Paris-Brest


Paris-Brest
The Paris-Brest is a famous French patisserie: a ring of choux pastry, scattered with flaked almonds and icing sugar and filled with a praline cream. The name comes from a historic cycle race between Paris and Brest (600 km or 372 miles), as the shape is like a bicycle wheel.
205 K 4.2/5 (34 reviews)
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Last modified on: May 8th 2011
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For 6 cakes, you will need:

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Times for this recipe
Preparation: 1 hour 60 min.
Cooking: 20 min.
All in all: 2 hours 20 min.
When should you start or finish this recipe?
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Step by step recipe


Stage 1 - ⌛ 40 min.
Paris-Brest : Stage 1
Prepare 350 g confectioner's custard (crème pâtissière, or french pastry cream). Incorporate 100 g praline using a whisk or a maryse to make a praline cream.

Set aside.

Stage 2 - ⌛ 20 min.
Paris-Brest : Stage 2

Stage 3 - ⌛ 10 min.
Paris-Brest : Stage 3
Place a sheet of cooking parchment face down on the worktop. Draw circles about 6 cm (2.5 inches) in diameter using a round object or cutter), leaving space between them.

Stage 4 - ⌛ 3 min.
Paris-Brest : Stage 4
Place the sheet right way up on a baking sheet and stick the corners down with a little of the choux pastry mixture.

Preheat the oven to 210°C (420°F).

Stage 5 - ⌛ 10 min.
Paris-Brest : Stage 5
Use a forcing bag with a nozzle diameter 10 to pipe rings of dough on the circles you have drawn.

With this method you can create perfectly round rings.

Stage 6 - ⌛ 5 min.
Paris-Brest : Stage 6
Coat the tops with a little beaten egg using a brush.

Stage 7 - ⌛ 3 min.
Paris-Brest : Stage 7
Scatter 50 g flakeds almonds over the top, then a little icing sugar.

Stage 8 - ⌛ 20 min.
Paris-Brest : Stage 8
Bake until the rings are well risen and golden brown.

Leave to cool on a wire rack.

Stage 9 - ⌛ 3 min.
Paris-Brest : Stage 9
Begin the assembly: with a serrated knife, cut the rings horizontally through the middle.

Stage 10 - ⌛ 3 min.
Paris-Brest : Stage 10
Remove the top, then fill the bottom with praline cream using a forcing bag with a large diameter (15)fluted nozzle...

Stage 11
Paris-Brest : Stage 11
...until completely covered with praline cream.

Stage 12 - ⌛ 1 min.
Paris-Brest : Stage 12
Replace the top.

Stage 13 - ⌛ 20 min.
Paris-Brest : Stage 13
Finish with another sprinkling of icing sugar and put to wait in the fridge.
Remarks
You can make a praline butter cream rather than (confectioner's custard).

To make one large Paris-Brest rather than lots of small ones, draw a circle about 20 cm (8 inches) in diameter, piping 2 "sausages" side by side and a third on top. Then proceed as for the small ones, but allow a longer cooking time.
Keeping: 2 or 3 hours in the fridge.
Source: Home made, after Gaston Lenôtre.
Nutritional information
Proteins (gr)Carbohydrates (gr)Fats (gr)Energy value (in k-calories)Energy value (in k-joules)
Whole recipe280 RDI=110 %990 RDI=90 %610 RDI=90 %2,420 RDI=120 %10,120 RDI: 120 %
Per 100 g30 RDI=10 %110 RDI=10 %70 RDI=10 %280 RDI=10 %1,160 RDI: 10 %
Per cake50 RDI=20 %170 RDI=20 %100 RDI=20 %400 RDI=20 %1,690 RDI: 20 %
The % figures are calculated in relation to the Recommended Dietary Intake , or RDI of 2,000 k-calories (or 8,400 k-joules) per day for a woman
Possible allergens in this recipe: egg, milk, Nuts, Gluten
How much will it cost?
  • For 6 cakes : 4.05 €
  • Per cake : 0.70 €

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Note: Be careful, these prices are only an estimate, you can consult the table of prices by ingredients used for this estimate.
This recipe uses (among others)
Confectioner's custard (Crème pâtissière, or French pastry cream)
Confectioner's custard (Crème pâtissière, or French pastry cream)

You can get more informations, or check-out other recipes which use it, for example: Yvetot Douillons, St Tropez tart, Diplomat cream, Puits d'amour, Pistachio cream, ... See them all 19

Choux pastry (pâte à choux)
Choux pastry (pâte à choux)

You can get more informations, or check-out other recipes which use it, for example: Chouquettes, Pets de nonne, Saint Honoré cake, Profiteroles, Gougères, ... See them all 8

Praline
Praline

You can get more informations, or check-out other recipes which use it, for example: Succès praliné (praline meringue), Praline rochers, ... See them all 2

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