Red Currant Bakery

0 Preheat the oven to 425 F and place a rack in the middle of the oven. 
Base Dough
2 Measure out the flour in a small bowl and set aside. 
3 In a medium sauce pot, add in the butter, water and salt.
4 Heat over medium heat until just simmering. Briefly stir so that the water and butter are combined.
5 Remove from the heat and immediately dump all of the flour in at once. 
6 Use a wooden spoon to stir the dough together for about a 1 minute and 30 seconds. Once the dough starts to form a smooth ball, start stirring and mashing it more forcefully. 
7 Return the pot to medium low heat and cook while stirring and mashing for another minute and a half to two minutes. You should see steam coming out of the pot. 
Make the Choux
9 Once cooked, place the dough into the bowl of a stand mixer and set it aside.
10 Crack the eggs into a bowl or cup, ideally one with a spout for easier pouring. 
11 Briefly scramble the eggs with a fork so that they are now one homogenous mixture. 
12 Use the paddle attachment on the mixer to beat the cooked dough fo 4-5 minutes on medium low speed. This will help cool the dough before adding the eggs in. 
13 Leave the mixer running and gently pour 1/4th of the egg mixture in.
14 Increase the speed of the mixer to medium and mix until the egg has been fully combined into the dough. 
15 Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl. 
16 Then repeat the process of adding egg and mixing but you may not use all of the egg! The best way to know is to stop mixing and pull the paddle out of the batter slowly -it will stretch briefly and then break off in a V-shape. If it breaks immediately and makes a jagged edge, you need more egg.
Pipe the Cream Puffs
18 Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. *I do not recommend using a silicone baking mat for these. 
19 Add a large star tip to the end of a piping bag, then scoop the mixed choux pastry into the piping bag. 
20 Squeeze the choux down to the end of the bag and then twist the bag between the choux and the empty space.
21 To pipe the cream puffs, start from the inside and swirl out to about 3", then lift the bag slightly, but the tip should still be in the pastry that you just piped, and swirl back in to the center.
22 Lift the piping back and stop squeezing to stop the choux from coming out. 
23 Repeat the piping, 5 or 6 more times being sure to space them out! If they are too close they won't bake properly and are more likely to collapse.
24 Dip your finger in a small bowl of water and press down the end of the piping on each cream puff so that it lays flat otherwise it is likely to burn. 
Baking + Drying
26 Place the baking sheet with the piped pastries into the preheated oven. Bake for 10 minutes.
27 Then, reduce the oven temperature to 350 F (don't open the oven) and bake for another 20-25 minutes until golden brown on top.
28 Once baked, turn off the oven and lightly crack the door open for 10 minutes. I usually put a wooden spoon in the door to help it stay open.
29 Remove the pan from the oven and use a wooden skewer to poke about 5 holes in the bottom of each cream puff and leave them upside down/on their sides to let the steam out.
30 Leave them to cool and dry out fully, for about an hour, before storing or filling.
Filling + Topping
32 Once cooled and dried, use a serrated knife to cut off the top of each pastry.
33 Fill with either a slightly sweetened whipped cream or a scoop of ice cream. 
34 Dust with powdered sugar and optionally top with more whipped cream and fresh berries!