How to make round profiteroles/choux buns?

boogaloop

So I've been trying out making choux buns/profiteroles lately, but cannot get much of a rise out of them and definitely not round - more blobs of choux which is annoying me.

I was thinking/wondering if I could use a mini muffin tray like this: http://www.skyladawncameron.com/2014/02/skylas-kale-smoothie-tips-tricks/
and if I did, would/could I use bun cases or just leave as is?

Otherwise, if I was just using a flat tray with parchment paper, maybe an ice cream scoop rather than piping (which I have been doing) would be better/more consistent shape wise?

Or is there such a thing as a profiterole tray? (I know there is an éclair tray)

Also, crème patissiere......lumpy.......don't even get me started on that. Think I'll just go back to regular cream!

spottybananas

They have been made for hundreds of years using a flat tray and piping them, I don't see that using an icecream scoop or a totally unsuitable/unnecessary tin will fix it when it hasn't needed to be used before. Bun cases would be totally pointless, they are for buns, choux pastry would just stick to them and never form into the proper shape, they will just be the shape of the tin/cases and pretty flat

What temp is your oven at for making them, and for how long? With no other info to go on it sounds to me like your oven might not be hot enough and so they aren't rising enough at a fast enough speed to get the shape and height. Or is your mix too runny? They should hold their shape when piped if it's the correct consistency.

boogaloop

Thanks.......I think (once I pick through the bluntness!).

I'm using 180 on a fan oven. Maybe it's the way I am piping them, maybe it's the oven temp, maybe the mixture is too runny. Most of them do rise, but the shapes are all wonky.

I'll give it one more shot & if it doesn't work then I'm buying an éclair tray & going with that.

I just wondered if anyone on here had a foolproof way of doing it that I hadn't heard of. It would appear not.

spottybananas

But when you say they're wonky what do you mean? They won't ever rise into perfect spheres, they will always have a bit of a wonkiness to them, like scones, they don't all rise the same.

Would you have any photo of ones you've made or even a photo of what you're hoping for them to look like?

Too liquidy a mix is the most likely problem, only add as much egg as you need to get the right consistency.

lazeedaisy

Ok,

First off your oven temp is too low, try 200.

Are you letting the mix cool before adding the egg? that would lead to disaster,

Lastly, it's hard to know if the mix is too runny, it should be glossy and thicker than meringue if you know what I mean, it stays in shape when you mix it

They can be uniform with practice,

I used to use a sheet with circles drawn on it, put another baking sheet over it, and pipe onto the sheet on top.

A tin would not work, persevere, it can turn out right

lazeedaisy

As for your crème pat, whisk it quickly, off the heat when it ets lumpy, Don’t panic though – you can always pass the mixture through a sieve. Some people are funny about this and think it’s a sign of failure – I always do this

boogaloop

Thanks for all the replies, much appreciated.

It's 180 in a fan oven, the recipe calls for 200 in a 'regular' oven so I thought reducing it to 180 would be ok.......although I do have a question mark around how even the heat is in my oven at times.

I'll try & get a pic later, what I mean by wonky is that some of them are ovaly in shape, some are a bit round, they're just different shapes & sizes even though I thought I was piping them in roughly the same circular shape.

I like the idea of putting circles on a sheet & piping on to a top sheet above that.....that might help.

I also looked online & saw some chefs sort of 'pat down' the top of the buns with a little bit of water on their finger - going to try that too.

I'm actually not too fussed about the crème patisserie, it was a bit lumpy but nothing unmanageable.

Regarding adding the egg - should I wait until the mixture has cooled down or not?

Lastly for now - for the chocolate topping, I was thinking about using a chocolate Grenache made using just double cream and chocolate. Will this be 'sticky' enough to set do you think?

Thanks again, I do appreciate all help

bizzyb

I've made profiteroles a few times in college, a tip that might help you is to pipe and lift straight up creating a peak then with a moist index finger (not your saliva!) flatten the peak, works every time. When there cooked pierce with a skewer so that the pastry doesn't go soggy.

phormium

If in doubt go with a higher oven temp, you can always turn it down a bit to fully cook them once they are risen and brown.

I would let the mix cool a good bit before adding the eggs, only add enough beaten egg to give you a good thick piping consistency, shouldn't be in anyway runny or will spread and you will get flatter ones.

As said above pat down the point on the top of the piped bun with a finger dipped in water.

Ganache can be made in lots of different consistencies, the setting of it depends on the proportion of cream to chocolate. A good firm set would be 2 parts choc to cream (use max 50% cocoa solids choc, anything higher is a bit too dark for most people's taste), if you want softer equal quantities of cream and choc will set but be fairly sticky in this mild weather and more cream than chocolate will give you chocolate sauce.

lazeedaisy

You do have to wait until the egg cools, that could be where you are going wrong or do you usually wait,

The oven has to be quite hot, mine is also a fan oven,

The flattening down is to ensure there are no peaks and is common,

Again, ganache never solidifys completely, it could work with trial and error

Good luck with finding your own way, it comes with practice,

purplecow1977

Are profiteroles easy to make?

Midnight Sundance

Not that I've much experience with these at all but after looking at lots of contestants fail at these on masterchef , the trick seems to keep whisking the mixture until it is cool before adding the egg.
Any of them that didn't wait always failed to get a rise.

phormium

Here is a very detailed method for successful choux buns I saw on another site today, a few interesting points in it that might help. The recipe also recommends using half bread/strong flour.

Before making the dough, lay out your baking sheets and cover them with greaseproof paper or, for preference, baking parchment. Preheat the oven to 180ºC (160ºC Fan Oven / 350 F / Gas Mark 4) and melt the butter in 150ml (5floz) water over a medium heat in a pan large enough to take the flour. When the butter has melted and the water is simmering around the edges of the pan, quickly add the flour along with the pinch of salt. The easiest way to do this is to ‘shoot’ the flour into the pan from a large sheet of folded paper or a funnel board. Remove from heat and mix swiftly to form a thick paste. Return to the heat and continue to stir while the dough dries out. The French name for this process is dessecher and it’s the key step to producing light and airy buns. Continue to beat the dough for around five minutes - a sign that dessecher is taking place is that the dough will begin to adhere and form a skin on the base of the pan. It is better to over desiccate the dough that under desiccate it as too wet dough will not rise and has a leathery consistency. Remove from the heat and beat in the eggs, one at a time. You may find it easiest to do this by setting the pan on a folded tea towel dipped in hot water and wrung out to give stability to the saucepan base while you work. It also helps to release adhered dough from the base of the pan. This produces thick and glossy dough with a heavy dropping consistency. Put the dough in a piping bag fitted with a plain 1.5cm nozzle and pipe 24 balls, a little smaller than a golf ball, 12 on each sheet. Pour a little oil into a saucer and use a fork to flatten the balls by laying the tines in the oil and then lightly pressing a cross hatch pattern into each ball to enable the buns to rise evenly. Bake for 15 minutes, checking after 12 minutes to ensure they are golden and well risen. Turn off oven and make a small hole in the underside of each bun with a sharp knife or potato peeler. Put each bun on a wire rack and replace them in the oven for five minutes to ensure the interior of each bun is completely crisp. Take rack out of oven and allow buns to cool completely.

boogaloop

Thanks a million Phormium, I def had not allowed them to dry out enough based on the above. Thanks

phormium

I thought it was very interesting, I make them and eclairs quite a bit and would cook the mix fairly well in the saucepan until dryish but never gave it any thought and didn't realise what an important part of the process it seems to be.

Pigwidgeon

A very important part is the cooking out of the flour in the pan, definitely do it for a couple of minutes. I let the mix cool down quite a bit on the mixture and then begin adding the eggs gradually. It sometimes goes lumpy at this stage, but you're going to leave it mixing for quite a while until it cools almost completely. I usually go with baking them at 180C for 20 minutes, it's important not to open the oven during this time as it causes the profiteroles to collapse. They may need a bit longer of a cooking time, you know they're ready when you pick them up and they feel very light and are a nice golden brown colour.

I find with piping them to go bigger than you would think you have to works if that makes sense. Make sure they are quite high and then use a bit of water on you finger to flatten down the peaks.