How to make choux pastry at home? – Recipe with photo:

Take a saucepan or just a small saucepan with a thick bottom and pour milk and water into it. Add butter to the resulting mixture (it is better to first cut it into small pieces, so it will melt faster), as well as a pinch of salt and sugar.

Place the saucepan on low heat and, stirring the mixture from time to time, ensure that the butter completely melts. Bring the resulting solution to a boil.

While the mixture is boiling, be sure to sift 150 g of flour to get rid of possible lumps and impurities.

Pour all the sifted flour into the boiling oil solution.

Without removing the saucepan from the heat, actively stir the mass with a wooden spoon or spatula. Stir the mixture until all the flour is cooked and we form a homogeneous lump of dough that will lag behind the walls of the pan.

We transfer the resulting lump of dough into a container in which we will knead the choux pastry for eclairs and lightly knead it with a spoon, ensuring that the dough cools down to warm.

As soon as it cools down (check the temperature by touch - the choux pastry should be warm, but not burn), add the eggs to it. First, add 3 whole chicken eggs, one at a time. After each new egg, stir the dough very thoroughly until completely homogeneous.

First break the last fourth egg into a small bowl and lightly beat it with a fork. And already in this form we mix it into the choux pastry in small portions. You need to do this in order not to make a mistake with the consistency of the dough, since flour comes in different strengths, and eggs can also differ quite greatly in their weight. Therefore, you may not need a whole egg, but only half, or vice versa, if your eggs are small, then in order to make choux pastry at home you may need 5 or even 6 eggs. Therefore, you need to focus on the consistency of the dough! By the way, if you went too far with the number of eggs, and the dough turned out to be very liquid, under no circumstances add “raw” flour, this will only spoil the dough. The only way to save such a dough is to prepare the custard base again and thicken the batter with it!

The correct choux pastry for eclairs is smooth, shiny, moderately thick, and it flows out of a spoon like a heavy, wide ribbon. Well, that’s all, our choux pastry at home is ready.

We transfer it into a pastry bag or syringe, and if neither one nor the other is available, then use a thick bag or a brand new stationery file with a corner cut off.

Depending on the idea, we form eclairs, profiteroles or rings from the dough. Just don’t forget that choux pastry products expand quite a lot during baking, so be sure to leave 4-5 cm of free space between them.

We bake choux pastry products first at 200 C for 15 minutes (during this time the dough should rise and begin to brown slightly), after which we reduce the temperature to 160 C and dry the eclairs/profiteroles for another 20-25 minutes until they are completely cooked. Baking time may vary slightly depending on the features of your oven and, of course, the size of the products. During baking, we do not expose the products to a sharp temperature change, especially the first 20-25 minutes, as this may cause the eclairs to fall off. And it is also very important to completely bake the eclairs inside, since otherwise, after baking, they will also fall off and lose their appearance. As soon as the eclairs/profiteroles are ready, turn off the heat and slightly open the oven door, in this form we let the cakes cool until warm (this is not necessary, but if suddenly you haven’t finished baking the custards a little, then this method of cooling will help you finish cooking them) .

Fill the completely cooled eclairs/profiteroles with your favorite cream. In addition to the sweet version, eclairs can also be filled with savory fillings, for example, pates, mousses or even salads. Serve the filled eclairs to the table, preferably as quickly as possible. We hope that our recipe with photos gave you a comprehensive answer to the question of how to make choux pastry at home!

The main thing when working with choux pastry (as well as with many other types of dough) is strict adherence to the proportions of ingredients and cooking technology. This process must be brought to the point of automation, measured and prepared many times, only then will eclairs, profiteroles or “Shu” cakes turn out porous, airy, with a confident crust and a slightly salty taste.

Unfortunately, in our time, we have slightly forgotten the fact that choux pastry can be used to cook not only. Previously, small profiteroles were baked as a side dish for broths, to which grated cheese and aromatic herbs were added. Cooking books also contain recipes for pies made from choux yeast dough - they turn out fluffy, tender, with a smooth, shiny crust.

Features of choux pastry

This dough is called choux dough due to the fact that during its preparation the flour is brewed. For this, flour with a gluten content of 28-30%, oil and water are used. It is recommended to take flour and water in equal quantities, and half as much oil. From the point of view of confectionery technology, the preparation of choux pastry consists of the following stages: preparing the tea leaves, cooling it, adding eggs and kneading the dough, then molding the products and baking.

Welding flour allows the dough to retain a sufficiently large amount of liquid and at the same time keep its shape and not spread. The fact is that when flour is added to a boiling mixture of water, oil and salt, while mixing it, water shells are formed around the flour particles, allowing the starch to swell evenly. Later, during baking, thanks to the swollen starch, a crust quickly forms on the dough. At the same time, the moisture contained in it turns into steam and, restrained by this crust, increases the dough in volume (although then it still breaks through the outer crust, forming small cracks). This is why choux pastry products contain so many voids inside.

Cooking secrets

So, at the first stage of preparing the dough, water is mixed with oil and salt and brought to a boil while stirring. As soon as the mixture boils, add flour to it and, without removing the container from the heat, stir the tea leaves with a spatula until tender. If this is not done, the tea leaves will burn and a crust will form on it, which will negatively affect the quality of the products in the future. The main task at this stage is to evaporate excess liquid from the tea leaves, since it initially has a viscous consistency, and mix it thoroughly. A good finished brew should be homogeneous, the consistency should be quite elastic and without lumps, have a light color and easily pull away from the walls of the container.

The finished brew must be removed from the heat and cooled to 65-70 °C so that the eggs introduced into it do not curl. It is recommended to add eggs one at a time to better control the consistency of the dough.

When formulating dough or desserts, the weight of one egg is conventionally taken as 50 g; in practice, eggs can have different weights and be less or more than the established ideal. In this case, an increase in the mass of eggs in the choux pastry can lead to excess liquid and, as a result, fallen products, so eggs are introduced gradually. A dough consistency that is too thick is also not correct. In this case, the surface of the products will be torn, and they themselves will only slightly increase in volume.

The finished dough should flow from the spatula in the form of a triangle. The products themselves, depending on their type, are molded using a pastry bag with a round or toothed nozzle. Finished products are deposited directly onto sheets covered with baking paper and greased with oil or grease. If the sheets are not lubricated, the products will stick to them and tear when separated. If there is too much oil or fat, the products will blur and will not be able to rise fully.

Baking norm

Choux pastry products are baked for the first 12-15 minutes at a temperature of 220 °C, then at 190 °C. For cakes, baking time is 32-40 minutes, for cakes - up to 35 minutes. At a lower baking temperature, the products do not rise enough; at a higher temperature, they come out with tears on the surface. The main signs of product readiness are a light brown crust and elasticity (the product should not sag or fall off when pressed). Before filling the finished product with cream, it must be dried so that it does not settle during cooling, and only then cooled.

What are the main mistakes that can be made during the dough preparation process?

1. If the dough has too thin a consistency (insufficient flour brewing, too many eggs, using flour with weak gluten), then the products will not rise.

2. If the dough is excessively thick (increased proportions of flour, insufficient number of eggs, insufficient time for kneading the dough), then in this case the products will turn out with a torn surface.

Choux pastry requires some time to prepare, but in contrast, we can say about its undoubted advantage - tenderness and aroma. Choux pastry is used for different purposes, and the nuances of its preparation for various uses are described below.

Choux pastry for dumplings is prepared in a matter of minutes. You can also use the dough for dumplings with any filling.

You will need the following list:

• baking flour - 3 cups;
• boiling water - 1 ½ cups;
• table egg;
• butter 3 table. l.;
• salt (fine).

Mix half the flour with salt, sift into a deep bowl in which it will be convenient to knead the dough. In the center of the resulting slide we make a small depression and pour oil and water that has boiled by this time into it. Mix the dough with a spoon, trying to stir all the lumps.

Set the resulting mass aside to cool slightly, and in the meantime beat the egg in a separate bowl. Add it to the dough when the custard mixture has cooled a little, otherwise the egg may curl. Mix everything well.

Sift the other half of the flour onto the table and again make a well in the center. Place the dough into it and knead. Roll the well-kneaded dough into a ball, place it back in the bowl and cover with a damp towel. Let the dough rest for at least half an hour. You can leave it for 1-2 hours, but make sure that the fabric is constantly damp.

How to prepare for eclairs?

Almost everyone knows and loves sweet tender eclairs. They are not difficult to prepare at home.

Below we will tell you how to prepare choux pastry for eclairs:

• oil drain - 100 gr;
• baking flour - 1 cup;
• water - 1 cup;
• salt;
• eggs - 4.

Melt the butter in water, warming the mixture over low heat. Add salt and slowly bring to a boil. At this stage, add flour, stirring constantly with a spoon. The result is a soft choux pastry in just a few minutes. Remove the container with the dough from the stove and let it cool slightly, 10 minutes is enough. Next, beat in all the eggs one by one, stirring with a spoon.

For the eclair dough to be ready, bake for about 20-25 minutes. We focus on the delicious golden hue of the eclairs.

Cheburek dough recipe

Choux pastry for pasties, tender, tasty, light, is prepared from the following products:

• 1.5 stack. boiling water;
• ½ tsp. salt;
• 1 table. l. post oils;
• 4 stacks flour;
• egg.

Dissolve salt and butter in boiling water, add half a glass of flour and dilute it until the lumps dissolve. Allow the brewed mixture to cool, then sift the flour and beat in the egg last. Knead the dough - it should be soft, tender, and not stick to your hands or work surface.

Choux pastry for pancakes with milk

Custard pancakes are more tender and flavorful than simply mixing room temperature ingredients.

These pancakes are prepared from the following ingredients:

• 600 ml medium fat milk;
• 200 ml boiling water;
• 3 eggs;
• 300 g flour;
• 30 ml. fast. oils;
• a little salt and sugar;
• a pinch of baking soda.

First, beat the eggs and sugar thoroughly, increasing the speed of the mixer. In this case, the eggs should be cold - this way they will beat better. Next, boiling water and milk are added to the mass, and at the end flour is added. All products are added while continuously beating the mass. At the end, add a little oil and mix the mixture. The dough can be left to sit for 15-20 minutes, or you can immediately use the dough for pancakes by baking them in a frying pan.

For pies

Pies made with choux pastry turn out airy and tender. The dough is suitable for savory filling. For sweet pastries, add a little sugar at the first stage of cooking - about a level tablespoon.

• flour - 3 cups;
• hot water - 1 cup;
• post oil - 2 table. l.;
• salt - a couple of pinches.
• Step by step the dough is prepared as follows:
• To boil water.
• Dissolve salt in water.

Sift the flour in a bowl, make a well in the center, pour water into it and knead the dough - first with a spoon, then by hand. Leave for half an hour so that the flour gluten absorbs moisture.

Add oil, knead the dough. Use the dough for pies, rolls or pies.

Variation for manti

A simple, tender dough for manti, docile and elastic, is very easy to prepare yourself. It easily rolls out into a thin layer and does not tear when forming manti.

To prepare it you will need the following products:

• flour - 2-2.5 cups. (guide by consistency);
• water - 1 cup;
• salt - half a teaspoon. l.;
• post oil - 3 table. l.

The dough preparation scheme is similar to the previous ones - first the water is heated, then salt and oil are added to it, and flour is added last, after removing the pan from the stove. To begin with, half the flour is introduced, and then the dough is laid out on the table and kneaded with the second half. The finished ball of dough is wrapped in film or placed in a bag and placed in the refrigerator for half an hour or an hour while the filling is prepared.

For profiteroles

Profiteroles are delicious. a delicate confectionery product made from dough that can be stuffed with any filling and served either as a dessert for tea or as a snack for a feast.

Choux pastry for profiteroles is prepared from the following products:

• flour - ¾ cup;
• drain butter - 100 g;
• eggs - 3 large;
• water - 1 cup;
• salt, sugar - a pinch.

First, heat the water in a ladle. As soon as it boils, add salt, sugar, cut a piece of butter into cubes and also place in water.
Wait until the liquid boils again and sift the flour into it. Mix the ingredients with a spatula using quick movements. Remove the container from the stove and continue stirring until the ingredients are mixed together and the dough comes away from the bowl well. Leave to cool for a while.
After about a quarter of an hour, check the dough - if it is moderately warm, not hot, you can beat in the eggs and knead the dough. The consistency will be creamy. It will be convenient to place it in a sleeve and squeeze out small balls onto a baking sheet covered with paper. If you don’t have a sleeve, you can use a couple of wet spoons to form round balls of dough.

With added yeast

Yeast dough works well, making baked goods porous and airy.

• flour - 4 cups;
• water - a glass for yeast and a glass for dough;
• fresh yeast - 50 g;
• sugar - 1 table. l.;
• salt - 1 tsp;
• post oil refiner - 3 table. l.

One glass of water should be warm, and the second should be hot. In a warm place, dilute yeast, salt, sugar until completely dissolved. Then add oil and mix.
Separately, sift the flour into a bowl and pour the liquid into it. As in previous recipes, mix with a spoon, thoroughly kneading the lumps. The dough is ready for making pies or buns.

On a note. Fresh yeast can be replaced with dry yeast. Instead of 50 grams, you will need only 10 grams.

Shortbread choux pastry

Choux, slightly shortbread dough is an excellent option for subsequent baking of shortbread pies and cake layers.

The components of shortbread choux pastry are as follows:

• oil drain - 100 gr;
• wheat flour - 150 gr;
• granulated sugar - 1 table. l.;
• boiling water - 3 table. l.;
• fine salt - ½ tsp;
• non-fragrant vegetable oil - ½ table. l.

For mixing, it is recommended to use the mold in which the cake/pie will be baked. The above products are given in the quantities required for one small cake.
The first step is to combine both types of oil, water, sugar and salt. The form with the contents is placed in the oven at maximum temperature and brought to a boil. Afterwards the form is removed.
Sift flour into the hot mass and knead the dough, first with a spoon, then with your hands. The finished shortbread choux pastry does not need to be infused; it can be immediately used to prepare the crust or base of the pie. For baking, 20 minutes at 180 degrees is enough.

Put the water to boil, as soon as it starts to heat up, add the diced butter. When the mixture boils, pour it into the sour cream and flour mixture. Mix with a spoon, then with your hands. Based on the resulting consistency, you can add more flour. Wrap the resulting ball of dough in film and leave to rest for a while.

I think this type of test is the most magical. What happens to confectionery products made from it in the oven can only be called magic. They increase in size, become voluminous, airy and weightless like clouds. All these eclairs, profiteroles, rings and shu cakes - all this is choux pastry. For some reason, some people find it difficult. It's not like that at all. Just look at the detailed step-by-step recipe with photos of how it is made, try to cook it yourself at least once and you will love it and will definitely try all the possible baked goods from it.

Choux pastry step by step

The dough is called choux because the flour is poured into a hot mixture of water and butter, i.e. brewed. This must be done promptly, vigorously stirring the mass with a spatula. This is probably the most “difficult” moment. Then everything will be quite simple. However, let's take it in order.

Ingredients:

• water – 300ml;
• butter – 70g;
• wheat flour – 170g;
• eggs – 3-4 pcs;
• salt - a pinch;
• sugar - a pinch.

How to prepare choux pastry for eclairs - step-by-step recipe with photos

So, everything is ready! You can bake by squeezing the dough out of a pastry bag or spooning it out with a spoon, as written in the recipe for baking from it.

Choux pastry for eclairs according to GOST

The process is identical to the previous one, but I will still show the photo step by step. I don’t like to be categorical, but this recipe is the best. The consistency of the dough is perfect, and this is very important. You may be surprised that in the list of products I will indicate eggs not in pieces, as usual, but in grams. And this is the most important point of the recipe. If even an absolute beginner in cooking takes up the preparation of choux pastry and does everything strictly according to the GOST recipe, weighs the eggs, success is guaranteed.

Ingredients for 20 eclairs:

• water – 180ml;
• butter – 100g;
• flour – 200g;
• eggs – 300g;
• salt - a pinch.

Prepare choux pastry for eclairs according to GOST step by step

The cooking process itself is very similar to the previous one, you can simply follow it in the photographs below.

The only exception is the precisely adjusted amount of ingredients. Especially eggs. What is 300 grams? This is 5 pieces of large eggs. How to check? The weight of one egg is often indicated on the packaging. Usually it is 65-75 grams. It's in a shell. Without it, an egg weighs on average about 60 grams. Ideally, of course, it is better to take a culinary scale, place a bowl on it, minus its weight, break 4 eggs into it first, see how many grams you get, determine the weight of one and decide whether you need the fifth whole or take only the yolk from it. That's the whole secret.

Now another photo of the finished dough.

What can you bake from choux pastry?

So, print out the recipe and step-by-step photos of choux pastry for eclairs and more, experiment, bake, make yourself and your family happy.

Turn the heat down a little and add the flour, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. Cook the dough for a couple of minutes until it stops sticking to the walls and forms one fairly dense lump.

Cool the resulting dough slightly and add the eggs one at a time, kneading thoroughly after each one.

Using a teaspoon dipped in cold water, place the dough on a silicone mat (or parchment paper) and bake in the oven at 190 degrees until golden brown. It took me 30 minutes in my oven.

While the profiteroles are baking, let's make the filling. To do this, you need to whip the heavy cream, then add cane sugar, vanillin, cottage cheese and beat everything again. You should get a homogeneous creamy mass. Cut the cakes and fill with cream.

Before serving, sprinkle with powdered sugar. That's it, profiteroles with curd and cream filling are ready. Everything seems simple. But if you don’t know some of the nuances, the choux pastry won’t work. The first time I got flat pancakes that tasted like an omelette. The second time, the dough turned out to be too thick, and the profiteroles tasted like pancakes. For the third time, my fluffy and rosy profiteroles at the very end of cooking suddenly fell off and stuck together. And only the fourth time, taking into account all the mistakes made, I achieved the desired result.

10 rules for preparing choux pastry:

1. The first step in the process of preparing choux pastry is to turn on and preheat the oven to a temperature of 180 degrees. If the profiteroles, already prepared and placed on a baking sheet, are not immediately placed in the oven, then a crust will appear on their surface and they will not rise. Eggs should be at room temperature before cooking. If you start beating cold eggs from the refrigerator into the dough, it will cool too quickly and will not rise.
2. You need to add the flour all at once, not in parts. Otherwise, lumps will form in the dough and it will not brew properly.
3. After adding flour, the fire should not be turned off immediately. You need to heat the dough in the pan itself for several minutes, spreading it over the bottom with a wooden spatula and collecting it back.
4. The brewed dough needs to be cooled, but only slightly, before adding the eggs. The temperature should be 60-70 degrees. If there is no culinary thermometer, then we focus on our own feelings. A finger dipped into the dough should feel hot, but tolerable. If the temperature is too high, the egg white will curdle. And if it’s too low, the dough turns to stone and becomes crusty.
5. The number of eggs does not depend on the recipe, but on the size. Most choux pastry recipes suggest using 5 eggs per cup of flour. But if the eggs are large (country eggs), then there will be too many of them and the dough will become too liquid. Eggs need to be added one at a time and guided by the consistency of the dough. Properly prepared choux pastry has a consistency similar to very rich sour cream. After depositing on a baking sheet, it spreads slightly and rises well during baking, forming large cavities inside.
6. The eggs must be stirred into the dough using a wooden spatula by hand. Using a mixer speeds up the process, but spoils the dough: it becomes too liquid and “flows” during baking rather than rising.
7. If the dough turns out to be too liquid, you need to prepare a thicker dough and add liquid to it. Conversely, if the dough is too thick, you need to prepare a little batter, add it to the thick one and mix. Adding flour in the first case or another egg to the cold dough in the second, alas, will not improve the situation, but will only make it worse.
8. The size of the products should be small. If you put the dough in large spoons, it will bake before it rises. Therefore, the volume of a round cake should not exceed 1 teaspoon. Since the dough rises well, the distance between profiteroles should be at least 2 cm.
9. Before baking, the baking sheet should be greased with a very thin layer of oil. If there is too much oil, the products will spread, and cracks will form on the bottom crust, and if there is not enough oil, then they will stick and will have to be cut off with a knife (and thrown away). A silicone mat that does not need to be lubricated with anything is ideal in this regard.
10. To prevent the products from falling off during baking, the oven should be closed until the end of baking, and the products themselves should be cooked to a rich golden brown hue. If the profiteroles are taken out too early, they will fall off. To prevent this from happening, you can keep them in an open oven for 5 minutes, and only then take them out.

Proper choux pastry products are light, dry, and their surface is smooth and shiny. There is a large cavity inside the products, which is filled with various creams and fillings.

Bon appetit!

P.S. Profiteroles can be prepared for future use. They tolerate freezing well (without filling).