chouxpastry.co.uk

Choux pastry is a light dough pastry which originates as far back as 1540, invented by a chef named Panterelli. The dough was originally invented and also used to produce gateauxs. Over the years this pastry has developed and been modified in the way it is produced. The first gateaux made from this pastry were named after the originating chef, Pate a Panterelli. The next form of product made from this pastry were small cakes, unusually moulded in the shape of womens breasts, these were named, Pate a Popelin. The eighteenth century saw the creation of Choux Buns, the patisserie was name Avice, hence the name of choux pastry. The reason for the name choux being used was due to the buns created by Avice looking like cabbages which in French are termed choux. One notable chef who also made considerable adaptions to the recipe and also made many products using choux pastry was Antonie Careme.
Choux pastry is used for many products, which will be described later, for now, a simple recipie will be provided, and this one should be used for producing profiteroles. Profiteroles are one of the famous foods produced from the pastry and are a food adored all over the world, especially in France.
The preparation time for this pastry is less than thirty minutes, and the cooking time is approximately ten to thirty minutes.
The ingredients required are 260ml of milk, 1 table spoon of sugar, a pinch of salt, 100g of butter, 120g of plain flour and four eggs.
To begin, ensure that your oven is preheated to 220C, this ensures that the pastry can be cooked as soon as the preparation has been carried out.
Into a bowl place the milk, sugar, salt and butter, mix this together. Once mixed, place in a saucepan and heat gently, stirring the dough until the butter has melted.
Once the butter has melted, sieve the flour into the pan and stir the flour into the butter quickly. Once mixed in, ensure the heat is on low and beat the mixture together for around three to five minutes, ensuring no lumps are left after this.
The dough should now be a large smooth ball which comes off the side of the pan without any effort; this is a sign that the sough is ready.
Mix the eggs together in a separate bowl, once this is done, beat the eggs into the paste. The pastry should now be spooned into a piping bag so that it can be piped into shapes. Pipe small balls onto a baking tray which has been greased with butter. Place in the oven and cook for between twenty and twenty five minutes, they will be ready when golden brown and crisp. Once ready, remove from the oven and ensure the pastry is thoroughly cooled before eating or adding decoration.
The main foods produced with choux pastry are profiteroles and chocolate clairs. Although many other small pastries are made such as cakes and small buns.