1. How to make puffs delicious
1. When making puffs, be sure to scald the flour. Boiled starch gelatinizes and absorbs more water. At the same time, the gelatinized starch has the property of wrapping the air. During baking, the moisture in the dough becomes water vapor, forming a strong steam pressure, which stretches the dough and forms bulging puffs.
2. When making puff dough, you must not add eggs to the batter at one time, because the water absorption and gelatinization degree of flour are often different, and the amount of eggs required is also different. The egg mixture should be added in batches until the puff dough reaches a perfect dry and wet level, that is, the puff dough is stirred up with a wooden spoon to form the batter, the batter is in the shape of an inverted triangle, the tip is about 4cm away from the bottom, and the shape can be maintained without dripping. fall.
3. Spray a little water before baking to make the batter expand better. Because after putting it in the oven, the surface will start to dry at the earliest, and then the temperature inside will start to expand. If the outer skin is too dry and hard, it will not be able to expand, so wetting the surface first can prevent it from drying out too quickly. , the egg wash is the same effect.
4. The temperature and time of baking the puffs are also very critical. At the beginning, it is baked at a high temperature of 200-220 degrees, so that the water vapor inside the puff quickly bursts out and the puff dough expands. After the expansion and setting, you can switch to 180 degrees to dry the moisture of the puffs, so that the puffs will not collapse after they are out of the oven. As for whether it is set, you can see whether oil bubbles appear on the surface of the puffs. When the oil bubbles no longer appear, it means that the shape is roughly set, and then continue to bake until the skin is golden and crispy.
5. During the baking process, the oven must not be opened before the puffs are expanded, because the expanding puffs will collapse if the temperature drops sharply. You can observe through the oven door glass, and the surface of the batter no longer has tiny blisters, it means the baking is done.
6. The filling of the puffs is best to be eaten and filled immediately, otherwise it will affect the crispy texture of the outer skin. Unfinished puffs can be bagged and frozen in the refrigerator. When you want to eat, take them out and bake for 5-6 minutes and then bake the skins until crispy.
Second, tips for making puffs
1. Should puffs be made with high-gluten flour or low-gluten flour?
High-gluten, low-gluten or all-purpose flour can be used to make puffs. However, the low-gluten flour has a high starch content. In theory, after gelatinization, the water absorption is large, and the expansion power is stronger. The puffs made under the same conditions will expand more. Of course, sometimes the difference is not so easy to feel.
2. Does the use of butter or salad oil affect the final product of the puff?
Of course it does. Puffs made with salad oil have thinner skins, but are also easier to soften. Puffs made with butter have a firmer, more complete crust, better shape, and better flavor.
3. There is a saying that the puffs must be cooled in the oven after being baked before they can be taken out. Is that true?
Not so. In order to prevent the puffs from collapsing, many people think that the puffs must be cooled in the oven before they are taken out. But in fact, as long as the puffs are baked in place, they will never collapse when they are taken out directly. Conversely, if the puffs must be allowed to cool in the oven before taking them out to prevent them from collapsing, it means that the puffs are not cooked properly. Moreover, this also greatly prolongs the occupation time of the oven and affects the efficiency.
4. What is the role of the eggs in the puffs?
Eggs have a huge impact on the quality of the puffs. The more eggs in the recipe, the firmer the puffs will be, and the more crispy they will be. If the amount of eggs is reduced, the amount of water must be increased in order to ensure the dryness and humidity of the puff batter. Such puff skins are soft and easy to collapse.
There is a theory that the puffs are puffed up because of the eggs. If you read the above analysis, you should already know that this statement is not true. The driving force behind the puff expansion should ultimately be counted on the head of moisture.
5. Why should the eggs in the puffs be added at your own discretion? Why can’t you give a quantitative amount like other pastry recipes?
Because when we boil the water, when we stir the batter, because of the inconsistency of firepower and time, the volatilization of water is also inconsistent. At the same time, the water absorption of different flours is inconsistent, so it also affects the amount of eggs used. For the same amount of eggs, the dryness and wetness of the batter may be different for each person, so it must be added as appropriate to make the batter the best dryness and wetness.
6. How to save the puffs?
Baked puffs, if you don’t eat them right away, pack them in plastic bags and keep them in the refrigerator for about a week. Before eating, take it out of the refrigerator, put it in the oven and bake at 180 degrees for 3-5 minutes, and re-bake the skin until crispy.
7. What are the fillings in the puffs?
Play it to your liking. The most common are custard, whipped cream, chocolate sauce, etc.
Third, the practice of cream puffs
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(1) Cream puffs
A puff is a western-style dessert puff. Cream, chocolate and even ice cream are encased in a fluffy, open-faced, creamy dough. Commercially available puffs are soft. In fact, fresh puffs should be slightly crispy and the skin is a little hard, and the skin will become soft after overnight. Fill it with your favorite filling, and this very sweet little snack is ready.
1. Prepare the required materials.
2. Put milk + salt + softened butter in a pot, cook until it is completely boiled and turn off the heat.
3. Sift in 60 grams of low-gluten flour.
4. Use a wooden spoon to mix the dough evenly.
5. Turn on the heat again, medium heat, stirring constantly, until a batter film appears on the bottom of the pot, then turn off the heat.
6. Take it out and put it into the mixing bowl, cool it down to a temperature that is hot but not hot, and pour the whole egg mixture in 4 times.
7. Add the next egg after mixing each time.
8. The mixed batter is glossy and smooth. When picked up and dripped, it will show an inverted triangle shape.
9. Put the batter into a piping bag.
10. Line a baking tray with greased paper and squeeze a 4 cm diameter puff batter.
11. Preheat the oven, bake at 190-200 degrees for 30-35 minutes, until the surface of the puffs is golden brown and inflated and straight, turn off the heat and continue to simmer for 5 minutes, then take it out and let it cool.
12. Beat the whipped cream with sugar and ice water.
13. Put the cream into a piping bag and squeeze the cream from the bottom of the puff.
14. Or cut the puff across the middle and squeeze in the cream.
Tips:
The temperature of the puffs should be suitable, too high will ripen prematurely, too low will not be conducive to expansion. Do not open the oven lid when baking, otherwise the puffs will expand.
(2) Ice Cream Puffs
1. Put water, salt, butter (or salad oil) together in a pot, heat over medium heat and add Stir a little to distribute the grease evenly.
2. When it boils, turn to low heat and pour in all the flour at one time. Stir quickly with a wooden spoon to thoroughly combine the flour and water. Be sure to stir quickly.
3. Stir until all the flour and water are mixed together, and after the pan is non-stick, turn off the heat.
4. Then remove the pot from the stove (all the flour was scalded).
5. Stir the batter with chopsticks to dissipate the heat. When the batter is not too hot to the touch (the temperature is about 60 ℃ ~ 65 ℃), you can add the egg liquid of the third year. Add a small amount of egg liquid first, and stir until the batter absorbs the eggs, then add the next time. It must be noted that the eggs in the recipe do not necessarily need to be added. After adding eggs, the batter will become more and more moist and smooth.
6. Use chopsticks to pick up the batter. The batter is in the shape of a triangle, and the length from the tip to the bottom is about 4cm, and it will not slip off. This level means ok, no need to continue adding eggs.
7. The easiest way to shape puffs is to directly scoop up the puff dough with a small spoon and put it on the baking tray (the baking tray is lined with tin foil). Keep a certain distance between each dough so that the dough does not bump into each other after it has expanded.
8. You can also use a chrysanthemum-shaped piping tip to squeeze the batter onto the baking sheet. The puffs baked in this way have patterns on the surface.
9. Put the pan into a preheated 210°C oven and bake for 10-15 minutes. When the puffs have puffed up, lower the temperature to 180°C and continue to bake for 20-30 minutes until the surface is yellowish brown and ready to bake. Be sure to bake them in place, or the puffs will collapse when they come out of the oven. Don’t open the oven door during baking.
10. After the puffs are completely cooled, use your fingers to dig a hole at the bottom, insert it with a small round-hole piping tip, and put the filling in it and you can eat it.
