A crucial element in baking and pastry, puff pastry dough expands significantly when cooked, creating a light and airy texture. This characteristic is utilized in various recipes, including cream puffs, éclairs, Parisian gnocchi, and beignets.
- Prep Time : 20 min.
- Cook Time : 20 min.
- Total Time : 40 min.
- Serves : 18 puffs
Ingredients
- 1 cup (235g) water or milk (see note)
- 6 tablespoons (84g) unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- 2 teaspoons (8g) sugar (optional; see note)
- 1/2 teaspoon (2g) Diamond Crystal kosher salt; for table salt use half as much by volume or the same weight
- 4 1/2 ounces (128g) all-purpose flour, sifted
- 4 large eggs (200g)
Instructions
2. Place over high heat and bring to a rolling boil, ensuring the butter fully melts along with the liquid, approximately 2 minutes.
3. Remove from heat and swiftly incorporate flour into the mixture using a wooden spoon or stiff silicone spatula until no lumps remain. Ensure to eliminate any stubborn lumps.
4. Return the saucepan to medium-high heat and stir frequently until the dough reaches 175°F (80°C) on an instant-read thermometer. Signs indicating readiness include a thin starchy film forming inside the saucier and the dough consolidating into a cohesive mass.
5. For stand mixer usage: Transfer the dough to a stand mixer equipped with the paddle attachment. Beat at medium speed until the dough cools to 145°F on the thermometer to avoid cooking the eggs upon addition.
6. Add eggs one at a time, ensuring each is fully incorporated into the dough before adding the next. Start at medium-low speed for the first egg and then increase to medium speed as the choux batter forms.
7. Scrape down the sides of the mixer bowl, then mix briefly at medium speed to ensure the choux batter is thoroughly combined, about 5 seconds.
8. Alternatively, for manual incorporation of eggs: Allow the dough to cool in the saucepan, stirring frequently until it reaches 145°F on the thermometer. Add eggs one at a time, stirring well between additions until each egg is fully integrated before adding the next, resulting in a smooth, glossy paste.
9. Utilize the choux immediately or store at room temperature for up to 2 hours before use. Prevent skin formation by transferring the choux promptly to a pastry bag or zipper-lock bag, sealing it, or by pressing plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the choux.
Notes:
- Sugar is optional. Salt seasoning is essential, while a small amount of sugar can be added for sweet applications.- Choux can be prepared up to 2 hours before use, maintaining it at room temperature in a sealed pastry bag or with plastic wrap pressed onto its surface to prevent skin formation.
Choux Pastry?
Pâte à Choux is a versatile "paste" that falls somewhere between dough and batter. It's created by cooking a mixture of flour with water and/or milk and butter, then incorporating eggs off the heat to achieve a consistency that can be piped or spooned. This paste is then subjected to a second cooking process, which could involve baking, frying, or poaching, depending on the intended recipe.
Unlike traditional batters, choux has a thickness that allows it to maintain its shape without spreading flat like a pancake or requiring a container to hold it, similar to Yorkshire pudding. However, unlike typical dough, it remains thin enough to be piped by hand into various shapes and sizes, such as puffs, tubes, or rings. This unique combination of characteristics makes choux highly valued in the pastry realm.
The real magic of choux pastry lies in its ability to puff up significantly when baked, resembling Yorkshire pudding but with a tender interior and a crispy shell that sets firm without collapsing. It can also achieve a similarly airy effect when fried or poached.
The Science of Choux Pastry
One of the most intriguing aspects of choux pastry lies in its method of preparation. While choux isn't a new concept to me, recent contemplation has highlighted its peculiar nature as a hybrid between dough and batter. Unlike most doughs and batters that begin with combining cold liquid with flour and then cooking, choux follows a different path: the liquid, typically water or milk, is first brought to a boil with butter, then flour is swiftly mixed in, resulting in a doughy paste known as a panade. This panade is then cooked on the stovetop. After cooling slightly, eggs are incorporated, and the resulting choux pastry can be piped or shaped before undergoing a second cooking process. This makes choux a twice-cooked dough-batter.
To grasp why choux is twice-cooked, it's crucial to understand its need for ample moisture. The steam generated from its high water content is what causes choux to expand and puff significantly. Unlike other baked goods, there's no reliance on leavening agents like baking soda, baking powder, yeast, or beaten egg whites for extra lift. Typically, a batter with such a high water content would be too liquid to maintain stable shapes suitable for making items like churros, cream puffs, and éclairs. However, by cooking the initial flour-water paste, the starch granules in the flour rapidly hydrate and gelatinize, causing them to swell and burst. Similar to how a cornstarch slurry thickens a gravy when heated, the gelatinized starch in the choux paste thickens the batter, resulting in its unique dough-batter consistency that's incredibly useful yet uncommon in the kitchen.
The initial cooking of the flour panade serves another purpose beyond thickening. It also modifies the gluten structure of the choux, making it less elastic. This reduced elasticity is crucial for forming and maintaining whatever shape is desired.
Following the initial cooking of the flour panade, the addition of eggs provides the final choux paste with its necessary texture, consistency, and baking qualities. The gluten-rich, starch-strengthened mass is stretchy enough to expand as steam inflates the air pocket within it, strong enough to contain the growing bubble without tearing, yet not overly elastic to retract and collapse prematurely. The fat from the butter and egg yolks, along with the proteins from the whites, contribute to crisping the choux for a firm, golden exterior.
The Origins
As I've delved deeper into the mechanics of choux pastry, I've become increasingly amazed by this peculiar piece of pastry engineering. How on earth did someone come up with this? Many tales attribute the invention of choux pastry to a chef named Pantarelli, or a similar name, who supposedly created it sometime after accompanying Catherine de Medici from Tuscany to France when she became Queen in the mid-1500s.
While this story may hold merit, I believe there's a more plausible origin for choux that goes beyond the genius of a single chef. It's quite likely just a variation of hot water crust pastry, the type commonly used today in British pork pies.
Hot water crust doughs have been around for ages, predating Chef Pantarelli. They've been utilized as pie casings, boasting a particular advantage: they possess enough structural integrity to not necessitate a separate baking vessel, unlike American pie crusts, which would collapse if not supported by a pie plate. These crusts derive their strength—guess what?—from a mixture of fat, flour, and boiling water, which gelatinizes the starch and results in a robust pastry capable of holding its shape and retaining its contents.
When considering that hot water crusts were already a staple in Medieval European kitchens, it's not difficult to see how the incorporation of extra eggs led to the creation of choux. Instead of serving as a container for pie fillings like hot water crusts, choux became an egg-enriched variant designed to contain... air!
Furthermore, historical hot water crust recipes from at least the 16th century often included a couple of eggs, a practice still observed by some today. This serves as further evidence that the concept of choux was well within reach without the necessity for a single chef to invent it entirely on their own.
Superb Dish😋😍
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