Its me again! It has been awhile since I last wrote/baked. O well, it’s my final year here in Adelaide,so I'm pretty busy with uni stuff, uni stuff, and more uni stuff. Ahaha, everything revolves around uni or should I say the hospital?
Okay people, so this time round I'm going to talk about choux pastry. Or to some people,they prefer to call em' profiteroles/puff pastry/cream puffs. Whatever you wanna call it. :P
I have had so many experiences with profiteroles, there were ups and downs, tears and giggles, and foremost joys from the hard work. Getting it right the first time, maybe possible if you're lucky, but one good advice for you is, don't give up even if you’re already up to your 10th attempt and still failed. Trust me, everything will pay off.
I actually got this recipe from my very first baking book, I bought it myself about 4 years ago, so the recipe is NOT originally from me. (Just thought I might need to clarify on copyright issue etc.) The recipe is pretty straight forward, but make sure you follow it carefully and get damn accurate measurements.
CHOUX PASTRY (Bake It, Murdoch book) .
100 g unsalted butter
1 teaspoon caster (superfine) sugar
140 g plain flour
3 eggs
250 ml water
Preheat oven to 200OC. Lightly grease or line a baking tray with baking paper.
Put water, butter, and sugar in a small saucepan and heat till the butter has melted and the mixture has just come to the boil. Add the flour and, if possible using a wooden spoon, stir over medium heat until the mixture comes away from the side of the saucepan, forming a ball.
Place the mixture in a bowl and allow to cool slightly. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Mixture should be thick and glossy. The pastry is now ready to use, you may piped, spooned, or shaped according to the recipe you are using.
Bake for 20 minutes, then reduce the heat to 160OC and bake for a further 20 minutes or until puffed, golden and dry. Open the door slightly and leave the pastries in the oven until cool.
(you can use the same recipe to make `eclairs!)
Few tips:
- You have to measure all of the ingredients accurately. Like seriously. Duh.
- Make sure the water is simmering before you put the flour in.
- Add the flour to the boiling mixture in one go. :)
- Leave around 4 cm between the piped/spooned dough.
You can make a coffee cream filling (use pouring cream + mascarpone), creme patissiere (pastry cream), or other different types of fillings. Be creative peeps! (hint: croquembouche *drooolllllinngg*)
Here are the few pics I took right after I got them out of the oven. Yum!
