Eclairs and profiteroles - cakes that came to us from French cuisine. They are oblong or round buns, hollow inside. They are filled with dessert cream, chocolate, less often - pies and other non-sweet fillings. Almost everyone loves custard cakes, but few of the housewives cook them at home. This is due to the fact that choux pastry for eclairs and profiteroles is considered difficult to prepare. In fact, many novice cooks manage to make it the first time. Their luck is due to the exact following of the recommendations accompanying the recipe.
Cooking Features
Even the beginning hostess can make choux pastry for profiteroles or eclairs, which differ solely in shape, if she knows several subtleties and adheres to the instructions for the selected recipe.
The technology of making dough at first glance seems simple: milk or water is heated together with butter, after which flour is added to the hot mixture and brewed. It remains to drive eggs into the dough, and it is ready to use. In fact, there are many nuances, without the knowledge of which rarely can anyone get the expected result.
- Flour for brewing dough, from which French cakes are made, it is necessary to choose high-quality. This requirement applies to the choice of flour for any confectionery. From second-rate flour, they turn out to be ugly-looking, often have an unpleasant taste.
- Before souring choux dough, flour is sifted, and more often even twice. The purpose of this manipulation is not only to clean it from insects and small litter. The main task is to saturate the flour with oxygen. Sifted flour becomes friable and light, it combines better with other ingredients without forming lumps. Products from it turn out gentle and air.
- When brewing dough, you need to achieve its full smoothness. If the flour in it is distributed unevenly, forming lumps, cakes can fail.
- The oil is not recommended to be melted separately, it should melt very slowly, dissolving in a liquid (milk or water), and therefore these products are heated together. This can be done on a water bath or on very slow fire.
- Experienced chefs, preparing choux pastry, prefer to whisk it with a whisk, refusing to use kitchen appliances. According to their observations, when mixing with a mixer, the dough turns out to be too liquid, it keeps its shape poorly. If you can not do without the help of kitchen appliances, use special nozzles for dough and turn on the device at low speed.
- Eggs are introduced into the choux pastry last, when the brewed dough cools a little. If you put the eggs in the hot mass, they will cook and the dough will be irreparably damaged. Eggs are injected one by one, each time carefully kneading the dough. If it has acquired the desired consistency, but the eggs remain, you do not need to put them in the dough. Their quantity is always required different, since much depends on their size and quality of flour.
- The finished dough reaches for a spoon and is able to retain its shape when laid out on parchment.
- Use the choux pastry to be warm. If allowed to cool, the cakes may not rise.
- The ready-made dough for profitrolls and eclairs reminds cream, it is deposited on a baking tray covered with parchment using a cooking syringe.
Brewed cakes are first baked for 10 minutes at a temperature of 220-230 degrees, then the temperature in the oven is reduced to 190-200 degrees and baked cakes until tender. Willingness is determined by watching the products through the oven door, it can not be opened. Place the eclairs and profiters in the preheated oven, remove them no earlier than half an hour after it is turned off.
A classic recipe for choux pastry for eclairs and profiteroles
Composition:
- wheat flour - 150 g;
- milk - 120 ml;
- water - 120 ml;
- chicken egg - 5 pcs .;
- sugar - 20 g;
- salt - 10 g;
- butter - 100 g.
Method of preparation:
- Combine water, milk, salt and sugar. Put in the resulting mixture cut into small pieces of butter. Stir by beating with a whisk or mixer.
- Place the prepared mixture in a small saucepan, heat it, stirring slowly over low heat, having achieved complete dissolution of the butter, sugar and salt.
- Sift flour. After the liquid mixture in the pan boils, immediately pour flour into it. Introducing flour, simultaneously whisk the contents of the pan with a whisk to prevent the formation of flour lumps.
- Put the dough in a bowl, let it cool slightly. One by one, beat the eggs in the dough. As a result, it should acquire a slightly thicker consistency than thick sour cream.
It remains to put the dough in a culinary bag and deposit it on a baking tray covered with parchment, giving the products the desired shape. Be sure to leave the distance between the cakes, as during baking, they greatly increase in size.
Choux pastry for eclairs and profitrolls on water
Composition:
- wheat flour - 100 g;
- water - 0, 2 l;
- butter - 75 g;
- chicken egg - 3 pcs .;
- salt - 2 g;
- sugar - 5 g.
Method of preparation:
- Pour water into the pan, put the butter, cut into small pieces, into it. Sprinkle sugar to them, stir.
- Double sift flour. When re-sifting, mix it with salt.
- Heat the water over low heat. It is important to ensure that the oil is melted before the water boils.
- As soon as the water boils, add flour, whipping the dough. It should be uniform, without lumps.
- Remove the pan from the dough, let it cool to about 50-60 degrees. If you put the pan in a container of cold water or transfer the dough from it to another container, it will cool faster.
- Add the eggs one by one to the dough and stir until it has the consistency of a thick cream.
Without waiting for the dough to cool completely, put it on a baking sheet and send it to the oven preheated to 220-230 degrees. When the cakes rise, reduce the temperature and bake the items until ready.
Choux dough for profit profit snack bars (no sugar)
Composition:
- wheat flour - 0, 2 kg;
- water - 180 ml;
- chicken egg - 6 pcs .;
- salt - a large shchipot;
- butter or margarine - 100 g.
Method of preparation:
- Butter or margarine cut into small pieces, cover with water, melt, putting the pan with the prepared mixture on slow fire.
- Pour the flour, previously sifted and mixed with salt, into the boiled mixture, brew it.
- Break eggs into a bowl, shake.
- In small portions, add the egg mass to the slightly cooled dough and beat it with a mixer with a special nozzle or a whisk.
- After receiving the dough, the consistency of a thick cream, but still able to hold the form, stop the introduction of eggs, even if they still remain.
This recipe for choux pastry meets the requirements of GOST. It is suitable for the preparation of both sweet and snack eclairs and profiteroles.
Choux pastry for eclairs and profiteroles is not possible for everyone. The reason lies in the lack of knowledge of some subtleties or deviation from the recipe. By following the instructions of the recipe exactly, you will not make mistakes and get the expected result.
