French Cruller Recipe

For Choux Batter:
SwissBake® Choux Pastry Easy Mix (C13080) – 1000g
Fresh Eggs (Whole) – 1000g
Cold Water – 500g
Oil – for frying
 
For Classic Cruller Glaze:
Icing Sugar (sifted) – 1000g
Hot Water or Hot Milk – 180g
Light Corn Syrup or Honey – 50g
Vanilla Extract – 10g

Mise en Place: Cut standard baking parchment paper into small squares, approximately 10 × 10 cms (4 × 4 inches). Lightly spray or brush them with a neutral oil. Fit a large piping bag with a large French star tip.

Choux Batter Production: In a planetary mixer with a paddle attachment, combine SwissBake® Choux Pastry Mix and cold water. Mix on slow speed for 1 minute until a thick paste forms. Gradually add the fresh eggs while mixing on slow speed. Scrape down the bottom & sides of the bowl and the paddle attachment thoroughly. Continue mixing on medium speed for 4–5 minutes until the batter is smooth, glossy, and well-emulsified.

Piping & Pre-Heating Oil: Transfer the thick choux batter into the prepared piping bag. Pipe a single, continuous circle (a ring) of batter onto each oiled parchment square (approx. 40g to 50g of batter per ring). Ensure the ends of the ring overlap slightly and connect securely so the cruller does not split open while expanding in the fryer. Preheat the frying oil in a commercial deep fryer to exactly 175°C to 180°C (345°F to 355°F).

Warning: If the oil is too hot, the outside will burn before the inside cooks and dries out. If too cold, the crullers will absorb excess oil and become heavy/greasy.

Deep Frying: Carefully pick up a parchment square and place it batter-side down (paper-side up) directly into the hot oil. Within 10 to 15 seconds, the hot oil will release the parchment paper from the batter. Use metal tongs to quickly pull the paper squares out of the oil and discard them. Fry the crullers for 3 to 4 minutes per side. They will puff up significantly (expanding up to 3x their piped size) and develop a deep golden-brown crust with pronounced cracks along the ridges. Remove the crullers from the oil using a spider strainer and let them drain on a wire cooling rack placed over a drip tray.

Glazing and Finishing: While the crullers are frying or draining, whisk together the icing sugar, hot water/milk, corn syrup/honey, and vanilla in a wide bowl until completely smooth. The glaze should be fluid and translucent. While the crullers are still warm (but not burning hot), dip the top half of each cruller into the glaze. Carefully place them back on the wire rack. The residual heat of the cruller will cause the glaze to drip slightly down the ridges and set into a beautiful, crackly, semi-transparent sugar shell.

RECIPE ADAPTION FOR AN EGG-FREE VARIANT: Our French Cruller recipe can be successfully adapted into a vegetarian, eggless variant by using SwissBake® Spanish Churros Mix — engineered specifically for egg-free hydration, extrusion, and deep-frying and will reliably deliver a similar ridged, crispy exterior and tender interior suitable for cruller-style donuts. Water can be used in amounts of 1400g to 1450g per 1000g of Churros Mix.