Have you ever made choux pastry? If not, now is your chance to try out a new technique. If you are an old hand then you can lend us your wisdom, share the results and perfect your techniques. Some say its easy to make choux - but to achieve the perfectly light and crisp result isn’t quite straightforward.
One of the the most famous uses for choux pastry is probably the chocolate eclair. But of course, choux pastries can be either sweet or savoury. They can also be made dairy free and gluten free.
Here is advice from Heston Blumenthal (famous for his scientific approach to cooking and for molecular gastronomy):
Here are two recipes by for reference, by Ruby Tandoh. The dairy free doughnuts look interesting:
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeand...x-pastry-recipe-eclairs-doughnuts-ruby-tandoh
And here is an example of dairy free and gluten free choux pastry:
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeand...-free-coffee-vanilla-creme-patissiere-eclairs
So its over to you to cook along - add your images and comments to this thread. Post any full recipes as new threads (with a link back here), please.
And good luck! I made a chocolate profiteroles back in the 80’s which I think were sort of OK but went a bit soggy. So - I'm certainly no expert here. Deadline: midday 31st March (GMT)
One of the the most famous uses for choux pastry is probably the chocolate eclair. But of course, choux pastries can be either sweet or savoury. They can also be made dairy free and gluten free.

Here is advice from Heston Blumenthal (famous for his scientific approach to cooking and for molecular gastronomy):
Heston Blumenthal: https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2003/apr/05/foodanddrink.shopping2One of the most important points to follow when making choux pastry is to add the flour to the mix in one go. This is because gluten - the stuff in flour that can make dough tough and elastic - is activated by water. If the flour is added gradually to the fat and water mix, the first flour added will take up a lot more water than that added at the end. As a result, the first batch of flour will develop the gluten much more than any that is added later. This uneven gluten development will make the dough more elastic in some places than in others, so it will not rise evenly.
It is equally essential that the choux buns are crisp and cooked through. Too much gluten and the dough will not expand sufficiently under the evaporating steam to create the light profiteroles that we want; too little gluten and the dough will expand too quickly and end up bursting the buns.
Another problem with profiteroles is that they go soft pretty quickly. Traditionally, the buns are made a day or two in advance, then allowed to dry out, but I'd suggest drying them out overnight in a low oven.
Here are two recipes by for reference, by Ruby Tandoh. The dairy free doughnuts look interesting:
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeand...x-pastry-recipe-eclairs-doughnuts-ruby-tandoh
And here is an example of dairy free and gluten free choux pastry:
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeand...-free-coffee-vanilla-creme-patissiere-eclairs
So its over to you to cook along - add your images and comments to this thread. Post any full recipes as new threads (with a link back here), please.
And good luck! I made a chocolate profiteroles back in the 80’s which I think were sort of OK but went a bit soggy. So - I'm certainly no expert here. Deadline: midday 31st March (GMT)
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