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Choux pastry

17/11/2023

Choux pastry is a fundamental preparation in French patisserie, but given my Italian touch, I encourage you to use the freshest and highest quality ingredients you can find. Here is the recipe for you:

Ingredients

  • 125 ml of water
  • 125 ml of milk
  • 100 g of butter
  • A pinch of salt
  • 150 g of all-purpose flour
  • 4 medium eggs

Preparation

  1. In a pot, put the water, milk, butter cut into pieces, and a pinch of salt. Bring everything to a boil.
  2. As soon as the butter has completely melted and the liquid starts to boil, remove the pot from the heat and pour in all the flour at once, stirring vigorously with a wooden spoon.
  3. Put the pot back on the heat and continue to stir until the dough comes away from the sides of the pot, forming a ball. This should take a couple of minutes.
  4. Remove the pot from the heat and let the dough cool down. It’s important that it’s not too hot before adding the eggs, otherwise, they will cook.
  5. Add the eggs, one at a time, incorporating them well into the mixture before adding the next one. You can do this by hand or with a mixer. At the end, you should have a smooth and shiny cream.
  6. Prepare a baking tray with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 200 °C (392 °F).
  7. Place the dough in a piping bag with a smooth or serrated nozzle and form small mounds spaced apart on the tray, as the choux pastry will rise and expand during baking.
  8. Bake and let it cook for about 20-25 minutes or until they are golden brown. It’s important not to open the oven during cooking, because the internal steam puffs up the choux pastry.
  9. Take out of the oven and let cool on a wire rack.

The choux buns can be filled with pastry cream, whipped cream, chocolate ganache, or whatever you like best. Have fun creating and customizing according to your tastes!

Curiosity

Did you know that in France these choux buns are used to create culinary works of art like the famous “Croquembouche,” a tower of choux buns stuck together with caramel often used as a wedding cake? It’s a truly spectacular presentation!