Super Simple Éclairs and Profiteroles (Wheat Free)

Bonjour, mes amis! Aimez-vous des éclairs, et des profiteroles? Here is a super simple way to remember how much of each ingredient to use in the pastry, and a delicious recipe for chocolate topping.

Choux pastry is one of those things that every baker has to have up their sleeve, like cake, biscuits, and shortcrust pastry; it's a bakery staple. Despite its versatility and pervasiveness, every tutorial online makes choux pastry seem way more complicated than it is.

The basic fomula or choux pastry is for one medium egg, use one ounce (30 grammes) of butter, one ounce (30 grammes) of plain flour, and also two fluid ounces (60 millilitres) of water. Very, very simple. And the method only uses on saucepan and three steps. Again, very, very simple.

You can pipe the pastry into fingers or round buns to fill with whipped cream and top off with chocolate. You could also use this recipe for making crullers or churros, which are also delicious. I think I might

INGREDIMENTS

Makes roughly 12 ounces (340 grammes) of pastry, which made 10 profiteroles and 6 éclairs

• 2 medium eggs
• 2 ounces (55 grammes) butter
• 2 ounces (55 grammes) white spelt flour
• 4 fluid ounces (115 millilitres) water

For filling and topping

• 8 fluid ounces (230 millilitres) whipping cream
• ½ teaspoon (3 millilitres) vanilla essence
• 2 teaspoons (10 millilitres) icing sugar
• 4 ounces (115 grammes) plain chocolate
• 2 ounces (55 grammes) butter
• 1 fluid ounce (30 millilitres) milk

METHOD

To make the choux buns,

• Preheat your oven to 200°C (400°F, Gas Mk.7), and cut a piece of non-stick paper to fit a flat tray baking tray.
• Sieve the flour onto a piece of paper, and then sieve it out onto the same piece of paper again. Sieving it twice will make it super light.
• In a saucepan, cook the water and butter together until it comes to the boil. Once it boils, remove from the heat and add all the flour at once, stirring all the time until it turns into a paste.
• Return to the heat and cook for roughly a minute until it turns into a ball that leaves the saucepan clean. Take off the heat and allow to cool for about two to three minutes.
• While the paste is cooling a little, beat the eggs together in a glass or jug.
• Using a wooden spoon, add the egg into the paste in four additions, beating after each addition until the egg is completely incorporated. Once all the egg is added, you'll have a nice smooth, thick mixture.
• Fit a piping bag with a half-inch round nozzle (1 centimetre) and fill it with the pastry mixture. Pipe into little mounds, or lengths, or anything you want to do.
• Bake on the centre shelf for 25 to 30 minutes, or until super light, crispy, and golden brown.
• Transfer to a wire rack, and allow to sit until cool enough to handle.

Now, fill and coat

• Whip the cream with the vanilla essence and icing sugar until it holds firm peaks. Cut the buns open lengthways, making sure to not cut completely through so there's a hinge.
• Divide the whipped cream among all the buns, then pop in the fridge for about 10 minutes to set.
• To make the chocolate topping, melt together the chocolate, butter, and milk in either a double boiler, or in the microwave on the 'Defrost' setting for a minute at a time. Melt, stirring, until it becomes a shiny, glossy, sauce.
• Dip the éclairs and profiteroles in the topping, then let set in the fridge for at least 20 minutes before eating.

THIS TIME IN 2014: How NOT to Make Hazelnut Ice-Cream
THIS TIME IN 2013: Soda Bread with Oats and Sunflower Seeds (Wheat Free)
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