Making Choux Pastry
The secret to choux is not in the ingredients, but in the evaporation. By cooking the flour-water paste long enough, you drive off excess moisture so the dough can hold the structural weight of the eggs.
Watch the dough, not the clock
The humidity in your kitchen and the brand of flour affect how many eggs the dough will take. Trust the look of the paste over the exact number of eggs listed.
- heavy-bottomed saucepan
- wooden spoon
- piping bag with round tip
- baking sheet lined with parchment
What goes in.
- 125 mlwater
- 125 mlwhole milk
- 115 gunsalted butter, cubed
- 1 tspgranulated sugar
- 1/2 tspfine sea salt
- 150 gall-purpose flour, sifted
- 4large eggs, lightly beaten
Identifying the right consistency
Dip your wooden spoon into the batter and lift it. If the dough hangs off the spoon in a thick, slow-dropping 'V' shape without snapping, it is ready.
The method.
Combine the liquids
In the saucepan, heat water, milk, butter, sugar, and salt over medium heat until the butter is melted and the liquid is at a rolling boil.
Cook the flour
Remove from heat. Add all the flour at once and stir vigorously. Return to medium heat and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly until a thin film forms on the bottom of the pan.
Incorporate eggs
Transfer the paste to a bowl to cool slightly for 3 minutes. Add the eggs a little at a time, beating thoroughly after each addition. Stop when the batter passes the V-test.
Bake
Pipe mounds onto the parchment. Bake at 400°F (200°C) for 15 minutes, then reduce to 350°F (175°C) for another 15 minutes until golden and hollow-sounding when tapped.
Other turns to take.
Gougeres
Fold in 50g of grated gruyere cheese and a pinch of black pepper into the dough before piping.
Paris-Brest
Pipe the dough into a large ring instead of individual puffs to create a wheel shape.
When it doesn't go to plan.
Do not open the oven door during the first 20 minutes, or the steam will escape and the puffs will collapse.
If your dough is too stiff, add one extra egg white; if it is too runny, you have unfortunately added too much liquid and it will not hold its shape.
Prick the side of each puff with a small knife once they come out of the oven to release the trapped steam and keep them crisp.
The ones that keep coming up.
Why did my puffs go flat?
Usually because the oven door was opened too early, or the dough wasn't baked long enough to drive out the moisture.
Can I freeze the dough?
Yes, pipe the raw mounds onto a tray and freeze until solid, then transfer to a bag. Bake straight from frozen, adding a few minutes to the total time.
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