Memorial Day Recipes

Chocolate Buchteln (Baked Filled Doughnuts)

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Chocolate Buchteln (Baked Filled Doughnuts)

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Wolfgang Puck The recipe is so easy, requiring just a few minutes of mixing before you leave the simple yeast-leavened dough alone to rise; then another few minutes of rolling out and filling the doughnuts. It's also versatile, since you can substitute other fillings for the chocolate, including spoonfuls of orange marmalade or other sweet, thick preserves. Prepare the dough and assemble the doughnuts in the afternoon before one of Hanukkah's weekend nights-or any time during the coming holidays, regardless of your faith-and then pop them in the oven to bake before you sit down to dinner. Just over half an hour later, they'll be ready to take out and serve, still warm, as a rich and memorable taste of the festive season.

Ingredients

  • DOUGH
  • 1 package active dried yeast
  • 1/2 C. lukewarm water
  • 2 Tbs. honey
  • 2 Tbs. sugar
  • 1 1/2 C. all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1 egg
  • 2 oz. unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • EGG WASH
  • 1 egg
  • 1 egg yolk
  • FILLING AND SERVING
  • 6 oz. bittersweet chocolate bar, cut into 24 equal pieces
  • Confectioner's sugar

Directions

First, make the dough: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, or in a mixing bowl using a handheld electric mixer, beat together the yeast, water, honey and sugar. Leave at warm room temperature until the yeast begins to foam, about 10 minutes. Add the flour and salt and, using a sturdy spoon, stir it in by hand until a wet dough forms. With the mixer, beat the mixture at medium-high speed until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes. Add the egg and continue to mix for 1 minute. Add the butter and mix for 1 minute more. Set the bowl aside at warm room temperature and leave the dough to rest and rise for 30 minutes.

Then, punch down the dough down with your hand, cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 2 hours. Lightly dust a work surface with flour. Turn out the dough onto the work surface and, with a lightly floured rolling pin, roll the dough out to a square 1/2-inch thick. With a pastry cutter or a large, sharp knife, cut the dough into 24 equal squares. Place a piece of chocolate in the center of each square of dough. Fold the square's edges up and pinch them together to seal in the chocolate and form a rough ball shape.

Transfer the balls to a greased a 9-inch round cake pan. Cover with plastic wrap and leave at warm room temperature until the dough has doubled in size, 45 to 55 minutes. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Meanwhile, prepare the egg wash: In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and yolk. Brush the surface of the dough with the egg wash. Bake for 12 minutes. Then, reduce the temperature to 350 degrees, rotate the pan 180 degrees, and continue baking until deep golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes more.

Turn out the buchteln onto a wire rack, place another rack on top of them, and carefully invert together so they are right side up. Serve them warm, carefully breaking them apart into individual servings and dusting them with confectioner's sugar. You can also serve them with vanilla ice cream or with chocolate sauce.

Yield: 6-12 servings

(Chef Wolfgang Puck's new TV series, "Wolfgang Puck's Cooking Class," airs Sundays and Wednesdays on the Food Network. Write Wolfgang Puck in care of Tribune Media Services Inc., 2225 Kenmore Ave., Suite 114, Buffalo, NY. 14207.)

©2004 WOLFGANG PUCK WORLDWIDE, INC.

DISTRIBUTED BY TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES, INC.

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