What kind of dough are snow balls made of?

It is a cooked choux dough: 125 g butter and ¼ l water are brought to a boil, 250 g wheat flour is stirred in, and the dough is cooked until it pulls away from the pot. When the dough is completely cold, 6 eggs are stirred in, one at a time, along with a little sugar.

Why must the dough be cooled before the eggs are stirred in?

The recipe says the dough should be "quite cold" before the eggs are added, one at a time with good stirring between each. That way the eggs do not set in the hot dough, and the puffs rise evenly in the lard.

How do I know the lard is hot enough?

Erken writes that the lard is hot enough when it is steaming. The dough is spooned out as small puffs and fried pale golden; the snow balls are eaten hot, rolled in granulated sugar.

What is the "press" mentioned at the end?

"Press" puffs are made the same way, but with 125 g butter, 3½ dl water, 250 g wheat flour, and 8 eggs. The dough is pressed through a press and "snipped" straight into the lard pot with scissors.

Snow Balls (Fried Choux Puffs)

Snow balls from Erken (1914): a choux dough of 125 g butter, 2.5 dl water, 250 g flour, and 6 eggs, spooned into hot lard, fried pale golden and rolled in granulated sugar. A "press" variant with 3.5 dl water and 8 eggs, piped and snipped into the fat.

Source: Henriette Schønberg Erken, Stor kokebok, 1914-utg. s. 528 (falt i det fri)

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About the dish

Snow balls are a deep-fried choux dough from the chapter "Dessert Cakes" in Erken's Stor kokebok (Great Cookbook) (1914). The same dough is used for "press" puffs, which are pressed through a piping bag and snipped directly into the hot fat.

How to make it

1
Bring to a boil
Bring the butter and water to a boil in a pot.
2
Stir in the flour
Add the flour, stir well, and let the dough cook until it pulls away from the pot. Take the pot off the heat.
3
Add the eggs
When the dough is completely cold, stir in the eggs one at a time. Stir well between each egg. Finally, stir in a little sugar.
4
Deep-fry
Spoon small puffs into boiling lard or oil, about 175 °C (345 °F), and fry them pale golden and cooked through.
5
Serve
Roll the hot puffs in granulated sugar and serve at once.
6
Variant: press puffs
"Press" puffs are made the same way from 125 g butter, 3.5 dl water, 250 g wheat flour, and 8 eggs. The dough is pressed through a piping bag and snipped with scissors straight into the fat. The fat is hot enough when it is steaming.

Changes from the original

Lard is given as lard or neutral frying oil, and the temperature is specified as about 175 °C (345 °F). Measurements are converted to modern units (¼ l = 2.5 dl).

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Time machine – what changed?

Pick two editions and see what Henriette Schønberg Erken added, removed or changed between them.

From1914 1949 Modernised

To1914 1949 Modernised

1914 (proofread, p. 528) → 1949 (proofread, p. 611)~61% of the text changedremovedadded

125 gr. smør 250 gr. hvetemel ~~¼ l. kokende vand~~ ½ dd. koldt vann 6 egg. ~~Smørret~~ Smøret og ~~vandet gives~~ vannet gis et opkok, ~~tilsættes~~ tilsettes melet, røres godt, ~~koker,~~ koker til det slipper gryten. ~~Tages~~ Tas op, og ~~naar~~ når det er ganske koldt, irøres eggene, 1 ett ad gangen — rør godt mellem hvert egg —, samt litt sukker. ~~Lægges~~ Legges med ~~ske~~ skje som ~~smaa~~ små boller i ~~kokende smult~~ smultgryten og kokes ~~lyse gule. Spises~~ lysegule. Serveres varme, vendt i strøsukker. Sprut lages paa samme maate av 125 gr. smør, 3½ del. vand, 250 gr. hvetemel og 8 egg. Trykkes gjennem sprøite, «klippes» direkte i smultgryten med saks. Smultet er passe varmt, naar det damper av det.

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Frequently asked questions

What kind of dough are snow balls made of?: It is a cooked choux dough: 125 g butter and ¼ l water are brought to a boil, 250 g wheat flour is stirred in, and the dough is cooked until it pulls away from the pot. When the dough is completely cold, 6 eggs are stirred in, one at a time, along with a little sugar.
Why must the dough be cooled before the eggs are stirred in?: The recipe says the dough should be "quite cold" before the eggs are added, one at a time with good stirring between each. That way the eggs do not set in the hot dough, and the puffs rise evenly in the lard.
How do I know the lard is hot enough?: Erken writes that the lard is hot enough when it is steaming. The dough is spooned out as small puffs and fried pale golden; the snow balls are eaten hot, rolled in granulated sugar.
What is the "press" mentioned at the end?: "Press" puffs are made the same way, but with 125 g butter, 3½ dl water, 250 g wheat flour, and 8 eggs. The dough is pressed through a press and "snipped" straight into the lard pot with scissors.

Equipment for this dish

Stand mixer →Erken kneaded and whisked by hand for ages – a stand mixer does the work for you.Engrospris.no

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