GBBO 2017 Week 9 - Orange Custard Craquelin Choux Buns

This post is a few weeks late (sorry!) but on the Semi-final week of the Great British Bake Off, the bakers were challenged with baking two types of choux bun - one which was iced, and another which had a crackly coating on it known as a craquelin. I've made choux eclairs previously (see here), but have never had a go at this funky craquelin. Craquelin is a simple a frozen paste of butter, sugar and flour, which forms a crispy crackled crust on the buns, giving them an extra level of texture and flavour.

I decided to have a go at the craquelin buns Kate made, which were filled with an orange creme patissiere (very thick custard). The craquelin browns very quickly, much quicker than the choux pastry cooks. My craquelin was VERY brown when I took them out of the oven so my recommendation would be to keep a close eye on them after 20 minutes and take them out when they are a deep brown colour (but not black). The buns, however, ended up delicious (even with the crispy bits!), and the creme patissiere was very simple to make - I used duck eggs for extra richness, but you could use hen eggs instead :) The only other change I made was to add extra orange juice to the crème patissiere for an extra orange hit. YUM.

Makes 20

Ingredients:

For the craquelin:

• 60g (1/3 cup) light soft brown sugar
• 60g (1/2 cup minus 1 tsp) plain flour
• 55g (1/4 cup) salted butter, very soft

For the choux pastry:

• 110g (1 cup) plain flour
• 50g (1/4 cup minus 1 tsp) unsalted butter, diced
• 100ml (2/5 cup) water
• 100ml (2/5 cup) full-fat milk
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon caster sugar
• 2 medium duck eggs (or 3 medium hen eggs), at room temperature, beaten

For the crème patissiere:

• 425ml (1 & 4/5 cups) creamy or Jersey milk
• Finely grated zest 2 large oranges
• 2 tbsp fresh orange juice
• 4 duck egg yolks (or 6 medium hen egg yolks), at room temperature
• 60g (1/3 cup) caster sugar
• 50g (1/2 cup minus 1 tbsp) cornflour
• 50g (1/4 cup minus 1 tsp) unsalted butter, at room temperature, diced
• About 1 teaspoon orange blossom water, to taste OR about 1 tablespoon orange liqueur, to taste

Method:

1. First, make the craquelin. Beat the sugar, flour and soft butter together in a bowl to make a soft dough. Spread this out between two sheets of baking paper, to a thickness of about 2-3mm (about the width of a pound coin). Place on a flat shelf in the freezer while you make the choux pastry.

2. To make the choux pastry, preheat your oven to 230°C (210°C fan)/450°F/Gas mark 8. Sift the flour into a bowl and keep to hand. Place the butter, water, milk, salt and sugar into a saucepan and set over a low heat until the butter has completely melted. Once the butter has melted, turn up the heat so the mixture comes to boil then remove the pan from the heat and quickly add the sifted flour all in one go. Rapidly beat the mixture with a wooden spoon until it comes together to make a smooth, glossy dough.

3. Place the saucepan back over a low heat and beat for about a minute until the dough is very thick and forms a ball that leaves the sides of the pan clean.

4. Tip the dough into a heatproof bowl and leave until barely warm. Gradually beat in the eggs, beating well after each addition, to make a very smooth, glossy dough that holds a shape when the whisk is lifted.

5. Transfer the dough to a large piping bag fitted with a 1.5cm plain nozzle and pipe 4cm-wide mounds on the lined baking sheet, setting them well apart to allow for expansion. Dip a finger in some cold water and use this to flatten any peaks on the buns.

6. Remove the craquelin from the freezer, peel off the top sheet of paper and stamp out 3cm discs of dough using the cutter. Place a disc on top of each choux mound.

7. Put the baking sheet into the oven and immediately reduce the heat to 190°C (170°C fan)/375°F/Gas mark 5 and bake for about 20 minutes. Open the oven door and rotate the sheets. Bake for another 5-15 minutes, keeping a close eye for the craquelin not to burn. As soon as the buns are ready, transfer them to a wire rack and make a small hole in the side or base of each bun with the tip of a small knife or skewer. This releases the steam to dry out the buns.

8. Whilst the buns cool, make the crème patissiere. Pour the milk and orange zest into a medium-sized pan, add the grated orange zest and set over a low heat. Whisk the egg yolks, caster sugar and cornflour in a heatproof bowl briefly until very smooth and light.

9. When the milk is steaming hot, pour slowly into the bowl, whisking constantly. When thoroughly combined, tip the mixture back into the pan and set over a medium heat. Whisk constantly until the mixture thickens and is very smooth.

10. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the butter followed by the orange juice and either the orange blossom water or liqueur to taste. Press clingfilm onto the surface to prevent a skin forming. Leave to cool then chill until ready to assemble.

11. To finish, whisk the crème patissiere to make is smooth and light. Transfer the crème patissiere to a large piping bag fitted with a 7mm plain nozzle and pipe the filling into each choux bun through the steam hole. Arrange on a serving plate and serve as soon as possible.

12. Enjoy!