Éclair paste (Pâte à choux)
Éclair paste (Pâte à choux)
Print recipe | From book | On Baking |
Ingredients
| 120ml | Water |
| 120ml | Milk |
| 4g | Salt |
| 105g | Unsalted butter |
| 150g | Bread flour |
| ~250g | Eggs (around 5 eggs) |
Directions
1
Bring to a boil the milk, water, salt and butter in a saucepan. Make the sure the butter is fully melted.
2
Remove from the heat and immediately add all the flour.
3
Stir with a spatula or wooden spoon then put the pan back on the heat and continue beating the dough
4
Keep drying the dough up on the heat only for a few minutes until it comes away from the sides of the pan and leaves a thin film on the bottom of the saucepan
5
Transfer the dough to a clean bowl and let it cool down for a few minutes
6
Add an egg and stir until it is completely absorbed in the dough
7
Add all the other eggs one at a time. Slightly beat the last egg before adding it then pour it slowly little by little on the dough, checking frequently if the dough has reached the right consistency
8
When the dough is shiny but firm (i.e. not runny), it is ready to be used with a piping bag. For example, pipe small rounds for cream puffs, or 8cm fingers for éclairs.
9
Bake the pâte à choux for at least 35-40 minutes at 180°. The final product must be relatively crispy, so don't take the baked pâte à choux out of the oven if it is still soft.
Note
- This dough can be used immediately or even frozen (few people know that!) 😛
- Most textbooks advise to bake the dough immediately, but I didn't notice big changes when I left a full pan for 50 minutes at room temperature before baking
- It is very important that the butter be fully melted when the milk and water come to a boil and for this reason it must be diced (it will melt faster): if it is not melted when the liquids are at 100°, you'll have to wait in order to add the flour and waiting means the water will evaporate, changing the proportions of ingredients in this delicate recipe
- Always add the last egg little by little, checking frequently if the dough has reached right shiny, firm texture
- Leave the oven door slightly open only after the first half of the baking process.
- Steam is necessary at least for the first half of the baking process, so don't you dare open the oven door until your pâte à choux has risen enough! Be careful as well to excessive steam, since it might contribute to an uneven development and to the formation of cracks on the baked pastries.
- To test for doneness, remove one unit and let it sit for 2 minutes at room temperature: if it collapses, it means it was not ready! 😛 Sacrifice one for the good of all!