Choux puffs, Franscisco Migoya
Two things I learnt from this recipe:
– Transferring the choux batter to a piping bag and using that to pipe into another piping bag eliminates air pockets
– Misting the choux with oil before baking will eliminate ripping and create evenly shaped choux
– Cooling the choux dough allows it to be piped neater
This choux had custardy insides, and were hard after being refrigerated with pastry cream inside. The baking time is incredibly long – 35 minutes at 160C, or until full onset of Maillard (What does that mean?) and then a further 25-30 minutes with the oven door ajar. The choux started to brown too fast and I had to turn the temperature to 125C for the drying round of baking. Also, the bottoms were caved in, I’m not sure if that’s normal.
Here’s where I deviated from the recipe. Thought I would have learnt by now!:
– Substituted milk in place of the milk powder and water
– Not freezing the choux before baking (frozen and defrosted ones turned out more puffed and less custardy on the inside)
– Not cooling it immediately in the ice bath (about 5 minutes wait in room temperature)
The main reason I wanted to try this recipe is because it produces such evenly shaped choux. I will be trying Pichet Ong’s recipe next due to the shorter baking time, and also attempt to freeze the unbaked piped choux dough.
Update: I tried Pichet Ong’s choux, they are dengerously delicious.
Pate a Choux
Franscisco Migoya
Recipe here
Lemon Chocolate Salt 
no photos!?
i was severely tempted to try it as well but it just seems like so much work! was it completely hollow inside as he promised? i was on this choux baking spree once because the insides of my eclairs were always slightly webbed.
maillard reaction is basically the caramelisation (or in this context, browning of the bakes) happening at a lower than normal temperature. from the bread maker’s apprentice: “when sugar reaches 325f, it beings to harden and darken [i.e. it caramalises … ]; their molecules recombine in various combination with other ingredients, including proteins. in certain configuration, these sugar-protein bond brown at a lower temperature. this is known as the maillard reaction.”
Photos up! Hmm, the insides were claggy
I’ll be trying this again, realised the batter didn’t have enough egg. Is it even possible to get completely hollow choux?
According to Migoya’s blog, it’s possible. He goes as far as to say that you’re only a good pastry chef is you can make “an eclair that is evenly tubular and completely hollow”.
Grrr, what are we doing wrong!
So he did. Try try again! Because of the humidity, choux lose their crispness really fast. Apparently a higher ratio of water to milk makes a crisper shell.