. Top with reserved nuts.
- Bake cake until just firm to touch, about 45 minutes. Transfer to rack; cool. Turn out cake from pan; arrange top side up on platter. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Wrap tightly; store at room temperature.)
VANILLA SUGAR
Use vanilla sugar to make [Bittersweet Chocolate Irish Whiskey Cake](/recipes/recipe_views/views/238254) and [Hazelnut Gâteau Breton](/recipes/recipe_views/views/238257).
Number Of Ingredients 2
Steps:
- Blend sugar and vanilla bean in processor until bean is finely ground. Store in covered container at room temperature at least 2 days, then strain through fine strainer before using.
- Vanilla sugar will keep for several months. Use the leftovers in other baked goods, in your morning cup of coffee, or sprinkled over yogurt.
GATEAU BRETON
You won't believe how delicious this French gateau Breton is. Well, it's really a cross between shortbread and cake, something that is very common for European cakes.
Provided by Dolce-Danielle
Categories World Cuisine Recipes European French
Time 1h5m
Yield 8
Number Of Ingredients 6
Steps:
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease a 9-inch springform pan.
- Mix 1 teaspoon egg yolk and water in a small bowl. Set aside for glazing the cake.
- Combine remaining egg yolks, flour, butter, sugar, and cornstarch in a large bowl. Mix with an electric mixer until dough is stiff and sticky, similar to cookie dough. Knead dough a little bit to bring it together.
- Press dough into the prepared pan with your hands. Brush glaze on top.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Continue baking until golden brown, about 25 minutes more. Cool for 10 minutes. Slice cake crosswise.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 408.4 calories, Carbohydrate 38.9 g, Cholesterol 214.6 mg, Fat 26.5 g, Fiber 0.7 g, Protein 4.6 g, SaturatedFat 15.8 g, Sodium 170.1 mg, Sugar 18.9 g
CHOCOLATE HAZELNUT GATEAU
Gateau (pronounced ga-toe) is the French word for any rich and fancy cake. I think you'll agree that this dense chocolate dessert fits the bill, with just the right amount of sweetness. -Michelle Krzmarzick, Torrance, California
Provided by Taste of Home
Categories Desserts
Time 50m
Yield 12 servings.
Number Of Ingredients 15
Steps:
- In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 5-7 minutes. Beat in egg yolks, melted chocolate and vanilla. Combine the flour and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture alternately with milk, beating well after each addition. Stir in the hazelnuts., In a small bowl, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form; carefully fold into batter. Spread into a greased 9-in. springform pan. Place pan on a baking sheet. , Bake at 350° for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack for 10 minutes. Carefully run a knife around edge of pan to loosen; remove sides of pan. Cool completely., In a saucepan, bring the butter, corn syrup and water to a boil, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat. Add the chocolate chips; stir until smooth. Cool to room temperature. Spread over top and sides of cake. Garnish with almonds and mint.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 384 calories, Fat 25g fat (14g saturated fat), Cholesterol 89mg cholesterol, Sodium 256mg sodium, Carbohydrate 40g carbohydrate (31g sugars, Fiber 2g fiber), Protein 4g protein.
Tips:
- Use high-quality ingredients. This will make a big difference in the flavor of your hazelnut gâteau breton. Try to find fresh, organic hazelnuts and butter.
- Toast the hazelnuts before using them. This will bring out their flavor and make them more fragrant.
- Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. This will help to incorporate air into the batter, making the cake lighter and more tender.
- Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. This will help to prevent the batter from curdling.
- Mix the dry ingredients together in a separate bowl before adding them to the wet ingredients. This will help to ensure that they are evenly distributed throughout the batter.
- Do not overmix the batter. Overmixing can make the cake tough.
- Bake the cake in a preheated oven. This will help to prevent the cake from sinking in the middle.
- Let the cake cool completely before serving. This will help to set the flavors and make the cake easier to slice.
Conclusion:
Hazelnut gâteau breton is a delicious and versatile cake that can be enjoyed for breakfast, dessert, or as a snack. It is a classic French pastry that is sure to impress your friends and family. With its rich hazelnut flavor and moist, tender texture, this cake is a true crowd-pleaser. Give it a try today and see for yourself why it is such a beloved recipe!
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