Profiteroles (Cream Puff Pastry)

Here’s the step by step on how to make the cream puff shell!

First, heat up the milk, butter, and salt in a saucepan over medium heat.

Once it is reached a boil and bubbly, dump in 1 cup of flour. Quickly mix and beat the batter with a wooden spoon until it comes together.

Crack 4 eggs into a bowl and transfer the dough mixture to a stand mixer with a paddle attachment.

With the speed on medium high, beat the dough while adding the eggs one at a time. Once all of the eggs are in, put the speed on high and stop when the whole mixture comes together.

Use a rubber spatula to scoop into a piping bag with a round tip. Pipe into 2inch rounds. If there is a pointy tip that comes after lifting up the piping bag, wet your fingers to push the tip down to form nice, smooth, rounded top.

Bake at 425 on the bottom rack for about 20 minutes until the tops are golden brown. Instead of taking them out right away, turn the stove off and leave the oven door open. This will allow the puffs to slowly encounter the cold outside air and therefore, keep their shape. If they go from too hot of a temperature to all of a sudden cold, they can deflate.

The deflated puff is on the left which I took out right away. The puffs on the tray have been left on the oven racks with the oven door slightly open to slowly cool.

Allow them to completely cool before filling with pastry cream, fruit, or whipped cream!

Cream Puffs (Profiteroles)

recipe from Ina Garten, Food Network

1 c milk

1/2 c unsalted butter

pinch salt

1 c all purpose flour

4 large eggs

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F

Heat the milk, butter, and salt over medium heat until scalded. When the butter is melted, add all the flour and beat it with a wooden spoon until the dough forms. Cook over low heat for two minutes until the flour begins to coat the bottom of the pan. Dump the dough into a food processor and pulse, adding the eggs one by one until it is fully incorporated into the dough.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Spoon mixture into a pastry bag and pipe mounds 1 in-1 1/2 in, depending how big you want them. If the dough has a pointed top, wet your pinger to push it down. Bake for 20 min or until light to golden grown. Set it aside to cool completely before filling.