Paris Brest
Paris Brest is a giant donut cake made of light and crispy choux pastry, filled with hazelnut pastry cream and dusted with powdered sugar.
Ingredients
Praline Paste
- 46 g water
- 70 g granulated sugar
- 90 g corn syrup see notes
- 90 g toasted hazelnuts see notes
- 90 g flaked almonds see notes
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/3 tsp bicarb soda
Pastry Cream
- 75 g all-purpose flour
- 50 g caster sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 5 egg yolks
- 490 g whole milk hot (see notes)
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
- 125 g unsalted butter cold and cubed
- 250 g unsalted butter softened
Choux Pastry
- 250 g water
- 70 g unsalted butter cubed
- 1 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp fine salt
- 150 g bread flour see notes
- 4 large eggs 55g each, room temperature (see notes)
- 75 g powdered sugar to dust
Decorations
- 1 egg
- 1 tbsp water
- 30 g flaked almonds to sprinkle on choux pastry befor baking
Instructions
Praline Paste
- To make the syrup - To a large saucepan, add the water, sugar, glucose syrup, toasted hazelnuts, almonds and salt. Use a wooden spoon to mix on medium high speed until the mixture turns a deep golden colour, about 3 minutes. Add the bicarb soda and stir until well combined. Transfer to a well-oiled baking tray and spread out. Allow to set completely.
- To turn into a paste - Break into smaller pieces and place in a food processor. Process until the mixture turns to a smooth paste. You may need to stop the processor and scrape down the bowl to make sure it mixes properly. Set aside.
Pastry Cream
- To prepare pastry cream - To a large mixing bowl, add the flour, sugar and salt and mix using a mixing spoon. Add the egg yolks and mix until a paste forms.
- Add 1/4 of the warmed milk in a slow stream whilst whisking. Then add another 1/4. Once it’s loosened up up add the remaining milk all at once and whisk until combined.
- To cook the pastry cream - Transfer to a large pot and stir on medium heat until mixture thickens, about 4-5 minutes. Add the vanilla bean paste and 125g of the cold and cubed butter and stir to combine. Then add the remaining butter and stir to combine.
- To cool the pastry cream - Transfer to a large bowl with a sieve on top and pour the mixture into the sieve. Use a spatula or spoon to run through. Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for 3 hours.
- To finish the pastry cream - add the praline paste to the pastry cream and mix until well combined.
- Add the 250g of softened butter to a mixing bowl and beat until pale and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the pastry cream a little at a time while the mix is on high speed. Once all of the mixture is combined together, set aside. When ready to use, use a spatula to stir until smooth. Add to a large piping bag with a large open star tip. Place in the fridge until ready to use. Up to 1 day.
Choux Pastry
- Preheat a fan-forced oven to 190C / 325F (210C / 410F for no fan). Line a large baking tray with baking paper. Set aside.
- To prepare the dough - To a large saucepan, add the water, butter, salt and sugar and stir until mixture bubbles and butter melts. Take off the heat and add the flour. Mix using a wooden spoon immediately. Once the mixture forms a dough, place back on medium high heat and stir for about 4 minutes or until the dough begins sticking to the bottom of the saucepan. Take off the heat and allow to cool in the pot or in a glass bowl for 10 minutes.
- To add the eggs - Once the dough has cooled, add 1 egg and use a wooden spoon or spatula to mix until well combined. The mixture will be quite stiff. Add the next egg and mix. Repeat this until you get to the 3rd egg and test the dough before adding the fifth egg as you may not need all 4 eggs
- To test the choux dough - What you’re looking for is a shiny, glossy and smooth dough mixture that when stretched between two fingers, does not break. See notes below for more. If the mixture breaks easily, add half of the last egg and mix. Test again.
- Add to piping bag - Place the dough mixture into a piping bag fitted with a medium round tip.
- To pipe the choux ring - Place a round 7” cake tin or plate on top of the baking paper and use a pen to trace around it. Dab the corners of the baking paper with choux pastry dough and turn over onto the baking tray. This will help it stick and stop it from flying around in the oven.
- Pipe a ring of dough around the traced circle. And then pipe another one directly on top. Brush with egg wash (1 egg whisked with 1 tbsp water or milk) and then sprinkle with flaked almonds.
- To bake - Bake for 35-40minutes. Once baked allow to cool completely in the oven. This will help prevent it from collapsing.
- To fill the choux ring - Once baked and cooled, use a serrated knife to carefully cut in half. It will be hollow inside. Pipe some pastry cream in the hollowed-out part of one half of the pastry rings. Then use a spoon or offset spatula to smoothen out flat. Then pipe swirls of pastry cream. Place the second half on top and finish with a dusting of powdered sugar.
Video
Notes
Storage - This French dessert can be stored in an airtight container and chilled for up to three days.
Glucose Syrup - You can use corn syrup here if you like instead. They’re the same thing. If you don’t have either, golden syrup will also work.
Hazelnuts - I bought my hazelnuts with no skins on. But to de-skin your own, place them on a baking tray and baking them on 160C / 325F for 20 minutes. Once baked, take out of the oven, and pour into a clean tea towel. Bunch up the towel, encasing the hazelnuts inside and rub the heel of your hand on top. This will help the already loose and oily hazelnut skin to rub on the towel and against the other hazelnuts in the towel. Undo the towel and pick out the skinned hazelnuts. Continue this process until all the hazelnuts are skinned. Some hazelnut skins are stubborn and won’t come off. They’re ok to use as well.
Eggs in choux pastry - When making choux pastry, the important thing to look for is texture. When adding the eggs, add them one at a time and keep an eye on the texture. It will go shiny and smooth. What you want is a consistency that when stretched between two fingers stretches for about 5cm before it breaks. For this reason, you may need all 4 eggs, you may only need 3 eggs to achieve this consistency, just test the mixture after the 3rd egg is added.
Milk for pastry cream - You can use plant-based milk if you wish. The milk needs to be hot. Not boiling.
Bread flour for choux pastry - the bread flour helps make these a little chewier in texture. You can use all-purpose flour instead.
Help! My Choux pastry collapsed! - Once the pastry ring is baked allow to cool completely in the oven. This will help prevent it from collapsing. If it collapses, it’s ok, it will taste ok, but won’t look as pretty. The choux pastry is easy to make again so I would recommend just baking again and making sure it bakes a little longer. Even if it’s a dark golden colour, that’s ok. It will be crispy and soften with the pastry cream filling. But there will be less chance of it collapsing.
A note on measurements - this recipe is offered in weight measurements. This is in an effort to offer the most accurate way to get the best results. Cup measurements simply aren’t accurate enough for a recipe that needs precision and cup sizes differ depending on where you are in the world. To learn more about how to measure ingredients using digital kitchen scales, click here!
Glucose Syrup - You can use corn syrup here if you like instead. They’re the same thing. If you don’t have either, golden syrup will also work.
Hazelnuts - I bought my hazelnuts with no skins on. But to de-skin your own, place them on a baking tray and baking them on 160C / 325F for 20 minutes. Once baked, take out of the oven, and pour into a clean tea towel. Bunch up the towel, encasing the hazelnuts inside and rub the heel of your hand on top. This will help the already loose and oily hazelnut skin to rub on the towel and against the other hazelnuts in the towel. Undo the towel and pick out the skinned hazelnuts. Continue this process until all the hazelnuts are skinned. Some hazelnut skins are stubborn and won’t come off. They’re ok to use as well.
Eggs in choux pastry - When making choux pastry, the important thing to look for is texture. When adding the eggs, add them one at a time and keep an eye on the texture. It will go shiny and smooth. What you want is a consistency that when stretched between two fingers stretches for about 5cm before it breaks. For this reason, you may need all 4 eggs, you may only need 3 eggs to achieve this consistency, just test the mixture after the 3rd egg is added.
Milk for pastry cream - You can use plant-based milk if you wish. The milk needs to be hot. Not boiling.
Bread flour for choux pastry - the bread flour helps make these a little chewier in texture. You can use all-purpose flour instead.
Help! My Choux pastry collapsed! - Once the pastry ring is baked allow to cool completely in the oven. This will help prevent it from collapsing. If it collapses, it’s ok, it will taste ok, but won’t look as pretty. The choux pastry is easy to make again so I would recommend just baking again and making sure it bakes a little longer. Even if it’s a dark golden colour, that’s ok. It will be crispy and soften with the pastry cream filling. But there will be less chance of it collapsing.
A note on measurements - this recipe is offered in weight measurements. This is in an effort to offer the most accurate way to get the best results. Cup measurements simply aren’t accurate enough for a recipe that needs precision and cup sizes differ depending on where you are in the world. To learn more about how to measure ingredients using digital kitchen scales, click here!
Nutrition
Calories:604kcal | Carbohydrates:39g | Protein:11g | Fat:45g | Saturated Fat:22g | Polyunsaturated Fat:4g | Monounsaturated Fat:16g | Trans Fat:1g | Cholesterol:241mg | Sodium:329mg | Potassium:254mg | Fiber:2g | Sugar:23g | Vitamin A:1209IU | Vitamin C:0.5mg | Calcium:120mg | Iron:2mg
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