Baking Pate A Choux To Form Puffs Or Eclairs Recipes

BASIC CHOUX PASTRY AND TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°F.
• Place salt, water, sugar (if using) and butter in a saucepan and heat over medium heat, stirring occasionally. When the water is starting to boil (butter should be melted at this point), add the flour in one go (do this with the saucepan away from the stove/heat) and vigorously mix the flour in, so that it absorbs all of the water (use a wooden spoon or spatula to do this). When the flour has absorbed the water and it's forming a dough, return the pan to the stove (medium heat).
• Cook the dough for 1 - 3 minutes (over medium heat) while you mix and move it around in the pan until you get a dough that pulls away from the sides of the pan, forms a film or oil droplets on the bottom of the pan, and when you stick a regular tablespoon in the dough, it stays upright. (The cook time will vary depending on your stove top).
• Transfer the dough to a bowl, and let it cool down slightly for a few minutes. Add the vanilla extract (if using), and then with a hand-held mixer (or whisk), mix the dough while adding the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Make sure the eggs are lightly beaten so that you can stop adding eggs immediately, when you reach the right consistency (i.e. a dough with a glossy sheen with pipeable consistency. You may or may not use up all the eggs, please see the post for details).
• Prepare a baking tray with parchment paper and mist the surface with water (either using a mister or lightly sprinkle water with your hands - this is an optional step).
• Pipe the desired shape on to the baking sheet - either using a piping bag fitted with a large tip (I use Wilton 1A or 2A tip, or you can cut the pastry bag opening instead), or spoon it on to the tray, using a teaspoon. Then with a damp finger, flatten the apex and any points.
• Bake in preheated oven for 30 - 40 minutes in the center of the oven, or until the choux pastry shells puff up and are golden brown on top. Do not open the oven door, at least until you have reached the 25 minute mark. Importantly, baking time depends on the size of your pastry shell. If you prefer a drier shell, bake for a couple of minutes longer.
• During the last 5 - 10 minutes of baking, prick each shell with a skewer or toothpick and let them dry out in the oven while baking.
• Remove from the oven, and let the choux pastry cases cool completely in a draft-free area. Preferably in a place that is not cold. (Letting them cool in an open but turned off oven is even better, but not necessary).
• Fill with a sweet or savory filling and serve immediately. Or you can store cooled choux pastry shells in an air-tight container for up to one day. To store them for longer, keep them in the freezer in an air-tight container.

PATE A CHOUX RECIPE

Steps:

• Place the water or milk, butter, and salt in a medium saucepan. Place over high heat and bring to a full rolling boil.
• Remove from the heat and add the flour all at once. Using a wooden spoon or stiff silicone spatula and stir until the flour is thoroughly mixed in and no lumps remain, pressing and smashing the dough against the sides of the pan.
• Return the pot to medium-high heat and cook, stirring frequently, until the dough comes together into one mass and there is a dry film on the bottom and sides of the pan. If you have an instant-read thermometer, it should register 175 degrees F.
• Transfer the dough to a mixing bowl and beat on medium speed for about 2 minutes to cool the dough down. It should register 145 degrees on an instant-read thermometer.
• Add the eggs one at a time, ensuring each one is fully incorporated before adding the next. Once all of the eggs have been added, scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl and mix again to ensure everything is fully incorporated, an additional 5 to 10 seconds.
• Use immediately or keep at room temperature for up to 2 hours in a piping bag or with a piece of plastic wrap pressed against the surface.

CLASSIC CHOCOLATE ECLAIRS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper, or silicone mat.
• In a medium saucepan, combine water, butter, sugar and salt. Slowly heat the mixture over medium heat, stirring frequently to dissolve sugar and melt the butter. Once sugar is dissolved and butter is melted, increase the heat to medium high heat and bring the mixture to a boil.
• Meanwhile, sift the flour.
• When the butter mixture comes to a boil, remove the saucepan from heat and add flour all at once. Quickly mix the mixture until all the flour is absorbed. (We just made panade!)
• Put the saucepan back to burner and reduce the heat to medium. Cook the dough, continuously mixing with a wooden spoon. The dough will start to form into a ball. Keep mixing for another 3-4 minutes until light crust forms on the bottom of the pan. (Note: It's important to cook for at least 3-4 minutes to dry out the panade.)
• Transfer the dough into a mixing bowl with paddle attachment and mix it for a few minutes on low speed until the mixture is at room temperature, about 2 minutes. (No mixer? No problem. You can mix it with a wooden spoon!)
• Then add eggs one at a time, mixing the batter well after each addition. This will help to get egg absorbed into the dough quicker. Don't add more than 2 eggs at a time! This is important, as you might not need to add all the eggs. The dough should be smooth and shiny, thin enough to slowly fall into a ribbon, but too runny.
• Transfer the batter into a large pastry bag, fitted with a round or star tip. Rest the batter for at least 1 hour at room temperature, or refrigerate for up to 2 days. (Note: Make sure to close any opennings to avoid drying out the batter.)
• Pipe the batter into 4-inch skinny logs at least 2 inches apart. Level the peaked tops with a wet fingertip.
• Bake the shells for 30-35 minutes, or until the shells are puffed up and golden brown, one baking sheet at a time. (Note: Don't open the oven door the first 25 minutes.)
• Once the shells are baked, cool until safe to handle, cut out 2 wholes on the bottom using a round piping tip, or simply make a small slit on the side of shells, using a small sharp paring knife. Arrange the shells back on the baking sheet with the holes facing up. And bake them again for another 5 minutes. This dries out the inside of pastry shells and make them extra crisp.
• Transfer the shells onto a wire rack and cool completely before filling.
• In a medium saucepan, bring milk and vanilla extract to a boil. Once it boils, turn the heat off.
• In a separate bowl, beat egg yolks with sugar until pale. And then stir in flour and cornstatrch.
• To temper the egg yolk mixture, take about ½ cup of hot milk and add it into the egg yolk mixture, while stirring vigorously.
• Now, add the tempered egg mixture back into the saucepan with remaining milk. Cook it over medium heat, stirring constantly, until it comes to a boil, about 5 minutes. (Note: It's normal if the mixture looks curdled in the beginning, be patient and it'll smooth out.) To see if the mixture is boiling, stop whisking for a moment. If it's burping bubbles, cook for 1 minute and remove from heat.
• Run the custard through a sieve, if desired, and transfer into a clean bowl and cover with a plastic wrap, so it touches the cream and refrigerate it for at least 2 hours. (TIP: Don't be alarmed if your chilled pastry cream looks too thick and lumpy. Simply whisk it until smooth again.)
• Whip heavy whipping cream till hard peaks form. Fold in the whipped cream into the chilled pastry cream and gently fold until well combined. Transfer the filling into a large pastry bag fitted with a round tip.
• Heat heavy cream until just simmer. Do not boil. Pour it over chocolate chips, and let it sit for good 2 minutes. Then stir it until smooth for couple minutes. Stir in butter to add some shine.
• Pipe the filling through the prepared holes on the bottom or a side slit. And then dip each filled eclair in the chocolate ganache.
• Let the eclairs set for about 1 hour in the fridge before serving.

PATE A CHOUX

Steps:

• Bring butter, sugar, salt, and 1 cup water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Remove from heat. Using a wooden spoon, quickly stir in flour. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until mixture pulls away from sides and a film forms on bottom of pan, about 3 minutes.
• Transfer to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on low speed until slightly cooled, about 1 minute. Raise speed to medium; add whole eggs, 1 at a time, until a soft peak forms when batter is touched with your finger. If peak does not form, lightly beat remaining egg white, and mix it into batter a little at a time until it does.

PATE A CHOUX (CREAM PUFF PASTRY)

Steps:

• Place a bowl on your mixer and fit the paddle attachment to it.
• Put your eggs next to the mixer.
• Mix the milk, water, butter, sugar and salt in a 2-quart saucepan.
• Bring to a full boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon.
• Stirring constantly, add the flour all at once, and stir quickly and without stopping until the flour is thoroughly incorporated.
• Then continue to cook and stir for another 45 seconds, or until the dough comes into a ball and a light film of paste coats the bottom of the pan.
• Immediately scrape the dough into the bowl of your mixer, and turn the mixer on low speed.
• Let it mix for a minute or two - the first few turns of the paddle will put up a cloud of steam.
• That's fine.
• Just let it mix until no more steam is coming off the dough.
• Then add the first egg, letting it mix in fully before adding the next one.
• Keep the mixer on low speed - you don't want to incorporate too much air into the paste.
• Scrape down the bowl every 2nd egg just to make sure everything is mixing together.
• Before adding the 6th egg, stop the mixer and check the consistency of the dough.
• You will know it is perfect if, when you lift the paddle, it pulls the dough with it, then the dough breaks away and forms a peak that slowly bends down.
• If the dough is too thick and doesn't form that peak, add the last egg.
• The dough is now ready to be used to make éclairs, cream puffs, profiteroles, or any other recipe calling for choux paste.
• It should be used immediately.
• NOTES FOR MAKING CHOUX PASTE SUCCESSFULLY: The liquid must be heated to a full boil.
• Add the flour all at once and stir madly until every last speck of flour is incorporated, then keep cooking and stirring some more - it's this last bit of cooking that will take the raw taste out of the flour; you'll know you are ready to quit when the dough forms a ball around your wooden spoon and the bottom of the pan is covered with a light film of paste.
• Stop mixing when you still have one egg left to add and inspect the dough.
• Depending on the condition of the flour, the room, or the moods of the pastry gods, the dough may or may not need the last egg.
• The dough is finished when you lift the paddle and it pulls up some dough that then detaches and forms a slowly bending peak - if you don't get a peak, add another egg.
• And relax.
• Even if you can't decide what to do, add the egg - you will still get a good puff.
• Use the paste while it is warm.
• It cannot be kept.
• Unfilled puffs or éclairs can be well wrapped and frozen for a few weeks.

HOW TO MAKE CHOUX PASTRY (PâTE à CHOUX)

Steps:

• Watch the video in the blog post above; it will help guide you through the next few steps.
• Combine the butter, water, milk, salt, and granulated sugar together in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir until the butter has melted. Bring mixture to a simmer. Once simmering, reduce heat to low and add the flour all at once. Stir until the flour is completely incorporated and a thick dough clumps into a ball. Mash the dough ball against the bottom and sides of the pan for 1 minute, which gently cooks the flour. Remove from heat and transfer to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or, if using a handheld mixer, a large mixing bowl. Allow to cool down for a few minutes before adding the eggs in the next step.
• With the mixer running on low speed, slowly add the eggs in 3-4 separate additions mixing for 30 seconds between each. The mixture will look curdled at first, but will begin to come together as the mixer runs. Pour in the final addition of beaten eggs very slowly. Stop adding when the choux pastry has reached the desired texture: shiny, thick, and smooth with a pipeable consistency. I usually leave a few teaspoons of beaten egg behind, which can be used with the egg wash.
• Your choux pastry dough is complete! You can use it immediately or cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
• Preheat oven to 400°F (204°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Lightly brush the parchment with water, which creates a humid environment for the pastry shells allowing them to puff up without drying out or burning.
• Transfer choux pastry dough to a piping bag fitted with a Wilton 1A piping tip. Pipe 2-inch mounds about 3 inches apart. Watch the video in the blog post above for a visual. You can also use a zipped-top bag and cut off the corner for easy piping. Using a water moistened finger, smooth down the peaks and lightly brush each with egg wash.
• Bake for 20 minutes then, keeping the pastries in the oven, reduce oven to 350°F (177°C) and continue to bake for 10-15 more minutes until golden brown. Do not open the oven as the pastries cook, as cool air will prevent them from properly puffing up. Remove from the oven and transfer to a cooling rack. Allow to cool completely before filling.
• Split open pastries and fill with homemade whipped cream, lemon curd, pastry cream, jam, a combination of these, or your favorite filling. You can also poke a hole in the pastries and pipe the filling inside. For my pictured cream puffs and profiteroles, see recipe notes.
• Cover and store leftover filled pastries in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Cover and store unfilled pastries at room temperature for 1 day, in the refrigerator for 5 days, or freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator before filling and serving.

CLASSIC ÉCLAIR

Steps:

• Whisk 6 egg yolks & 3/4 cups sugar and 1/4 cup flour together in a large bowl, add a little bit of milk if the mixture is too thick and difficult to whisk.
• Bring 2 cups of milk to a boil.
• Slowly pour the milk into the egg yolk mixture, continuously whisking. This is called 'tempering the yolks'.
• Pour the mixture back into the pot and bring to a boil, continuously stirring and going along the bottom of the pot in zigzag motion with a rubber spatula, to prevent scorching. It WILL stick if you stop.
• Cook for 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat.
• Add 1 tbsp vanilla extract & 2 oz butter. Allow the butter to melt and stir for it to incorporate.
• Cover the custard with plastic wrap it touches the custard. To speed up the process you can transfer the custard into a jelly-roll pan, spread it thin, covering with plastic wrap will avoid skin formation. Refrigerate until ready to use.
• Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
• Fit a pastry bag with plain 1/3 inch tip nozzle and drape the bag over a large glass.
• Preheat oven to 425°F.
• Whisk 5 eggs together.
• In a heavy bottom, saucepan combine 1/2 cup milk, 1/2 cup water, 4 oz butter, ¼ tsp sugar & ¼ tp salt. Bring to a boil.
• Once the mixture is at a rolling boil, add 1 cup flour all at once, reduce heat to medium and start mixing the dough with a wooden spoon vigorously. Continue doing so for another 2-3 minutes to evaporate some of the moisture.
• Transfer the dough to the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and start stirring the dough on medium speed for 1-2 minutes to cool it down slightly.
• Add the eggs to the mixture in 4-5 additions, each time allowing the mixer to incorporate the eggs fully before adding more. The dough might separate at first, but it will come back together as you continue stirring and adding more eggs. The mixture should be thick but still fall off the paddle attachment in a thick ribbon. You might not add all eggs before this happens. It is ok.
• Transfer the warm dough to the piping bag and pipe out 2-3 inch logs, about 2 inches apart. Place the first baking sheet in the oven and bake for 15 minutes, then reduce the heat to 375°F and continue baking until golden in color, about 25 minutes. DO NOT open the door before the éclairs are golden, they will deflate.
• Keep the other sheet with piped logs in the freezer or refrigerator until the first sheet is out of the oven.
• Allow the éclairs to cool.
• Combine all ingredients in a heatproof bowl, set over a pot of simmering water. Bottom of the bowl should not touch the water.
• Warm up the mixture and allow the chocolate to melt, stirring it occasionally. Do not overheat. The mixture should only be warm, not hot.
• Take off the heat and allow the chocolate to completely melt, stirring it every couple of minutes until chocolate melts.
• Wash and dry thoroughly each leaf.
• Set egg whites in a heatproof bowl, over simmering water and heat, stirring continuously until 140 degrees, or pretty hot to the touch.
• Allow the egg whites to cool.
• Dip each leaf into the egg whites, allowing most of the egg whites to drip off. The leaves should only be damp with egg white.
• Dredge each leaf in the sugar on both sides and set on a paper towel or a cooling rack for sugar to harden up.
• Fill a pastry bag fitted with a plain 1/4 inch star/plain tip with custard.
• Fill each éclair with custard by inserting the tip into the top of the pastry in 3 places, closer to both ends and in the middle, and squeezing the custard in until it almost starts to come out. Wipe off excess. Leave for 15 minutes for the skin to form in the places where you inserted the custard.
• Carefully, dip top of each éclair into the chocolate glaze.
• Top with 1 mint leaf as a decoration.
• Refrigerate until ready to serve.

SWEET OR SAVORY PATE A CHOUX

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 425°F and adjust oven rack to the middle. Line two half sheet pans with parchment paper.
• Place the water, butter, and salt in a 3-quart saucier, set over high heat, and bring to a boil. As soon as it boils, add all of the flour at once and stir with a wooden spoon until the mixture starts to come together, about 1 minute. Decrease the heat to low and continue stirring until the mixture forms a ball and is no longer sticky, 3 to 4 minutes.
• Transfer the mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and mix on low speed for 5 minutes to cool, or until there is no more steam rising. With the mixer still on low speed, add the eggs and egg whites, one at a time, making sure each is completely incorporated before adding another. You will need to stop the mixer occasionally and scrape down the sides of the bowl and the paddle attachment. Before adding the last egg white, check the mixture for consistency: It should tear slightly as it falls from the beater, creating a"V" shape. The mixture may only need 1 egg white.
• Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a plastic coupler and a round tip. Pipe a little of the mixture into the four corners under the parchment paper to hold it in place on the sheet pans.
• Pipe the mixture into 2 1/2-inch-long strips on the parchment, 4 rows of 6. Use a clean dampened finger to smooth any tips left from piping.
• Place the sheet pan of eclairs in the oven and bake for 15 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F and continue to bake until golden brown, 10 to 12 more minutes. Remove from the oven and immediately pierce the bottom of each eclair with a paring knife to release steam. Repeat with the remaining eclairs. Let cool completely before filling.

PATE A CHOUX PUFFS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• In a medium saucepan, combine the milk and butter, and bring to a boil over medium heat. Add the salt, sugar and flour, and stir vigorously with a heatproof spatula. Cook, stirring constantly, until a dense dough forms that pulls away from the side of the pan, about 3 minutes.
• Add the dough to a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. On low speed, beat in the eggs one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl between additions to make sure everything is evenly mixed.
• Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Using a 1-ounce scoop, drop the dough, 1 inch apart, onto the prepared cookie sheet. Bake until puffed and golden, 35 to 40 minutes. (The puffs should feel light when you pick them up.) Make sure to keep the oven shut until at least the halfway point -- if you open the oven before 20 minutes have elapsed, the puffs will deflate and you won't be able to get the texture back. Remove the puffs from the oven and prick each one on the side to allow the steam to escape. Let cool completely.
• To dip in chocolate: If desired, dip the tops of the puffs in Warm Chocolate Ganache, shaking off the excess. Place on a platter and sprinkle with sliced almonds. Let stand for about 30 minutes, to set the glaze, before eating.
• Heat 1 inch or so of water in a medium saucepan over low heat. Put the chocolate chips and cream in a heatproof bowl that fits snugly into the saucepan without touching the water. Heat, stirring, until the chocolate melts and the mixture is smooth, about 5 minutes.

BAKING PATE A CHOUX TO FORM PUFFS OR ECLAIRS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment. Pipe out 1/2-inch balls for profiteroles or cocktail puffs, 1-inch balls for cream puffs, or 1/2 by 4-inch strips for eclairs. Be sure to leave enough room in between for them to triple in size. Brush with egg glaze and bake for 15 minutes. Lower heat to 400 and open oven door briefly to let steam out. Close the door and continue to bake another 1030 minutes according to their size. They must be well dried out or they may fall. Take one out of the oven and check it by breaking open and checking the interior walls: they should be dry, not wet and eggy. Return to the oven as necessary. Remove when done and cool on a wire rack.
• Baked puffs and eclairs freeze well for up to a month.
• Filling Puffs: Either slice open horizontally, spoon filling onto bottom, and replace the hat; or pierce a small hole with a paring knife in side or bottom of the puff and pipe in a soft filling using a pastry bag with a small plain tip.