How to do it: Choux Pastry, Bomba Massa and Craquelin

One of the most basic recipes that can exist in the confectionery: Bomb MassCarolina, Profiterole, Choux… In addition to being a wildcard to always have at your disposal as it is super versatile.

Time passes and we start to review some recipes, review them, you know! After all, it’s almost 9 years of Prato Fundo. A lot happened during this period, I learned a lot of things here and there.

I put the choux on the list, as the recipe I currently make is a little different from the one I published ages ago. And it served as an excuse to film and have that one more plus. Or as Uncle Jobs would say: one more thing.

In the past, the dough was not cooked as much after the flour was added to the water and butter mixture. In a pastry class, I learned that if you cook longer, the water in the dough will evaporate more, right?

So, I can incorporate more eggs in the dough. And the eggs act on the structure and growth of the dough. This way, the firecracker or eclair will look much better. Valuable tip from prof. Patricia!

The dough, once ready, is softer than I was used to. But when it bakes, it grows so, so much. If you have any doubts, go away. In addition to staying very hollow inside to fit more stuffing. And let’s face it, this is the real purpose.

For those who have never made it, when cooking it will form a layer at the bottom of the pan. Don’t panic, it’s normal and you should create it yourself.

The amount of eggs will vary, as it depends on their size and cooking time. The golden suggestion is to do it little by little. Personally, I prefer to add beaten egg (white and yolk mixed). The dough should not be too hot at this time, as the temperature could cook the eggs.

And despite being more common in confectionery, the dough itself is very neutral. Accepts savory fillings too.

As for the bonus… Cracker!

Whenever I saw some foreign sweets with the dough, recently, practically everyone had a cone cracked over. As I didn’t know the correct name, it was difficult to look for any recipes or tips on how to make it.

Until the savior of the country David Lebovitz posted a recipe from said one (Craquelin)! The even suspected name: Craquelin. Remember cracked, right? One day I want to be David’s BFF!

It’s nothing more, nothing less than a very buttery sugar cookie dough. If it stays out of the fridge it actually melts. However, several recipes call for specific types of sugar that we do not have in Brazil.

In French recipes the choice is brown sugar and David himself uses the light brown sugar which is not exactly muscovado or demerara. I would describe both one and the other as: it has the color of demerara, but the size of the crystal is between refined and real crystal.

That’s why I adapted the recipe, I use brown and refined. I’ve already tested it with demerara, but as the crystal is very large, it doesn’t dissolve as easily, and the mass ends up grainy.

Okay, but what is this for? cracker? Oh, to look pretty! Okay. The texture changes, it stays extremely crunchy adds an extra sweet, smooth flavor. She makes you want to eat nonstop.