Since starting my blog in 2010, I’ve read about or watched how pâte à choux is made. There’s always been this intimidating feeling wrapped around the process.
Even though I made one attempt at the dough almost ten years ago, I still find the process uncomfortable.
Something I always notice when I watch a baking championship show: someone will under-bake the pâte à choux or leave them in the oven until they look dark and crispy.
Seeing that always makes me doubt my abilities…
…but it’s time to let go of this discomfort and make some delicious pate a choux puffs.
SOME BOOK INSPIRATION:
Isabel from Hard To Resist (The Winters Family Book One) was trying to relax and watch one of her favorite cooking shows, but it happened again. Someone was making cream puffs, and like the fifty-million other times she's watched the recipe made, they looked amazing.
“What time is it?” She tapped the screen on her phone. “What? Seriously?” The big numbers read 10:00 p.m. “I’m doing it.” Drew had two more nights on his shift at the firehouse, and she didn’t feel like going to bed anytime soon.
Right as she grabbed her cookbook to find a recipe, her phone rang. A smile flashed across her face when she saw the name.
“Hey, handsome.”
“Hi, Sweet Izzy. Did I wake you?”
“Nope, I’m about to make some cream puffs with creme patisserie.”
“I hear words, but I have no idea what you’re saying.”
“I’ll drop some off on the way to work tomorrow. Deal?”
“Anytime I can see you, I’m all in.”
It took her a few minutes to get her head back into the baking zone after hanging up the phone. That man knew how to distract her every single time.
“Pate a Choux dough.” She tapped the granite counter a few times while taking a deep breath. “Okay, let’s do this.”
The recipe had been intimidating her for years. She was ready to tackle the ingredients and make some amazing cream puffs. The jury was still out on the creme patisserie, though. There was a chance it would curdle into a mess.
One thing was for sure: it was still early, and she had enough ingredients to make it all more than once.
BEHIND THE SCENES:
Like Izzy, this is all true. I’ve been extremely intimidated by this recipe, but things are about to change. This year, I plan to whip up recipes that make me nervous or uncomfortable. First up, Pate à Choux dough.
Before I started, I watched a YouTube video with Jacques Pepin. Did you know that Pâte à Choux dough can be enjoyed in both savory and sweet recipes? Chef Jacques shared five ways to enjoy the one batch of dough he made.
So many possibilities.
Oh, I also used Paul Hollywood’s cookbook, Bake. Between Chef Paul and Chef Jacques, I’m happy to share that after two tries, we had delicious cream puffs because my Pate a Choux dough was right.
What I discovered is that the recipe is touchy. You must mix it enough and bake it long enough to dry the puffs.
It’s important to note that the recipe I used was a little bit of Jacques Pépin and a little bit of Paul Hollywood. I tried both of their techniques and then figured things out on my own.
If you’re curious about my failures, where everything went wrong, and why I plan to make Pate a Choux again...
Pate à Choux Puffs
Recipe by Terra Kelly
Prep: 15-25 minutes
Cook: 40 minutes
Makes: 12 puffs
Ingredients
2/3 cup (150 grams) tepid water
4 Tbsp (60 grams) butter
1 cup (120 grams) all-purpose flour
3 large eggs
Directions
In a medium saucepan, over medium heat, add water and butter. Melt the butter.
Once butter is melted, turn the burner to high and bring the water to a boil. As soon as it starts to boil, remove the pan from the heat and add the flour. Using a wooden spoon, stir the flour, water, and butter vigorously until they form a ball that slides away from the sides of the pan with ease. Next, place the dough in a bowl and cool for about five minutes.
Using a stand mixer or hand mixer, slowly add one egg at a time to the dough, mixing on medium speed.
After slowly adding all three eggs, continue mixing for 1-2 minutes. Test the dough by sticking the wooden spoon into it; when you pull the spoon out, the dough will slowly fall into a V-shape off the spoon. That’s how you know it’s ready.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Add parchment paper or Silpat to a sheet pan.
Add the dough to a pastry bag (or use a spoon), and pipe about a tablespoon of dough for each puff onto the prepared sheet pan.
Egg wash: Whisk one egg, then brush it lightly over each puff.
Bake the Pate à Choux puffs for 40 minutes. Then turn off the oven, open the door, and leave the puffs in for an additional 10 minutes.
Once the puffs have cooled, carefully open one to see the magic. They will be hollow on the inside. Perfect for ice cream or your favorite sweet treat.
Notes:
The puffs are best enjoyed on the first day and maybe the second. You want to store them in a container, but this will cause them to soften, and they are best enjoyed dried out.
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