Last Monday was pastry day again, and this time we focused on choux pastry. Choux is a versatile dough used for profiteroles (cream puffs), éclairs, croquembouches and many other classic French pastries.
We worked in pairs to prepare the choux. The batter itself came together without trouble, though the repeated mixing left my arm quite tired — I was very grateful to have a partner helping out. Clearly, I need to work on my mixing stamina!
After preparing the dough, I piped several cream puffs in different sizes. Smaller profiteroles make delicate bites, while larger ones can hold more filling and make a more dramatic presentation.
In addition to cream puffs, I practiced shaping choux pastry swans — a fun and elegant technique that combines piped bodies with delicate necks and heads to create a striking dessert centerpiece.
At the end of the lesson I packed up a box full of pastries to take home. It was rewarding to see how the dough transformed in the oven into light, hollow shells ready for filling and decorating.
Overall, it was a productive week. I learned new shaping and piping techniques and gained more confidence with choux pastry. I’m already looking forward to the next lesson and the chance to refine these skills further.