Easy 20 Minute Cream Puff Recipe - Sizzling Eats (2024)

FAQs

Is milk or water better for cream puffs? ›

Milk produces puffs that brown faster, thanks to the milk's proteins and sugars, which can be especially helpful when baking smaller choux puffs that need to brown sufficiently in a shorter amount of time.

The puffs can be soft for the same reasons they can collapse, i.e. too much humidity. To make sure this does not happen to you be sure to dry the dough enough until it detaches from the pan after you added the flour, and bake them until golden brown.

Yes they do. They can stay out for about 4 hours but then need to be refrigerated. How long will the cream puffs be good for? We usually recommend consuming the cream puffs the same or next day, after 2 days they will start to become soggy, especially if your refrigerator has a lot of humidity in it.

Choux pastries (i.e. cream puffs, eclairs, etc.) won't rise if the oven temperature is too low. For the pastries to rise properly, the temperature needs to be really high at first so that the steam builds up inside of the dough and causes them to rise and hollow out.

The perfect cream puff begins with the perfect pâte à choux. This traditional French pastry is first cooked on the stove top before the warm dough gets transferred to a pastry bag and piped onto baking sheets to be finished in the oven.

Another option is to wrap each puff shell in an airtight bag, place them in a tray, and then refrigerate or freeze them. Last, reheat the cream puff shells at 300 degrees Fahrenheit for five minutes to restore their crispiness.

The Flour: Choux can be made with a range of wheat flour types. Some cooks prefer low-protein cake or pastry flour for the delicate choux puffs they can create, while others swear by high-protein bread flour for the sturdier choux it produces.

Choux Pastry can be used in anything from cream puffs, profiteroles, and eclairs to churros, croquembouche, French cruller donuts, choux beignets, and gougères! It only takes about 10 minutes to prepare and the options for filling and shaping are endless.

Remove from the oven and immediately prick or place a small slit on the lower side of each puff with the tips of a sharp knife. Turn off oven and return puffs to the oven. Leave the door open slightly and allow the puffs to dry out for 10 to 15 minutes.

Cream puffs usually collapse for one of the following reasons: Your oven wasn't properly preheated or is not at the right temperature. High heat is critical for getting these puffs to rise and bake up structurally sound. You opened the oven door during the baking process.

Why are my cream puffs heavy? ›

In fact, if you don't use enough eggs the dough will remain heavy and gluey. You should add as many eggs to your dough as possible! Make these (amazing) cream puffs and picture the lakes of Minnesota when you do.

The document discusses common faults that can occur when making choux pastry and their potential causes and remedies. The five faults listed are: mixtures being too soft, pastry not rising and having a solid texture after baking, sinking after removal from the oven, pastry being too thin, and pastry being too thick.

Choux pastry tastes eggy: This is normal, for the most part! Choux pastry is mostly eggs, so you're definitely going to taste them here. If you're really tasting the eggs, then you may have added them in the while the dough is too warm.

If your batter ended up being too runny, possibly you have added a little too much eggs. To fix this, cook a paste using roughly half the choux recipe (water, milk, flour, butter similar to how you started).

The Liquid: You can use water or milk, or a combination of the two. Water allows you to bake either hotter or longer (or both) without as much risk of the choux over-browning, while milk, thanks to its extra proteins and sugars, leads to a more rapidly browned crust.

1 cup 2% milk (you can also use skim or whole milk, but it will effect the flavor and crispness of your cream puff.)

Eggs. Eggs are a leavening agent and the yolks add fat for a tender and light texture. The yolks also act as an emulsifier for a smooth and even texture in the finished product. Egg proteins add to the structure of the cream puff.