Choux Pastry Dessert - Made with 6 simple pantry ingredients, this delicate light and airy homemade Choux Pastry is quite easy to make in just a few simple steps!
Choux Pastry Dessert - Ingredients You’ll Need
• Water – It’s the only liquid in the batter and an important one that helps to bind the dough together and create steam in the oven, which makes the dough puff up.
• Milk – I love to add some milk to my choux pastry simply because it results in a creamier texture, richer flavor and helps with browning. It’s totally optional and you can just use one full cup of water versus using half water and half milk.
• Butter – Always use unsalted butter in baking to control the amount of added salt.
• Salt – Used to season the dough. If you use salted butter, you can omit this extra salt.
• Sugar – Adds just a touch of sweetness to the dough. But this ingredient is optional. If you are making savory appetizers you can leave the sugar out if you like.
• Flour – Simple all-purpose flour works perfectly. You can sift your flour for better results.
• Eggs – You will need some room-temperature eggs for both the dough and for an egg wash. The eggs add some richness and give the pastry some rise.
How To Make Choux Pastry Dessert
Make The Dough
-
Preheat your oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and brush it with water.
- In a medium saucepan, combine water, milk, butter, salt, and sugar. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
- Turn off the heat and stir in the flour with a wooden spoon until the dough forms into a smooth ball and pulls away from the pan. Turn the heat back on to low and cook the dough for another 2 minutes while stirring.
-
Transfer the dough to the bowl of your mixer and let it cool.
Add The Eggs
- Add the eggs, one at a time, stirring vigorously with the wooden spoon until each egg is fully incorporated before adding the next one. The mixture should be smooth and glossy.
Preheat The Oven And Prep The Pan
- Transfer the choux dough to a piping bag fitted with a round piping tip that's 1 to 2 cm wide (869 star tip). For eclairs pipe 3-inch long pieces or small choux balls onto the prepared baking sheet.
Apply The Egg Wash
-
Brush the dough with the beaten egg before transfer to the oven. Flatten the tips that were made with the piping bag with the tip of your finger.
Bake The Choux Buns
- Transfer the baking sheet to the oven on the middle rack. Bake for 10 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 375°F (190°C) and continue to bake for another 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown and puffed up.
Cool And Fill
- Remove the pastries from the oven and pierce each one with a small knife or toothpick to allow steam to escape. Let them cool completely on a wire rack. Then once they're completely cool you can serve the baked choux pastries as is or fill them with whipped cream! Then the Choux Pastry Dessert is finished!
Purchase cream chargers here: https://www.aurorawhip.com.au/
Notes
1. Recipe makes about 24 choux buns (cream puffs).
2. Baked choux pastries freeze well. To crisp them back up, bake for 8 to 10 minutes in a 300°F preheated oven.
3. Measure ingredients accurately: Choux pastry requires precise measurements to achieve the right consistency and texture. Use a kitchen scale to weigh your ingredients, especially the flour, to ensure accuracy.
4. Use a heavy-bottomed pan: When making choux pastry, use a heavy-bottomed saucepan to prevent the dough from burning or sticking to the pan.
5. Smash any lumps of flour. When you mix the flour into the water and butter it’s important to make sure that there are no remaining lumps of flour left in the dough.
6. Add the eggs correctly. The flour mixture must cool off before you add the eggs or they will begin to cook. And each egg must be fully mixed into the dough one at a time to reach the right consistency.
7. Test the dough for consistency: The dough should be smooth, glossy, and thick enough to pipe, but not too thick that it doesn’t pipe easily. Test the consistency of the dough by lifting the wooden spoon from the pan – the dough should fall slowly in a thick ribbon.
8. Don’t open the oven door: During the first 10-15 minutes of baking, avoid opening the oven door as this can cause the pastries to collapse or lose their shape.
9. Rotate the pans. For the most uniform baking, don’t forget to rotate the pan halfway through baking after you lower the oven temperature.