French Paris-Brest Dessert

This elegant French dessert, Paris-Brest, is a ring of baked pâte à choux (choux pastry) often shaped like a bicycle wheel, filled with rich crème pâtissière (custard) and light whipped cream.

Paris-Brest Recipe

Ingredients

Pâte à Choux Pastry Dough

• Water: 1 cup
• Unsalted butter: 1/2 cup
• Sugar: 1 tsp
• Salt: 1/2 tsp
• All-purpose flour: 1 cup
• Eggs: 4

Custard (Crème Pâtissière)

• Whole milk: 2 cups
• Eggs: 3
• Egg yolk: 1
• Granulated sugar: 2/3 cup
• Cornstarch: 1/4 cup
• All-purpose flour: 1/4 cup
• Salt: 1/8 tsp
• Vanilla extract: 1 tsp

Whipped Cream

• Heavy whipping cream: 2 cups
• Powdered sugar: 1/4 cup (plus more for dusting)
• Vanilla extract: 1 tsp

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How to Make Paris-Brest

Part 1: Make the Custard

Step 1: Whisk Base
In a large bowl, whisk 3 eggs and 1 egg yolk with the sugar until thick and pale yellow. Stir in cornstarch, flour, and salt until smooth.

Step 2: Temper Eggs
Heat milk in a saucepan until steaming (not boiling). Gradually whisk about 1/4 cup hot milk into the egg mixture to temper the eggs.

Step 3: Thicken Custard
Pour the tempered egg mixture into the remaining milk in the saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat, whisking constantly, until thickened (7–9 minutes).

Step 4: Chill
Stir in vanilla. Cover the custard with plastic wrap pressed directly on the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until fully chilled.

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Part 2: Make the Pâte à Choux

Step 5: Boil Butter Mixture
Preheat oven to 425°F (220°C). In a small saucepan, melt butter with water, sugar, and salt until simmering. Remove from heat.

Step 6: Make Dough
Add flour all at once and stir over low heat for 1–2 minutes until dough forms a ball and pulls away from the pan. Remove from heat.

Step 7: Add Eggs
Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition until the dough is thick, glossy, and smooth. Let rest in the saucepan.

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Part 3: Pipe, Bake, and Cool

Step 8: Pipe Wreath
Trace a 9-inch circle on parchment paper and flip it onto a baking sheet. Pipe round mounds (1½–2 inches) along the circle, pressing them together.

Step 9: Bake
Bake at 425°F for 10 minutes. Without opening the oven, lower the temperature to 375°F and bake another 20–25 minutes, until deep golden.

Step 10: Dry and Cool
Pierce each puff with a knife to release steam. Turn off oven, leave door ajar, and let puffs rest 15 minutes. Remove and cool completely on a wire rack.

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Part 4: Assemble

Step 11: Make Whipped Cream
Whisk heavy cream on high speed for 1 minute, then add sugar and vanilla. Continue whisking until soft peaks form.

Step 12: Fill and Finish
Slice the pastry wreath horizontally. Fill the bottom half with custard, then top with whipped cream. Place the top half of the wreath back on and dust with powdered sugar.