Choux Buns

Choux buns can seem like a mystic art, but they are actually relatively easy to bake.

This recipe makes 12 choux buns. All ingredients, except the double cream, should be at room temperature.

Ingredients

• 85g margarine (I prefer to use Pure Soya)
• 225ml water
• 100g plain flour
• 3 medium eggs
• 150ml plant based double cream (I use Elmlea plant based double cream, available in most UK supermarkets)
• 100g chocolate (I use Lindt 51% cooking chocolate; as this may contain milk I strongly recommend that you use a chocolate that you know will not affect you)

Process

1. Prepare a large piping bag with a large round (#10 or #12) piping tip, and two baking trays with parchment paper or silicone mats
2. Put margarine and water into a small to medium sized saucepan and cook over a low to medium heat until the butter is melted and there are small bubbles around the edge
3. Take off the heat and add the flour. Mix with a stiff spatula or wooden spoon until the flour is combined and the mixture comes away from the edges of the saucepan with little encouragement
4. Transfer this mixture to a stand mixer (or large bowl if using an electric whisk) with the paddle attachment, and leave this to cool for 5 minutes
5. Preheat the oven to 180C (fan assisted)
6. With the stand mixer on the lowest speed, add an egg at a time. The resulting mixture should be smooth and silky, and you should be able to see the bottom of the bowl easily when passing a spoon/spatula through the mixture
7. Transfer the mixture to the prepared piping bag. Pipe 12 rounds onto the baking trays (6 on each) and top them off if some is left over in the piping bag. Pop these in the oven, and after 10 minutes turn the temperature down to 160C for 25 minutes. DO NOT OPEN THE DOOR until this time is up or else the choux buns will deflate
8. When the time is up, take the baking trays out of the oven. Turn the choux buns over and pierce the bottoms with a sharp knife. Make sure not to go through the whole of the choux bun or else cream will leak out. If the buns start to go a bit soft within the first 5 minutes out of the oven, pop them back in the oven at 120C for 5 minutes
9. Leave the choux buns to cool completely
10. Pour the double cream into a bowl and whisk with a stand mixer or electric whisk until stiff. Transfer this into a new piping bag with a small round tip (#2 or #4). Poke the tip into the holes on the bottom of the buns and squeeze some cream in. Don’t overfill or else cream could burst out of other parts of the choux bun
11. Pop the filled choux buns in the fridge to keep the cream cool
12. Cut the chocolate into small cubes and place in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high in 15 second increments until most of the chocolate is melted. Stir until all of the chocolate is melted. Leave the chocolate to cool slightly before dipping the top of then choux buns in
13. Put the chocolate topped choux buns back in the fridge until the chocolate has cooled completely and set

Enjoy!

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Most of the baking equipment I used can be found on Amazon, find them here