Choux Pastry is famous light French pastry. A good choux pastry is one which has a hollow that can be filled with cream.To get perfect choux make sure to measure the ingredients very carefully and follow the method as mentioned below.
Many recipes you will find online will have 4 eggs added in it and it's baked at 200°C but here I used my own assessment and came out with my own measurements and method which led to a perfect hollow choux.
I used 3 eggs instead of 4 as it gave me perfect batter and baked at 180°C. Initially I tried baking at 200°C but it resulted in burnt bottom with raw batter inside so I recommend baking it at 180°C.
Just be careful about measurements as it is very important and follow the steps as mentioned to get perfect choux.
Serves: 25-27 choux pastries
INGREDIENTS
Choux pastry
200 ml water
125 ml milk
125 gm all-purpose flour (1/2 cup)
2 tsp sugar
6 tbsp butter
3-4 eggs (I used 3 large eggs)
1/2 tsp salt if using unsalted butter
Chantilly Cream
1 cup whipping cream
1/4 cup icing or powdered sugar
if using cream with added sugar add only 2 tbsp of sugar
METHOD
1. Sift flour and keep aside.
2. Mix together water and milk. Add sugar, butter and salt (if using unsalted butter). Keep flame low and stir it till butter melts completely.
3. Once it reaches boiling point, remove it from heat and add sifted flour at one go and vigorously fold the flour into it using wooden spatula until homogeneous.
4. Keep it back on low heat. Make sure not to increase the flame during complete process.
5. Now cook this on low flame till it start leaving the sides of pan and only some of the dough sticks to the pan and you will see butter will start releasing the oil, this process took me around 10-15 minutes.
6. Refer the picture no.4 for clear idea on how the batter should look before adding eggs. It will be non-sticky, shiny and will come together. Turn off the flame at this point.
7. Let it cool down completely. This too is an important step, so make sure not to add eggs in hot batter. Pre-heat oven at 180°C.
8. Once batter is cool down completely add one egg at a time, incorporating each into the batter using wooden spatula. Adding one egg at a time will give you smooth batter.
9. Most of the people add 4 eggs but I added 3 eggs as the batter was holding it's shape well. Here you have to be little judgemental on how much eggs to be added. If you feel batter is very thick after adding 3 eggs go for one more, make sure the batter is not liquidy or it will not hold the shape while piping on baking tray.
10. Pour this in piping bag using large 1/2 inch (1 cm) round tip. Place parchment paper on baking tray and sprinkle little water (just a splash) on it and start piping the dough into 1 inch (3 cm) circles.
11. Wet your tip of the finger with water and gently push down the pointy tips of the batter, this will stop the burning from top.
12. Bake it in the oven at 180°C for 25-30 minutes or till it's brown and puffed.
13. Prick each choux pastry with a toothpick or skewer to release the steam and let it cool down completely.
For Chantilly Cream
1. Whip cream till soft peaks are formed. Add powdered sugar and mix well.
2. Fill this in piping bag with a small plain tip to pipe the cream into choux from the bottom of it.
3. As you start filling the cream in choux you will feel the vacuum and that's the sign of best hollow choux.
4. You can even check the hollowness by cutting choux from the center as shown in pic.
Pictorial:
1. Mix water and milk. Add butter, sugar and salt to it. Keep the flame low and let it come down to boiling point.
2. Once reaches boiling point, remove from fire and add flour at one go and mix it very quickly. Keep it back on the low fire.
3. Using wooden spoon keep stirring the dough.
4. Once dough is combined very well comes together like this and release little oil, it means it's done for next step.
5. Remove from the fire and starting adding eggs one at a time. Mix well.
6. Add another egg, mix well.
7. Transfer in piping bag.
8. This is the nozzle I used for piping batter.
9. Place parchment paper. Sprinkle little water over parchment paper. Pipe the batter.
10. Wet your fingertip with water and press down the tip.
11. Pre-heat oven at 180°C.
12. Bake for 25-30 minutes.
13. Using toothpick take out the air from pastry. Let it cool down to room temperature.
14. Whip cream adding some sugar.
15. Fill the pastry from the bottom of it. While filling the pastry you will feel the pressure of cream going inside and that's the sign of good hollow pastry.
16. Before filling cream you can even check the hollowness by cutting it.
17. Choux pastry filled with cream.
18. You can see how much cream is filled due to hollowness.
19. Enjoy!