Mastering Choux Pastry
There is no leavening agent here beyond the eggs and your own physical effort. It is a reliable dough that waits for your signal, allowing you to pipe it into shapes hours before it ever touches the oven heat.
The importance of the dry-out phase
Before adding the eggs, you must cook the flour and liquid mixture over medium heat until a thin film forms on the bottom of the pot. This evaporates excess moisture so the final dough can hold its shape.
- heavy-bottomed saucepan
- wooden spoon
- stand mixer or sturdy whisk
- piping bag with round tip
- baking sheet
What goes in.
- 125 mlwater
- 125 mlwhole milk
- 115 gunsalted butter, cubed
- 1 tspsugar
- 1/2 tspsalt
- 140 gall-purpose flour, sifted
- 4 largeeggs, lightly beaten
Judging the Egg Addition
Add your final egg in small increments; you may not need all of it. Stop when a scoop of dough lifted by a spatula breaks off and leaves a smooth, triangular V-shape hanging from the edge.
The method.
Heat the liquids
Combine water, milk, butter, sugar, and salt in the saucepan over medium heat until the butter melts and the liquid reaches a rolling boil.
Incorporate the flour
Remove the pan from heat and dump in the flour all at once. Stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until the mixture forms a smooth ball that pulls away from the sides of the pan.
Dry the paste
Return the pan to medium heat for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. You are looking for a light crust to form on the bottom of the pan.
Emulsify with eggs
Transfer the dough to a bowl to cool for 5 minutes. Gradually beat in the eggs, checking the consistency after the third egg.
Pipe and bake
Pipe small mounds onto a lined baking sheet. Bake at 200°C for 15 minutes, then drop the temperature to 175°C for another 15 minutes without opening the oven door.
Other turns to take.
Gougères
Fold in 50g of grated Gruyère and a pinch of black pepper to the finished dough before piping.
Paris-Brest
Pipe the dough in a large ring shape instead of individual mounds and fill with praline cream.
When it doesn't go to plan.
Keep the oven door closed for at least the first 25 minutes; a rush of cool air will cause the steam inside the puffs to collapse.
If your puffs are soft after cooling, return them to a 150°C oven for 5 minutes to crisp up the shells.
Sift your flour before starting to ensure the dough remains smooth and free of lumps.
The ones that keep coming up.
Why did my puffs collapse?
Usually, this happens because the oven was opened too early or the dough had too much moisture because it wasn't dried out enough in the pan.
Can I freeze the dough?
Yes. Pipe the mounds onto a tray and freeze until solid, then store in an airtight bag. Bake them straight from frozen, adding 5 minutes to the initial bake time.
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