Gianduja at home

dsfg
@lane-wigley
10/20/12 09:36:58AM
31 posts

Any tips for making Gianduja at home? I'm interested in getting something like the dark gianduja that Domori makes.


updated by @lane-wigley: 04/10/15 07:24:14AM
dsfg
@lane-wigley
10/20/12 09:37:38AM
31 posts

such as: when to add the hazelnuts, anything different about tempering, molding, etc

Carlos Eichenberger
@carlos-eichenberger
10/20/12 10:01:36AM
158 posts

Basically just thoroughly mix the melted chocolate with the hazelnut paste. I've seen some makers in Italy refine/conche them together and others just mix. Personally I just mix well with a stick blender.

Here's a shot of our cremini, as you can see the gianduja is nice and smooth. Any roughness visible in this pic is from the cutting.

955-creminooct2011.jpg?width=721

Gap
@gap
10/20/12 05:13:24PM
182 posts

cheebs - do you caramelise the hazelnuts first and then grind them down for your gianduja?

Lane - a gianduja is usually tempered at a lower temp . . . 27C is what I normally use.

dsfg
@lane-wigley
10/20/12 08:04:51PM
31 posts

I'm assuming that if I put the hazelnuts through a food processor first the Santha should be able to take it from there. I wouldn't think I'd need to buy paste. Make sense?

Carlos Eichenberger
@carlos-eichenberger
10/21/12 09:46:10AM
158 posts

Gap... I only roast the hazelnuts... if caramelized I would then be making pralin (which I actually do make by caramelizing, running through the Champion with the blocking plate in and finishing for a half hour or so in the Santha)

Carlos Eichenberger
@carlos-eichenberger
10/21/12 09:47:54AM
158 posts

It does and that will work perfectly. It only takes a few hours to get the paste super-fine. Remember to de-hull the nuts!

Gap
@gap
10/21/12 04:51:01PM
182 posts

Thanks cheebs - that's what I was curious about. When I've "made" a gianduja for chocolate work, I've done so by mixing hazelnut praline paste and chocolate. I was wondering if the grinders could take the nuts/caramelised sugar without any problems, but it sounds like they can if I pre-grind.

Cheers

dsfg
@lane-wigley
10/21/12 05:09:20PM
31 posts

What's the best way to de-hull?

Carlos Eichenberger
@carlos-eichenberger
10/22/12 09:45:14AM
158 posts

Either a large colander or a wet cloth... Rub the hazelnuts against the screen of the colander or put them in the wet cloth, fold over itself and rub.

Felipe Jaramillo F.
@felipe-jaramillo-f
10/22/12 04:06:28PM
55 posts

Gianduja is one of my favorite topics :) It comes out great from the grinder after a few hours. We did pre-grind in the food processor to make it easier.

The real pain is to quickly de-hull the hazelnuts. The rubbing on a wet cloth method works fine, but there are a few nuts which don't release their hull, it gets really hot and is time consuming.

Any alternatives for a better process? Any equivalent to the small scale winnowers we use for cacao?

The second major issue is sourcing quality hazelnuts consistently and making sure they are not rancid when you buy them. Treat yourself to the 35 part Gianduja series from Dallas Food Org.

Patti Humbert
@patti-humbert
10/22/12 05:23:06PM
18 posts

To remove the hazelnut skins more easily:

1. In a medium saucepan with high sides, bring 2 cups of water to a boil. Add 3 tablespoons of baking soda to the water the water will foam up.

2. Add 1 cup hazelnuts to the boiling water and boil for about 3 minutes. The water will turn black dont be alarmed. While the hazelnuts are boiling, prepare a medium bowl of ice cold water. After three minutes, use a slotted spoon to remove one test nut, placing the nut into the prepared bowl of ice water. Use your fingers to remove the skin, if the skin doesnt come off easily, boil the nuts 1-2 minutes longer and try another test nut.

3. When a test skin rubs right off, add the rest of the nuts to the ice water and peel them with ease.

4. Place peeled nuts into a kitchen towel or paper towels and dry them thoroughly.

5. If desired, toast the peeled and dried hazelnuts at 350 degrees F for about 15 minutes - trust me it's so worth it!

Method from Alice Medrich

dsfg
@lane-wigley
10/22/12 05:43:12PM
31 posts

I forgot to ask, what's a reasonable range of chocolate to nuts? Can I do it without any milk powder or should I do at least a bit?

Gap
@gap
10/22/12 07:48:12PM
182 posts

When I mix a gianduja at home from commercially available products, I use ~50% milk chocolate and ~50% hazelnut praline paste (which is itself, ~50% sugar and ~50% hazelnuts). So breaking it down, mine is approximately 50% milk chocolate, 25% sugar and 25% hazelnut.

I'm not sure how much further/higher you can push that hazelnut %. Too far and the hazelnut fat will start to interact with the cocoa butter and make tempering the gianduja hard.I'd think you could go higher, but don't really know.

dsfg
@lane-wigley
11/24/12 08:32:04PM
31 posts

Thanks Patti. I did this and it still was a nightmare to husk them all (but better than other ways). I'm going to buy paste next time. I used 7 cups of hazelnuts. It tastes wonderful, but what a pain.

Patti Humbert
@patti-humbert
11/24/12 08:57:51PM
18 posts
Glad it worked for you- I agree it is still a pain. My hands look like raisins by the time I am done! Now, if I could just find a robot coupe so I don't kill my food processor!
Ruth Atkinson Kendrick
@ruth-atkinson-kendrick
11/25/12 02:19:10PM
194 posts

Forget about a Robot Coupe. It has a duty cycle of only 5 minutes. A cheap Hamilton Beach will work until the oil separates from the nuts.

Patti Humbert
@patti-humbert
11/25/12 03:00:28PM
18 posts
Ruth, I was attempting praline paste at home & had my cuisinart smoking! Any thoughts?
Ruth Atkinson Kendrick
@ruth-atkinson-kendrick
11/25/12 07:15:19PM
194 posts

Yup--go to Walmart and buy a $40 Hamilton Beach. Drew Shotts put me on to these. They do a great job and outlast R-C's and Cuisinarts. They have a plastic shaft and all the bad China stuff, but they last and last. The last time I made Praline, I caramelized the hazelnuts and tossed them in. Ran it for about 15 minutes until the oil released. It won't take it down to a totally smooth paste, but much better than the other options.

Patti Humbert
@patti-humbert
11/25/12 07:39:30PM
18 posts
Thank you Ruth! I will do that!!!

Tags

Member Marketplace


Activity

Keith Ayoob
 
@keith-ayoob • 3 weeks ago • comments: 0
Posted a response to "Raw Cacao Beans vs 100% Dark Chocolate"
"@joe-john, I'd like to weigh in on this.  First, some of the nutritional info you post there is reasonable, some is not -- and that's not unusual...."
Tet Kay
 
@tet-kay • 5 months ago • comments: 0
Xocol855
 
@xocol855 • 3 years ago
Created a new forum topic:
slaviolette
 
@slaviolette • 4 years ago • comments: 0
Created a new discussion "Cost of goods produced":
"Hi Everyone, Been a long time member but I have not been in in a few years, the fact is that I had to close down my small chocolate business.. but now is..."
chocolatelover123
 
@chocolatelover123 • 5 years ago • comments: 0
Created a new forum topic:
New Chocolate Brand - "Palette"
Marita Lores
 
Marita Lores