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

FAQs

What is the secret to Puff Pastry? ›

Always preheat your oven for a minimum of 15-20 minutes before baking, because Puff Pastry depends on even heat to rise and puff. Place pastries 1 inch apart. If you want a flaky thin and crispy pastry that's not very puffy, prick the unbaked Puff Pastry all over with a fork, which lets steam escape while baking.

Most recipes either call for water or milk. I find that using water keeps the pastry hard while milk makes it soft after a few hours, but water makes the pastry taste super bland while milk give it a very nice taste. So, I use both! Half milk, half water.

There are multiple reasons why cream puffs may deflate. The first cause is undercooking. When preparing dough on the stovetop, be sure to keep cooking and stirring until a film forms on the bottom of the saucepan. Another cause of flat cream puffs is lowering the temperature during baking.

To bake the puffs: Bake the puffs for 10 minutes, then turn the temperature down to 350 degrees F and bake for 30 minutes more. You'll know the puffs are baked when you can peel them away from the paper easily (bake longer, if necessary).

Egg wash is the most reliable but it can be very thick and sticky. Milk wash will go on more evenly but it can soak into pastry and make it weaker. Melted butter works nicely after the crust has set but it can make the crust greasy and weaker.

If your cream puffs are moist inside after baking, this is because they did not bake long enough. In addition, the puffs need to dry out on the inside after baking.

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.

Lightly dust the top of each cream puff with powdered sugar just before serving (the sugar will dissolve in the refrigerator if not served right away). Enjoy! Store cream puffs in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days or freeze for several weeks.

Why did my cream puffs collapse? If the puffs collapse it means there was too much moisture in them. So either you did not dry the dough enough, or they were not cooked enough. To avoid this I recommend drying the dough really well (see below) and cracking the door of the oven open when the choux are baked.

Bread flour has a higher gluten content than AP Flour.

Bread flour does result in profiteroles and eclair shells that are more sturdy, and hold their shape better. So for that reason I prefer using bread flour to make my eclairs.

What to do if cream puff batter is runny? ›

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).

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.

Water and butter: fats provides tenderness to the cream puff. However, too much fat will interfere with gluten production making your cream puff collapse. It is important to bring the water and butter mixture to a full boil before adding the flour as heat is necessary to swell the starch granules in the flour.

The keys to ensuring that you get crisp, flaky layers from your pastry are concerned with temperature and handling. Pastry should be at room temperature for rolling (to make it more pliable), but chilled before baking (so the buttery layers remain separate).

Temperature is a key factor in baking up puff pasty that actually puffs. Set the oven dial too low, and the pastry is likely to fall flat. Follow this tip: As a rule of thumb, a higher oven temperature (400°F is ideal) results in puff pastry with a higher rise.

Always cut Puff Pastry straight down, never on an angle, to prevent layers from sticking together and inhibiting the rise. Cut up and down, and don't drag the knife. You can brush an egg-wash glaze (1 egg plus 1 tsp. water) over the Puff Pastry to create a rich, golden sheen when baked.

Cold butter — To get the distinct, crispy layers in your pastry, the butter must be cold. When the bits of butter melt in the oven as the pastry bakes, it leaves you with air pockets, making the dough airy and flakey.