Choux Pastry - Cream Puffs without a piping bag
Making Choux Pastry - Cream Puffs without a piping bag turns this classic dessert even more rustic, but also super quick. It is another dish that's proof not all French baking needs to be fussy or requires lots of tools to be created. These can easily be made ahead and finished off just prior to serving for dessert or an event.
Servings 12 medium cream puffs
Calories 145kcal
Ingredients
Choux pastry
- 70 grams / ½ cup bread flour
- 14 grams / 1 tablespoon superfine/caster sugar
- 130 milliliters / ½ cup + 1 teaspoon cold water
- 50 grams / 1.75 ounces butter cubed
- 90 grams / 2 medium eggs room temperature and lightly whisked
Chocolate sauce
- 80 milliliters / ⅓ cup double cream
- 50 grams / 1.75 ounces dark chocolate finely chopped
- 7 grams / 1 teaspoon honey
Cream filling
- 120 milliliters / ½ cup whipped cream
- 8 grams / 1 tablespoon confectioner’s/icing sugar
Instructions
Choux pastry
- Preheat the oven to 200ºC/390F and lightly grease a baking tray, pouring water over the top and taping to remove excess (you want water beads on the tray to create a steamy atmosphere during baking).
- Sift the flour into a small bowl and add the sugar. Set aside.
- Place the water and butter in a saucepan over medium heat until the butter has melted and the mixture has begun simmering.
- Remove from the heat and pour the sifted flour and sugar into the mixture, stirring swiftly with a wooden spoon to combine until the dough no longer sticks to the side of the saucepan.
- Add in ¼ of the beaten eggs and beat the dough until smooth, continue adding the eggs in the same manner until all have been combined.
- Take half a tablespoonful amount of the dough and shape into a ball with an opposing tablespoon and place onto the prepared baking tray, continue with the remaining dough and allowing 1 inch between the dough.
- Place in the oven and bake for 12 minutes.
- Increase the heat to 220ºC/430F, turn the tray around and bake for a further 12-17 minutes or until the pastries are lightly golden.
- Remove from the heat and place on a cooling rack, allowing to cool fully.
- Stir the whipped cream and sugar together until smooth.
- Slice a choux pastry open slightly near the base and carefully spoon a tablespoon of whipped cream into the center until all have cream therein.
Chocolate sauce
- Heat the double cream in a small bowl and over a double boiler or in a microwave until it’s smooth and hot, stir in the chocolate and honey until it is smooth.
- Drizzle the chocolate sauce over the tops of the cream puffs.
- Serve.
Video
Notes
- Bread flour: This gives the choux pastry their firm crust as it bakes. The protein in bread flour is higher than plain flour which helps form the famous crust that we're aiming for with our pastry.
- Chocolate: Melted chocolate compliments the cream puff beautifully and for a better result you'll want a block of chocolate as opposed to chocolate chips or baking chocolate which tends to be lower quality and have more additives.
- Honey: A little honey in the chocolate ganache as a depth of flavor and brings the entire chocolate sauce together. You could sub with maple syrup or golden syrup here instead, if you prefer.
- Consistent sizing: The biggest difficulty is consistent sizing - because you’re taking an eyeball amount out of the bowl (or saucepan) so try to be as steady with your portions as possible when spooning and shaping.
- Smooth out the tops of your pastry: This ensures the tops don't burn during baking and they rise more evenly as per piped pastries.
- Flavoring your cream filling: The cream puffs filled here are with plain old regular whipped cream, however, you can flavor your cream with anything from cocoa powder to freeze dried or crushed fruit. Begin flavoring your cream with 1 teaspoon of powder or 1 tablespoon of crushed fruit and add a little more at a time until you have your desired flavor.
Nutrition
Calories: 145kcal