Equipment
* optional
Ingredients
Duck Confit
- 4 duck legs
- 20 g kosher salt
- 3 garlic, crushed
- 2 g fresh thyme, sprigs
- 900 ml vegetable oil
Doughnut Dough
- 400 g bread flour
- 180 ml whole milk, lukewarm
- 7 g active dry yeast
- 30 g granulated sugar
- 5 g fine sea salt
- 1 egg, room temperature
- 50 g unsalted butter, softened
Spicy Ketchup
- 100 ml tomato ketchup
- 30 g gochujang
- 10 ml apple cider vinegar
Kohlrabi Slaw
- 1 kohlrabi, peeled and julienned
- 1 green apple, julienned
- 20 ml lime juice
- 15 ml olive oil
- 10 g fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 556 kcal
- Protein
- 16 g
- Carbohydrates
- 35 g
- Fat
- 39 g
- Fiber
- 2 g
- Sugar
- 8 g
- Sodium
- 1024 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 14 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 18 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 5 g
- Cholesterol
- 89 mg
- Potassium
- 363 mg
- Calcium
- 46 mg
- Iron
- 3.8 mg
- Magnesium
- 30 mg
- Phosphorus
- 190 mg
- Zinc
- 1.6 mg
- Vitamin A
- 126 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 19 mg
- Vitamin D
- 0.9 mcg
- Vitamin E
- 1.2 mg
- Vitamin K
- 9 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.3 mg
- Vitamin B12
- 0.3 mcg
- Thiamin
- 0.53 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.43 mg
- Niacin
- 6.2 mg
- Folate
- 93 mcg
- Water
- 99 g
Sources: Aggregated Public Data, USDA FoodData Central
Method
Rub the duck legs evenly with kosher salt, crushed garlic, and fresh thyme. Place in a container, cover, and refrigerate overnight to cure.
Preheat oven to 110 degrees Celsius or 225 degrees Fahrenheit. Rinse the duck legs to remove the salt cure and pat them completely dry. Place in a casserole dish and submerge completely in the vegetable oil.
Cover the casserole dish and bake slowly until the meat is completely tender and pulls away from the bone easily.
Remove the duck legs from the oil and let cool slightly. Discard the skin and bones. Shred the meat finely, then press and roll the warm mixture into 12 tightly packed balls. Chill in the refrigerator until firm.
In a stand mixer bowl, dissolve the yeast and sugar in the lukewarm milk. Let sit until slightly foamy. Add the bread flour, egg, and sea salt. Mix on low speed until a rough dough forms.
Add the softened butter bit by bit while kneading on medium speed. Continue kneading until the dough is smooth, elastic, and clears the sides of the bowl.
Cover the bowl and let the dough rise in a warm place until doubled in size.
Punch down the dough and divide it into 12 equal pieces. Flatten each piece into a disc. Place a chilled duck ball in the center, wrap the dough around it, and pinch the seams tightly to seal. Place seam-side down on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Cover the assembled buns loosely and let them proof again until visibly puffed and light.
Preheat the oven to 190 degrees Celsius or 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Bake the proofed buns until they are deeply golden brown and crisp on the outside.
While the buns bake, combine the tomato ketchup, gochujang, and apple cider vinegar in a small mixing bowl. Whisk until smooth.
In a separate mixing bowl, toss the julienned kohlrabi and green apple with the lime juice, olive oil, and chopped cilantro.
Serve the warm duck buns alongside the fresh kohlrabi slaw, using the spicy ketchup as a dipping sauce.
Chef's Notes
- Chilling the shredded duck into balls before wrapping is non-negotiable. If the duck is warm, it will melt the butter in the dough from the inside out and prevent the bread from rising properly.
- Baking the duck legs submerged in oil rather than traditional duck fat is a highly effective, economical modern technique that still yields incredibly tender meat.
- A vigorous knead is crucial for the doughnut dough. It must pass the windowpane test to ensure it has enough structural integrity to trap the steam from the rich filling as it bakes.
- For an extra crisp exterior, brush the buns with melted butter immediately after removing them from the oven.
Storage
Refrigerator: 3 days — Store buns, slaw, and ketchup in separate airtight containers.
Freezer: 1 month — Freeze baked buns only. Thaw at room temperature.
Reheating: Warm buns in a 175 C oven for 8 minutes until crisp and heated through.
Troubleshooting
Doughnut buns open up during baking
Cause: Seams were not pinched securely or grease from the duck compromised the dough seal
Fix: Cannot be fixed once baked, but structural integrity will not affect flavor
Prevention: Ensure the duck balls are completely chilled and avoid getting duck fat on the edges of the dough disc before sealing
Dough is too sticky to handle
Cause: Butter was too warm or ambient kitchen temperature is very high
Fix: Chill the dough in the refrigerator for 20 minutes before dividing and shaping
Prevention: Use properly softened butter rather than melted, and knead until gluten fully develops
Cultural Context
This dish represents a playful intersection of classic French technique and modern street food culture. By taking deeply traditional duck confit and adapting it into a format reminiscent of Asian baked bao or Western stuffed doughnuts, the recipe bridges the gap between haute cuisine and casual, handheld comfort food.
