Profiteroles, eclairs, custard buns are made from light, airy, crispy custard dough. This dough rises in the oven, increasing in volume several times.
Air choux buns and cakes are due to the large amount of water in the dough. With the formation of steam inside the dough, it rises high up. Inside the products there is a large cavity, which is filled with various fillings, creams. Choux pastries have a smooth shiny surface. Choux pastry is also prepared donuts, which are roasted in large quantities of butter.
Choux pastry - general principles and methods of cooking
To prepare such a dough, you do not need any long-term experience. It does not roll out and is not kneaded by hands. Pofitroli can be spread on a roasting pan with a spoon or extruded using a pastry bag. To make the dough successful, you need to know only two rules:
- the dough must have a certain temperature - approximately 70-80 degrees, in order to be hot enough, but not to turn the eggs;
- before the introduction of the eggs, it is necessary to warm to at least room temperature.
Before baking, the dough is heated, or “cooked”. The composition of the dough except flour includes water, butter, margarine, eggs. The number of eggs is selected depending on the amount of flour. Due to the eggs, the dough becomes loose, rises and fills with air. Do not add too much sugar to the dough so that it does not caramelize during heating.
Recipe 1: Choux pastry for cheese eclairs
This is a quick bakery uncooked dough recipe. Who dares to try - can not remain indifferent to the unusual eclairs, cooked with cheese and hot pepper (with savory fillings). You can choose any fillings - meat, sweet, cream or vegetable. Fry or bake eclairs in the oven - this is just an unmatched version of choux pastry.
Ingredients: water (250 grams), salt, butter (100 grams, you can take margarine), flour (200 grams), hard cheese (150 grams), paprika (1 tsp), cumin, eggs (5 pieces). Method of preparation
Conventional choux dough begins with the dissolution of butter in water. In the boiling liquid pour the flour and mix thoroughly. Remove the fire and cool. Eggs are hammered in one by one, kneading well after each well, rub the cheese into the finished dough and add the paprika. If you turn on the fantasy, you can add dried herbs. Fans of spicy food can add ground or hot pepper instead of paprika. The amount of cheese is also arbitrary. But it’s just impossible to spoil eclairs with cheese.
Put the dough on a baking tray using a pastry bag. The easiest option is to use a regular spoon dipped in water. Sprinkle with cumin and coarse salt. Bake at a temperature of 220 degrees to a ruddy color. When baking, the main rule is not to open the oven for 10-15 minutes. If the temperature in the oven is too high, the products will first swell up and then fall off. At too low temperature, cakes rise poorly. At the bottom of the oven you need to put some water - then the dough rises higher.
Recipe 2: Choux pastry with whipped cream
In this recipe, you can very quickly get 12-14 pieces for pastries. Fill them with whipped squirrels and sprinkle, for example, nuts is not difficult.
Ingredients: butter (50 grams), water (250 grams), salt, flour (150 grams), eggs (4 pcs.).
Method of preparation
Heat the water in a saucepan, add salt and butter, heat up, not bringing the liquid to a boil. Immediately pour all the flour into the pan right on the fire. Stir with a whisk until a lump is formed. Dough the dough lump in a circle for another 2 minutes, as a result, it should be well separated from the walls of the pan. Shift it into a bowl and break eggs one by one. Stir the dough, stir it in a circle for 5 minutes. It should be smooth and creamy. Ideally, the choux pastry is homogeneous, shiny, falling from the rim in long pieces. In a heated oven to a temperature of 200 degrees, we spread the cakes of the desired shape at a distance so that when baking they do not combine, changing the volume. Bake for 30-35 minutes.
Recipe 3: Choux pastry for donuts
Delicious tender donuts are fried in large amounts of fat. You do not even have time to fry them, as they will be solemnly eaten by your home.
Ingredients: a glass of water, butter (80 grams), eggs (4 pieces), salt, flour (1 cup), oil for frying.
Cream: 1 glass of milk, sugar (0, 5 glasses), butter (150 grams), vanilla, egg.
Method of preparation
We select suitable dishes and heat the oil in water to about 70-80 degrees, add salt. Remove from heat, stir with a spoon. Put on the fire again, stir the dough until it lags behind the bottom and sides of the pan. Remove from heat, cool slightly and beat eggs one by one until it becomes smooth and shiny. Heat oil for deep-frying. Put the dough in a boiling oil with a teaspoon. The oil should be plenty, it is desirable that the pieces of dough float and drown in it.
Cream: in a small saucepan dissolve the egg, rub with sugar and flour. Dilute milk, set on fire. While stirring, boil until thickened, cool and whip with butter. The temperature should not be below room temperature. Finished donuts cool, cut and decorate with cream.
Choux pastry - useful tips from experienced chefs
- For choux pastry, egg quality is very important. To make sure of their freshness, you can conduct a test: dip the egg in a glass of water. A stale egg will not remain at the bottom of the glass, but pops up. Eggs that pop up with a blunt end up should not be used at all.
- Choux dough does not need to knead with a mixer or a combine - if you get too carried away, it will not be able to rise. The dough should not be thick or liquid, so that it rises well in the oven, it should be doubled.
- Gluten-free flour products are softer and easier to produce.
- Butter can be replaced with margarine or concentrated fats, but it is better, of course, to use natural ingredients. Butter helps bake rise during baking in the oven.
