Strawberry Glazed French Crullers (Print Version)
Light, airy French crullers with a sweet, tangy strawberry glaze — an elegant breakfast or dessert pastry.
# What You Need:
→ Pâte à Choux Dough
01 - 1 cup water
02 - ½ cup unsalted butter, cubed
03 - 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
04 - ¼ 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
# Directions:
01 - Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Fit a piping bag with a large star tip, approximately ½ inch wide opening.
02 - In a medium saucepan, combine the water, cubed butter, granulated sugar, and salt. Place over medium heat and bring to a gentle boil.
03 - Add the flour all at once and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until the mixture pulls away cleanly from the sides of the pan and forms a smooth ball, about 1 to 2 minutes.
04 - Remove the saucepan from heat and allow the dough to cool for 5 minutes.
05 - Add the eggs one at a time, mixing thoroughly after each addition until the batter is smooth and glossy.
06 - Transfer the batter to the prepared piping bag. Pipe 3-inch diameter rings onto the parchment paper, spacing them at least 2 inches apart.
07 - Place the piped crullers in the freezer for 20 minutes or until they are firm enough to lift with a spatula without losing their shape.
08 - Heat vegetable oil in a deep heavy pot to 350°F. Using a spatula, gently lift each cruller and lower it into the oil. Fry in batches for 2 to 3 minutes per side until puffed and golden brown. Drain on a wire rack set over paper towels.
09 - Place the hulled strawberries in a bowl and mash them with the lemon juice until fully broken down and juicy. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve to remove the seeds, reserving the liquid.
10 - In a separate bowl, whisk the powdered sugar with 2 to 3 tablespoons of the reserved strawberry juice. Add milk, one teaspoon at a time, until the glaze is thick yet pourable.
11 - Dip each cooled cruller top-down into the glaze, allowing excess to drip off. Place on a wire rack and let the glaze set for about 10 minutes before serving.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- That shatteringly crisp exterior giving way to a hollow, eggy center is genuinely one of the best textures in pastry.
- The strawberry glaze comes together in five minutes and makes these look like they came from a professional shop.
02 -
- Undercooking the flour mixture is the number one reason crullers collapse after frying, so make sure the dough really pulls away from the pan sides.
- If the oil temperature drops below 340 degrees, the crullers absorb grease instead of puffing, so fry in small batches and monitor your thermometer.
03 -
- The batter is ready when it holds its shape after you pipe it, so if it spreads into a puddle on the parchment, you need to stir in a bit more flour.
- Freeze any extras unglazed and reheat directly from frozen in a hot oven for 8 minutes, then glaze while warm.