Paris Brest

by Jessica | January 28, 2026 11:06 am

okay so I attempted Paris-Brest after watching some French baking show at 2am and thinking “how hard can choux pastry be” and spoiler alert it’s actually hard.

my first try was an absolute disaster because I added the eggs too fast and the whole thing turned into scrambled egg soup. literally just threw it away and ordered pizza. second attempt the ring deflated in the oven and came out looking like a sad beige pancake. my husband took one look and was like “is that supposed to be flat” lol.

third time I finally got it mostly right after obsessively watching YouTube tutorials and texting my friend who went to culinary school. it’s not perfect and honestly looks a little lopsided but tastes incredible. that praline cream filling is basically crack. now I make it for special occasions when I want people to think I’m fancy.

seriously though this takes forever and you’ll want to give up multiple times but it’s so worth it when you nail it.

Why you should attempt this

looks incredibly impressive even when it’s kinda ugly

the praline cream is stupid easy despite sounding complicated

choux pastry is weirdly satisfying once you get the hang of it

uses basic ingredients you probably have except the hazelnuts

tastes way better than anything from a bakery and you can brag about it forever

what you need

here’s the stuff but measurements are approximate because baking is chaos:

making this mess

Preheat oven to like 400 degrees. draw a circle on parchment paper using a plate. I used a dinner plate about 8 inches.

 

Boil the water, butter, and salt in a pot. when the butter melts take it off the heat.

 

Dump in all the flour at once and stir like crazy with a wooden spoon. it’ll form this weird ball. put it back on medium heat and keep stirring for a minute til it gets slightly dry looking.

 

Let it cool for a few minutes because if you add eggs to hot dough you’ll cook them. learned this the hard way obviously.

Add eggs one at a time beating after each. this is where it gets annoying. the dough should be smooth and fall off the spoon in a V shape. might need 3 eggs might need 4.

 

Put the dough in a piping bag or ziplock with the corner cut off. pipe a ring following your circle guide. then pipe another ring right next to it. then pipe a third ring on top of the first two. mine always looks lumpy whatever.

 

Brush with egg wash if you remember. I always forget.

 

Sprinkle sliced almonds on top.

 

Bake for like 15 minutes at 400 then turn it down to 350 and bake maybe 25 more minutes. don’t open the oven or it’ll collapse. seriously don’t.

 

Let it cool completely. poke some holes in the bottom with a toothpick to let steam out.

okay so now the praline—Toast hazelnuts in a pan til fragrant. rub in a towel to remove skins. roughly chop.

 

Melt about a cup of sugar in a pan over medium. don’t stir just swirl. when it’s golden brown pour in the hazelnuts and spread on parchment.

 

Let it cool then break into pieces and blend in a food processor til it’s a paste. mine is always chunky but that’s fine.

 

Whip the heavy cream with a couple tablespoons of sugar til stiff peaks.

 

Fold in the praline paste. taste and add more sugar if needed.

 

Cut the choux ring in half horizontally with a bread knife. gets messy. crumbs everywhere.

 

Fill the bottom with praline cream. I just dump it in and spread it around.

 

Put the top back on and dust with powdered sugar.

 

Refrigerate for like an hour before serving so it sets.

tips

• Make the praline a day ahead because it’s annoying and stores forever in a jar.
• Use a stand mixer for the choux if you have one. your arm will thank you.
• If the ring cracks while cooling don’t panic. the cream holds it together and nobody will notice.
• Add a splash of rum or frangelico to the cream for extra flavor. I do this when adults are the only ones eating it.

storage notes

this is best eaten same day but keeps in the fridge for 2 days covered. the choux gets a little soft but still tastes good.

don’t freeze it. I tried once and the cream separated and the pastry got weird and soggy.

made this for a dinner party once and had leftovers that I put in a container without labeling. found it a week later and couldn’t remember if it was this or some failed éclair experiment. threw it out to be safe. start labeling your stuff seriously.

nutrition per serving

for like 8 servings:

these are super rough. depends how much cream you use. it’s basically butter and sugar so not health food.

questions

my choux didn’t puff what happened

either your oven temp was wrong or you opened the door too early or the dough was too wet. get an oven thermometer they’re like five bucks

 

can I use a different nut

yeah almonds work. pecans are good. whatever you want really. traditional is hazelnut but nobody’s checking

 

mine deflated after baking

didn’t cook long enough. the inside needs to be completely dry. next time bake it longer and poke steam holes right after taking it out

 

can I make this without a piping bag

I mean you can use a ziplock bag with the corner cut off. or even just spoon it into a ring shape. won’t be as pretty but works

Source URL: https://ladysuniverse.com/paris-brest/

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