After an intense quarter final episode of clangers and spectacular Savoy cakes, we said goodbye to series 8 favourite, Liam. That leaves Steven, Stacey, Sophie and Kate to battle it out in a patisserie filled semi-final!
There are so many patisserie puddings, we had difficulty choosing which one we would like to bake this week! In the end we have opted for the classic choux pastry, which is used to make eclairs and profiteroles.
You will need:
- 150g plain flour
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 100g unsalted butter
- 4 eggs
Now you have all your ingredients, it’s time to start making your choux pastry.
First, sieve the flour, sugar and salt onto greaseproof paper.
Put the butter and 250ml of water into a saucepan and bring to the boil. Once the water has began to boil, quickly slide the flour mixture off the paper and into the pan, stirring well.
Now take the saucepan off the heat and begin to beat the mixture with a wooden spoon until it forms a ball and cleanly pulls away from the sides of the pan.
Take the eggs and beat them together in a bowl. Now beat the eggs into the rest of the mixture (still off the heat), a little at a time until the mixture is smooth.
Depending on whether you are wanting to make eclairs or buns, pipe or spoon the mixture onto a greased baking tray. For eclairs, you pipe fingers and for buns you can either shape the mixture with a spoon or pipe mounds onto the tray.
Turn your oven to 200C (fan 180C or gas mark 6) and bake until golden brown. For eclairs this should take 20-25 minutes and buns should take 30-35 minutes. Once they are baked, bring them out the oven and make a small hole in the underside of each bun to release any steam and set aside to cool on a wire rack.
Once you pastry has cooled, all that’s left to do is add the cream, chocolate or filing of your choice!
