Eggless choux pastry recipe yields paper-thin top, gooey bottom
I'm trying to make eggless choux pastries for an egg-allergic friend (my eventual targets are croques-en-bouche and saint-honorés).
I have experience with choux pastry, but I've never made an eggless version.
I'm following this recipe at Gretchen's Vegan Bakery.
Here's my sorry result:
Well, that didn't work great. The gooey bottom eventually does dry up after a few hours, so it's not too bad, but that paper-thin top is miserable.
The problem doesn't seem to be specific to the particular recipe I picked: I get the same results, more or less, if I use my regular 2-1-1-2 choux pastry recipe, and use egg replacer.
I tried a many variations on both my usual recipe and the vegan recipe I linked to:
- Strengthening the flour by using bread flour and even adding a bit of vital wheat gluten
- Adding a bit of xanthan gum and guar gum
- Making smaller dough balls
- Wetting the tops with sugary milk before cooking
- Omitting baking powder
- Letting the dough rest before baking it
- Using a different brand of egg-replacer (ENER-G)
- Using a friend's oven (!)
All of my attempts ended up very similarly: a gooey bottom which eventually dries up (it gets fairly compact and doughy, but the taste is OK), and a paper-thin dome.
What causes this paper-thin dome to form, and how can I fix this recipe? I'd like to achieve something like the following picture (not taken by me), which is close to what I get with my usual (eggy) recipe:
Best Answer
It looks like more gluten could help with the structure. Adding some vital wheat gluten, or using a stronger flour might work.
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Why is my choux pastry thin?
If the choux pastry is thin and runny: A thin mixture means that you have added too much liquid, or that your eggs might be too large. Add the eggs one at a time: When you are adding the eggs to the mixture, beat each egg until it is thoroughly combined into the mixture before adding the next egg.Why is my choux pastry doughy?
This happens if you added too much eggs, OR you didn't cook the dough long enough, and have too much water in your dough. Whatever you do, NEVER ADD EXTRA FLOUR!How do you fix runny choux pastry?
Too runny choux pastry dough: You probably added too much eggs. FIX #1: Don't just add raw flour into the runny dough to thicken it, you won't get the proper pastry shells that way. Instead, make a half batch of dough on stovetop (without eggs) and mix it in with the runny choux pastry.Why is my choux pastry so thick?
It wasn't cooked enough or we added too many eggs. The choux pastry is too thick: If the choux pastry doesn't fall from the wooden spoon, then it's too thick. Whisk an egg in a bowl and gradually in a thin stream start adding a small amount of the whisked egg into the mixture, while mixing with an electric mixer.🇫🇷 Ultimate puffed vegan choux pastry “CHOUQUETTES\
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Images: Flora Westbrook, Nicole Michalou, Katerina Holmes, Flora Westbrook