Hopefully you managed to get perfect choux pastry following these tips. But just in case, let’s talk about some common mistakes (I made almost all of them!) and how to fix them. Profiterole and cream puffs– both are piped into a ball and filled. While profiteroles can be filled with anything: ice cream, sweet cream, stabilized whipped cream, and even savory fillings like cheese puffs, cream puffs are filled with sweet creams, like this Choux a la creme recipe, filled with Creme Legere, creme chiboust, or c reme mousseline.

If you are mixing in the eggs by hand, you might not have mixed enough. It does need a little bit of strength. Make You probably noticed that there is a lot of water! And now picture all this water going into the oven. What will happen? Steam! All this liquid will start evaporating, and will create upward pressure on the choux pastry, causing it to puff up.Mix in around one egg at a time (1/4 cup) with a wooden spoon or hand mixer. The dough will seem slimy to begin, but keep mixing. Repeat this process until the dough is smooth and glossy. Choux pastry has a high water content. The water in the mixture creates steam during cooking which forces the pastry to expand in volume, leaving it with a hollow centre and a light texture. Always sieve the flour into the bowl to get as much air into it as possible. This makes for a lighter pastry The British loved to show off their own beautiful creations, often elaborately decorated and considered fine dining at the time. But many of our pastries and desserts that are enjoyed today are a result of French ingenuity. I hope that you found this article interesting. Why not have a go at making your own pastry? If you have any comments or questions, please leave them below.

Too much egg. Firstly, weigh the eggs, add them in three or four parts and do the V test before adding the last portion. Eggs– Using a wooden spoon, mix the eggs in one at a time, waiting until each egg is mixed in before adding the next. When you start stirring, the dough will initially look split with the egg but don’t fret! Keep stirring and it will come together. The ‘Selection by Pidy’ range consists of eleven tartlets in either a neutral, chocolate or sweet shortcrust pasty. Available in a variety of contemporary shapes and sizes, their traditional French recipe uses an innovative plant-based coating that acts as a barrier to moisture to maintain a fantastic crispy texture which improves shelf life and allows operators to prepare creations in advance. With Trendy Eclairs being the first choux pastry in the ‘Selection by Pidy’ range, it is set to hit the foodservice industry by storm. The reason homemade éclairs are so magical is because choux pastry is at its absolute eating prime when it’s been out of the oven less than about 4 hours, and only filled with cream just prior to eating. Water –Some recipes use a combination of milk and water for the liquid, others use just water. Milk makes the choux pastry slightly less crispy and delicate. So I prefer just water.Unlike other methods of stabilising cream (cornflour/cornstarch, gelatin, pudding mix), using mascarpone will not alter the flavour or mouthfeel of the whipped cream. A brilliant, thoroughly-tested discovery by – yep, you guessed, it, superstar French Pastry Chef J-Po! Make sure that your hands are clean and cool. Run your hands under a cold tap for a few minutes if necessary Since I also don’t want my eclairs to puff up too much, I like to dust the eclairs with confectioner’s sugar instead of water. Confectioner’s sugar slightly caramelizes on the shells, giving them a little extra sweetness and a delightful crunch.

So how do you make pastry? It needs a light touch, as too much handling can make the dough tough. If you make it by hand, your hands should be cool; hot hands will melt the fats and make the pastry oily.Top Tip: If you have any remaining egg mixture leftover, use it as an egg wash for the choux pastry as It bakes. To Bake Eclairs and Profiteroles To bake from frozen, you can bake them according to recipe instructions, but the baking time will be longer. This will largely depend on how big or small the pastries are as well. So I recommend baking one batch first and keeping an eye on them to determine how long it takes for them to be baked properly (puffed up, golden brown crisp crust, and hollow middle). To fry the choux when making crullers and churros, ensure the oil temperature is between 360-370F (182-187C). Since the oil temperature is lower than the oven’s, the donuts will be less hollow, which is desirable. Storing the choux Add the remaining eggs little by little until the dough looks smooth and glossy. It’s important to add the eggs very slowly or you might end up with runny dough that won’t rise in the oven.