Why does pâte à choux puff up?
Why does pâte à choux puff up so perfectly?
What are the ingredients or the science behind it that can make that happen?
Best Answer
A choux is an interesting batter that is created in a way that maximizes gluten structure. It is essentially cooked twice. You combine and heat water and butter, then add flour and continue cooking the resulting paste. That paste forms a ball, and then several eggs are beaten in. This batter is then piped onto a sheet and baked. In addition to the gluten structure, the initial cooking also causes the starches to gelatinize, further reinforcing the structure. In essence, you have created a deflated balloon. When the piped shapes are baked, steam develops and inflates the "balloon." It's all explained quite clearly right here.
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Quick Answer about "Why does pâte à choux puff up?"
Choux pastry comes together in about 10-15 minutes. Most of the ingredients are cooked together on the stove; this initial cooking causes the starch in the flour to gelatinize, which will help the pastry hold onto steam and puff up.Why does choux pastry puff up?
Choux pastry leavens by steam. The huge amount of liquid in the choux paste evaporates to steam, expanding the egg protein, causing the rise in the puffs. Choux pastry must be baked well to ensure that the interior walls are dry.What causes the choux to rise?
The dough is then piped onto a baking sheet and popped in a hot oven until risen and golden. Steam helps with the rising, so I find that spraying the baking sheet with water prior to piping on the dough helps to achieve a better choux.What causes a cream puff to rise?
First at a higher temperature for a few minutes, and then finish off at a lower temperature. The reasoning behind this is that the higher temp. facilitates the rise of the pastry because the high heat causes the water to evaporate faster, thereby raising the pastry faster and higher.Why does my cream puff collapse?
Why did my cream puffs collapse? If the puffs collapse it means there was too much moisture in them. So either you did not dry the dough enough, or they were not cooked enough. To avoid this I recommend drying the dough really well (see below) and cracking the door of the oven open when the choux are baked.What does the P Emoji mean? (What does Pushin P mean?) | Emojis 101
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