Choux Au Craquelin (Crispy Cream Puff)

Choux Au Craquelin (or crispy cream puffs) are a classic French delicacy. Choux buns are baked with a crunchy craquelin layer on top, they're divine!

Prep Time40

Cook Time40

Waiting time1

Total Time2 20

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: French

Servings: choux buns

Calories: 118kcal

Ingredients

For the choux bun

60 g Unsalted butter 82% fat content
60 g Water
60 g Whole milk
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon Granulated sugar
70 g Bread flour high protein content flour, eg. 13%
110 g Egg Approx 2 eggs. Room temperature. Might need slightly more or less, see tips

For the craquelin

100 g Unsalted butter Room temperature
100 g Cane sugar
100 g All purpose flour

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

Craquelin disk

Cream room temperature butter and sugar together for a few minutes, then add the sifted flour. Cream for a few more minutes. If the mixture is too soft place it into the freezer for a few minutes for the butter to harden a bit before proceeding to rolling
Roll the dough out to 2mm thick in between two perforated baking mats, then place the rolled-out sheets into the freezer for a minimum of one hour.

Choux buns

Heat the butter, water, milk, salt, and sugar together in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir to dissolve, and bring to a simmering point.
As soon as the mixture starts to boil, remove it from the heat, and add the sifted flour in one go. Whisk vigorously with a Rubber spatula until it forms one smooth ball and flour bits are not visible.
Place the saucepan back on the stove and cook the dough for about 3 minutes over medium heat, mixing constantly. It is ready when a skin forms on the bottom of the saucepan.
Transfer the dough to a bowl or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and let it cool slightly before starting to mix the egg in. Only add a small amount of egg at a time, consistently whisking after each addition to let it incorporate. Stop when the mixture is glossy and silky and forms a V when slowly dropping off the whisk.
Transfer the mixture to a piping bag fitted with a round nozzle, pipe 20 equal-sized buns on the baking mat, and place the tray into the freezer for a minimum of 10 minutes.
Take the craquelin sheet out from the freezer, peel off the mats, and cut out 20 circles with a cookie or pastry cutter. They need to be slightly larger in diameter than the choux buns.
Take the choux buns out of the freezer and place one craquelin disk on top of each one. The craquelin disk should be frozen and very firm at this point; work quickly to avoid it melting.
Put the tray of choux au craquelin back into the freezer for 15 minutes.
Pre-heat oven to 200C/392F
Lower the oven temperature to 170C/338F and bake the choux au craquelin for 40 minutes. Do not open the oven door in the first 30 minutes. They are ready when golden brown in color, nicely puffed up, and do not deflate at room temperature.
Cool the choux au craquelin on the perforated air mat or, if baked on parchment paper, cool on a wire rack before filling or storing them.

Notes

INGREDIENT NOTES:

Measure your ingredients with a Digital scale for accuracy
Use high protein content bread flour for the best results, I use 12% protein content flour.
Do not skip the salt; it has a special function while baking choux pastry
Use lightly whisked room-temperature eggs while preparing the dough
For the craquelin, use cane sugar for best results.

TECHNIQUE NOTES:

While heating the milk, water, butter, salt, and sugar mixture, make sure that the sugar and salt fully dissolve.
Do not skip sifting flour, or the dough can be lumpy.
Please note that you might need slightly more or less egg - and that is normal - depending on the flour you use and how much you dried the mixture while cooking it. Pay very close attention to the consistency while mixing the egg in and apply the V shape test.
Leave enough space in between each choux bun on the tray, as they will puff.
If the craquelin dough gets too sticky when rolling it out, place it into the freezer for a minute before continuing.
It is essential to freeze the choux au craquelin before baking; do not skip this step.
If you have never used a piping bag and piping nozzle before, it is worth practicing before!
I strongly advise using a digital oven thermometer to ensure you are baking at the correct oven temperature.
While baking, do not use the fan setting on your oven as it can encourage cracks in your choux buns, and do not open the oven door for the first 30 minutes.
It is a good idea to take one choux bun out of the oven at 40 minutes and check its consistency. If it does not deflate after 1 minute, the others are likely to be well-baked and done.

Storage

Allow the buns to cool completely before storing or filling. Store unfilled choux au craquelin in an airtight container for 2-3 days. Choux au craquelin are best enjoyed fresh and will not store well once filled. Similarly, do not freeze baked choux au craquelin (filled or unfilled), as they will go soggy.

Nutrition