Strawberry Glazed French Crullers (Printer-friendly)
Light, airy French crullers with a sweet, tangy strawberry glaze — an elegant treat for any occasion.
# What you'll need:
→ Pâte à Choux Dough
01 - 1 cup water
02 - 1/2 cup unsalted butter, cubed
03 - 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
04 - 1/4 teaspoon salt
05 - 1 cup all-purpose flour
06 - 4 large eggs
→ For Frying
07 - Vegetable oil, for deep frying
→ Strawberry Glaze
08 - 1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
09 - 3–4 fresh strawberries, hulled
10 - 2 teaspoons lemon juice
11 - 1–2 teaspoons milk, as needed for consistency
# Method:
01 - Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Fit a piping bag with a large star tip, approximately 1/2 inch wide opening.
02 - In a medium saucepan, combine the water, cubed butter, granulated sugar, and salt. Set over medium heat and bring to a gentle boil, stirring occasionally until the butter has fully melted.
03 - Add the flour all at once into the boiling mixture. Stir vigorously and continuously with a wooden spoon until the dough pulls away cleanly from the sides of the pan and forms a smooth ball, approximately 1 to 2 minutes.
04 - Remove the saucepan from heat and allow the dough to rest and cool for about 5 minutes before proceeding.
05 - Add the eggs one at a time, mixing thoroughly after each addition until fully incorporated. Continue until the batter becomes smooth, glossy, and falls in a thick ribbon from the spoon.
06 - Transfer the batter into the prepared piping bag. Pipe 3-inch diameter rings onto the parchment-lined baking sheets, leaving adequate space between each ring.
07 - Place the baking sheets in the freezer for approximately 20 minutes, or until the piped crullers are firm enough to be lifted without losing their shape.
08 - Heat vegetable oil in a deep heavy pot or deep fryer to 350°F. Using a spatula, gently lift each frozen cruller and carefully lower into the hot oil. Fry in batches for 2 to 3 minutes per side until puffed and golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on a wire rack set over paper towels.
09 - Place the hulled strawberries in a bowl and mash them together with the lemon juice until thoroughly broken down and juicy. Strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve to remove the seeds, reserving the liquid.
10 - In a separate bowl, combine the sifted powdered sugar with 2 to 3 tablespoons of the strained strawberry juice. Add milk, one teaspoon at a time, stirring until the glaze is thick yet pourable.
11 - Dip the top half of each cooled cruller into the strawberry glaze, allowing any excess to drip off. Place on a wire rack and let the glaze set for about 10 minutes before serving.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- The contrast between a shatteringly crisp shell and that impossibly airy middle is the kind of texture trick people assume only professional pastry chefs can pull off.
- That strawberry glaze tastes like concentrated summer and turns each cruller into something that looks almost too pretty to eat.
02 -
- If the oil is even slightly too hot the crullers will brown on the outside while staying raw inside, so use a thermometer and trust it.
- Freezing the piped rings before frying is the single step that separates neat, round crullers from sad little puddles of dough.
03 -
- Wet your finger and smooth the seam where the piped ring meets itself, because that spot is the most likely to split open during frying.
- If the batter seems too thick to pipe smoothly, beat in another half egg and try again, since humidity and flour brands can change everything.