Recipe adapted from: https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/choux-pastry/
Toby and I have been watching Masterchef Australia 2020 religiously and in one episode one of the contestants made choux pastry but didn’t get used. I had never heard of that term before until that day. Then my 30th birthday was coming up and we got cream puffs from Costco which is made from choux pastry! Since then I kept seeing choux pastry on my newsfeed every couple days and decided to take the plunge and try it myself. It was surprisingly easy and super quick to make up. This is possibly one of the fastest pastry recipes I’ve ever made and the results are fantastic! Keep to the ingredients and follow the instructions and they should turn out beautifully.
Servings: makes 24 cream puffs
Ingredients:
- For the dough:
- 1/2 cup (115g) unsalted butter – doesn’t matter if cold or softened
- 1/2 cup (120ml) water
- 1/2 cup (120ml) milk (skim or whole is fine)
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 tsps granulated sugar
- 1 cup (125g) all purpose flour
- AROUND 4 large eggs, beaten – have 5 eggs on hand just incase* refer to step 3
- For cream puffs:
- Egg wash: 1 egg beaten with 1 Tbsp of milk or water
- Any choice of filling – I prefer cold whipped cream mixed with either Nutella, matcha, coffee, Bailey’s, strawberry jam…etc. The possibilities are endless!
Directions: (Note: there’s a video on the original website if you need help)
- Combine the butter, water, milk, salt and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat until all the butter has melted.
- Once melted, bring the mixture to a very light simmer, then reduce the heat to low. Add in the flour and mix until completely incorporated and you get a thick dough. Mash the dough around the pan for another 60secs to gently cook the flour. Remove the dough from heat and put it into a stand mixer bowl (or a large mixing bowl if you don’t have a stand mixer). Let the dough cool for a few minutes before continuing to the next step (it can be warm, just not hot).
- With the mixer on low speed, slowly add in the beaten eggs in 3 rounds with 30secs between each round. ONLY add enough until the dough is shiny, thick, smooth and pipeable consistency! Your choux pastry dough is now complete. Use it immediately or cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
- *This is why instructions say AROUND 4 eggs because this will differ based on the size of your eggs which will likely be different every time. You may need to leave a few teaspoons of egg behind or need to add a little extra if your eggs are small. You can use the extra egg in the egg wash.
To make cream puffs from the choux pastry dough:
- Preheat the oven to 200˚C (400˚F).
- Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and brush water on both until damp – this creates humidity for the cream puffs while baking.
- Put your pastry dough into a piping bag and pipe small 4cm mounds, leaving 2cm between them. Smooth down the peaks with a water moistened finger.
- Lightly brush each mound with egg wash and bake in the preheated oven for 20minutes, then reduce heat to 175˚C (350˚F) and bake for another 10-15 mins until golden brown.
- Do NOT open the oven at any time during baking, as the cool air will prevent them from puffing up properly. Only check on them through the oven door using the light.
- When finished, remove the puffs and transfer to a cooling rack. Allow to cool completely before filling.
- Once cooled, you can either fill the pastries by cutting them in half or making a hole in the bottom and piping your filling from underneath. Finished!
Abby Approved 