Discover the art of olive oil choux pastry! This light and flavorful twist on the classic French choux pastry uses the 'liquid gold' of olive oil, imparting a unique aroma while making it lighter and crispier. With a bit of practice and patience, you can master this versatile dough, turning it into an endless variety of sweet and savory delights, from classic profiteroles to chocolate eclairs.
1 stand mixer whisk attachment, or hand mixer with the beater attachments (not the wire whisk)
1 medium saucepan
1 wooden spoon
1 large piping bag with large tips
Ingredients
3 ½tbspextra virgin olive oil
½cupwater
¾cupwhite flourall purpose is fine
3wholeeggs
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 400° Fahrenheit (210° Celsius). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a medium-sized saucepan, combine water, olive oil, and a pinch of salt (optional). Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat.
3 ½ tbsp extra virgin olive oil, ½ cup water
Once boiling, add in all the flour at once. Stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until the mixture dries out some, forms a ball and pulls away from the sides of the pan. This should take about a minute.
¾ cup white flour
Transfer the dough to your KitchenAid (or other stand mixer) bowl and let the dough cool slightly. Fit the stand mixer with the whisk attachment. Alternatively, use the paddle attachment if you prefer. This is not an overly thick dough, and so we prefer the results that the whisk attachment produces.
Start the stand mixer on low speed. Start adding the eggs, one at a time, ensuring each egg is fully incorporated before adding the next. Increase the speed to medium (speed 4-6) as you add each egg. Continue to beat the mixture on medium speed until the dough is shiny, smooth and thick.
3 whole eggs
Now we are ready to shape or pipe our choux pastry! Fit a piping bag, fitted with a large round tip. Fill the bag with the dough, and pipe small mounds (profiteroles) or short oblong ropes (eclairs) onto your prepared baking sheet.
Place the baking sheet in the preheated oven and bake for 25 minutes, or until the choux pastry puffs up and turns golden brown. It's crucial not to open the oven door during the initial baking phase as this could cause the choux pastry to deflate.
Let the baked pastries cool completely on a baking rack before adding filling to them.
There are two ways to fill your eclairs or puffs. 1) Slice each open horizontally and fill with the filling of your choice or 2) Fill a pastry bag with whatever filling you desire and pipe the filling into the eclair or puff. See NOTES for details!
Notes
Best to Weigh IngredientsWe try to provide volume measurements because we know some of you don't own a kitchen scale. It's best however to weigh ingredients for recipes like this. Choose 'metric' to see the measurements by weight. A kitchen scale is inexpensive and an must-have kitchen tool, so we recommend buying one if you don't have one already.How to Fill Eclairs or Profiteroles/Puffs
Start by ensuring your eclairs or puff pastries are fully cooled to prevent the filling from melting.
Prepare your pastry bag with the appropriate filling tip. Usually, a small to medium-sized plain round or Bismarck tip works well for this task.
Fill your pastry bag with the desired filling. If it's too thick, it may not pipe well, so make sure your filling has a smooth, pipeable consistency.
For eclairs, make two or three small holes along the bottom using a small knife or skewer. For puff pastries, you can make one hole at the bottom or split them in half, depending on your preference.
Insert the tip of the pastry bag into each hole and gently squeeze until you feel resistance or see some of the filling emerge. This indicates the eclair or puff pastry is filled.
Once all your pastries are filled, you can dust them with powdered sugar, dip them in glaze, or leave them as they are, depending on your recipe.
Remember, practice makes perfect, so don't worry if your first few attempts don't turn out as expected. You'll get the hang of it!