Baker's Tip: How to Peel Hazelnuts

There are kitchen tasks that just take time. Allowing bread to rise, for instance. You release control and just let it do its thing. Or boiling water. Or braising meats. But every now and again you hear of a trick that just changes everything. For bakers, this is one such trick.

On the beautiful baking blog, My Baking Addiction, Jamie Lothridge details an easy trick to get rid of those pesky hazelnut skins. Sure we've all heard of the 'toast in the oven and then gently rub off with a towel' method. It's arduous and works, in my experience, for about 3/4 of the nut. There are always hearty skins that are just impossible to get off, and for some recipes you simply don't want them sticking around.

The trick: boil hazelnuts in baking soda and water (2 cups boiling water to 1 cup hazelnuts and 3 tablespoons baking soda) for a few minutes then immerse them in cold water before you peel the skins away. Apparently this trick is far from new. Baker extraordinaire, Alice Medrich, showed it to Julia Child once while making biscotti. We just wonder why more folks haven't heard of it. Think of all of the precious holiday baking hours that could've been saved!

For More Detailed Directions: How to Peel Hazelnuts at My Baking Addiction

(Images: Jamie Lothridge of My Baking Addiction)

Comments (10)

Oooh! Can't wait to give this one a try as I too always seem only partially successful with the "rub with towel" method...

I, too, saw this on "My Baking Addiction" and recently tried the technique since I can't find skinned hazelnuts. It works like a charm. That's not to say there's not still a bit of work invovled but almost 100% of the skin slipped right off. For times when you really want "clean" hazelnuts (to say decorate your cake), the technique is perfect.

I heard of this trick while in culinary school, but it sounded and then looked a little dubious to me.

Does it alter the flavor at all? Do they toast up okay afterward?

Whoa. I can't wait to try this.
There's a bakery right around the corner from me (Knead on 24th in SF) that makes these amazing whole-wheat hazelnut scones with gorgeous whole and completely skinless nuts. I wonder if this is how they peel theirs.

I had the same concern that they would not toast up right and maybe be soggy when you actually use them. But as long as you make sure and let them dry completely, they toast up just perfect. After taking the skin off, I laid the hazelnuts on paper towels for a bit to dry and then left them on a baking sheet (w/o the paper towels) overnight. After that, I stored them in a container and used them a week or so later and they toasted and tasted perfect.

Yes, I've been skinning my hazelnuts this way for years and it works beautifully! I do a big batch of them, towel them off, lay them in a single layer on a half-sheet and then put them in a low oven to thoroughly dry. Then I stick them in the freezer so they are always ready to go.

It does still take some time to rub all of the skins off and there are always a few stubborn ones that have to go back for a second boil but the results are totally worth it.

Anyone think this would work for chestnuts? I sustained some definite injuries trying to peel a large roasted batch this past Thanksgiving.

And Ranyart, those scones sound amazing-- more than worth a BART trip across the bay...

I tried this this morning when I was making my granola. I found the texture and flavor of the hazelnuts changed a lot and not sure if it was for the better. They just looked cooked and didn't have that nice pale color and crunch. They were easier to peel tho.

I was so excited to see this technique, and just did a 1# bag of Freddy Guy's raw hazelnuts that were in my freezer. I can't say I would ever do that volume again...it is very labor intensive and messy in it's own right. Maybe for pristine decorative needs in small batches. I also wasn't sure what " a few minutes" ment...I was expecting to see skins float up & off in the pot but that didn't happen. I'm roasting them now and do hope they were worth the time spent over the sink! The oldfashioned way seems like the way to go for me.

I'm back to say I just made the Skillet Blondies (YUM) using the hazelnuts and I think this method changes the texture in a big way-not for the better. It may be that I boiled them for more time than I should have but again, the "for a few minutes" was kind of vague. They just didn't toast up crip-they have a spongy texture. Pretty to look at though!