Profiteroles, eclairs, custard rolls are made from light, airy, crispy custard dough. Such a dough rises in the oven, increasing in volume several times.
Buns and pastries become airy thanks to the large amount of water in the dough. When steam forms inside the dough, it rises high up. Inside the products, a large cavity appears, which is filled with various fillings, creams. Custard cakes have a smooth, shiny surface. Donuts are also made from choux pastry, which are fried in large quantities of butter.
Choux pastry - general principles and methods of preparation
To make such a dough, you do not need to have any long experience. It does not roll out and do not mix with hands. Pofitroli can be laid out on a roasting pan with a spoon or squeezed out using a pastry bag. For the dough to be successful, you only need to know two rules:
- the dough should have a certain temperature - about 70-80 degrees, to be hot enough, but not to roll eggs;
- eggs must be warmed up to at least room temperature before administration.
Before baking, the dough is heated, or "cooked". In addition to flour, dough includes water, oil, margarine, eggs. The number of eggs is selected depending on the amount of flour. It is due to the eggs that the dough becomes loose, rises and fills with air. Too much sugar is not added to the dough so that it does not caramelize during heating.
Recipe 1: Choux pastry for cheese eclairs
This is a quick recipe for yeast-free custard dough. Those who dare to try it will not be able to remain indifferent to unusual eclairs prepared 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 simply an incomparable version of the custard dough.
Ingredients: water (250 grams), salt, butter (100 grams, margarine can be taken), flour (200 grams), hard cheese (150 grams), paprika (1 tsp), caraway seeds, eggs (5 pieces) .
Cooking method
The usual custard dough begins with the dissolution of butter in water. Pour flour into the boiling liquid and mix thoroughly. Remove the fire and cool. We beat the eggs one at a time, kneading well after each, rub the cheese into the finished dough and pour in paprika. If you include fantasy, you can add dried herbs. Lovers of spicy, instead of paprika, add ground or burning pepper. The amount of cheese is also arbitrary. But cheese eclairs simply impossible to spoil.
Put the dough on a baking sheet using a pastry bag. The easiest option is to use a regular spoon soaked in water. Sprinkle with caraway seeds and coarse salt. Bake at 220 degrees until rosy color. The main rule when baking - do not open the oven for 10-15 minutes. If the temperature in the oven is too high, first the products swell, and then they can fall. At too low a temperature, the cakes do not rise well. At the bottom of the oven you need to put a little water - then the dough will rise higher.
Recipe 2: Choux pastry with whipped cream
According to this recipe, you can quickly get 12-14 blanks for cakes. Fill them with whipped proteins and sprinkle with nuts, for example, is not difficult.
Ingredients: butter (50 grams), water (250 grams), salt, flour (150 grams), eggs (4 pcs.).
Cooking method
We heat water in a saucepan, add salt and butter, heat it without bringing boiling liquid. Pour all the flour at once into the pot directly on the fire. We stir with a whisk until a lump forms. We interfere the thick dough with a lump in a circle for another 2 minutes, as a result, it should be well separated from the walls of the pan. We shift it into a bowl and break the eggs one at a time. Mix the dough, mix it in a circle for 5 minutes. It should be homogeneous and creamy. Ideally, the custard dough is uniform, shiny, falls from the whisk in long slices. In a heated oven to a temperature of 200 degrees, 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 glass), frying oil.
Cream: 1 glass of milk, sugar (0, 5 glasses), butter (150 grams), vanilla, egg.
Cooking method
We select the appropriate dishes and heat the oil in water to about 70-80 degrees, add salt. Remove from heat, stir with a spoon. Put it on the fire again, stir the dough until it starts to lag behind the bottom and walls of the pan. Remove from heat, cool a little and beat eggs one at a time until it becomes smooth and shiny. Heat oil for deep fat. We spread the dough in boiling oil with a teaspoon. The oil should be plenty, it is desirable that the pieces of dough float and sink in it.
Cream: dissolve the egg in a small saucepan, grind with sugar and flour. We breed milk, set on fire. Stirring, cook until thickened, cool and whisk with butter. The temperature should not be lower than room temperature. Cool the finished donuts, cut and decorate with cream.
Choux pastry - tips from experienced chefs
- For the custard test, the quality of the eggs is very important. To verify their freshness, you can test: dip the egg in a glass of water. A stale egg will not remain at the bottom of the glass, but will float up. Eggs that pop up with a blunt end up should not be used at all.
- Choux pastry does not need to be kneaded with a mixer or 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.
- Products made from flour with a reduced gluten content are softer and lighter.
- Oil can be replaced with margarine or concentrated fats, but it is better, of course, to use natural ingredients. Butter helps baking rise during baking in the oven.
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