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Cream Puffs (Vannbakkels)

Vannbakkels are Norwegian cream puffs from Erken 1914: choux pastry of 50 g butter, 2.5 dl water, 100 g flour, and 4 small eggs is spooned onto a sheet with a dessert spoon and baked in a hot oven; the cold puffs are cut open, emptied, and filled with whipped cream sweetened with sugar and vanilla, then dusted with powdered sugar.

Source: Henriette Schønberg Erken, Stor kokebok, 1914-utg. s. 526 (falt i det fri)

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About the dish

Cream puffs of choux pastry are one of the best-known dessert cakes in Erken's Stor kokebok. She places great emphasis on precise weighing and small eggs, because the consistency of the dough is decisive for the puffs to rise and turn out hollow.

How to make it

  1. 1

    Boil water and butter

    Bring the water and butter to a boil and take the pan off the heat.

  2. 2

    Stir in the flour

    Stir in all the flour at once. Return the pan to the heat for a moment until the dough "pulls away from the pan."

  3. 3

    The eggs

    Take the pan off the heat and stir in the eggs one at a time. Do not stir much after the last egg goes in.

  4. 4

    Baking

    Spoon the dough onto a greased sheet with a dessert spoon. Bake slowly in a hot oven, about 200 °C (390 °F) at first, then 180 °C (355 °F), for 25–30 minutes in all, until the puffs are dry and baked through.

  5. 5

    Fill

    Cut the cold puffs well over halfway open and remove all the soft dough. Whip the cream stiff with the sugar and vanilla and fill the puffs.

  6. 6

    Serving

    Dust with powdered sugar and serve.

Changes from the original

Measures converted to modern units (2.5 dl water, 5 dl heavy cream). "Baked slowly in a hot oven" is made concrete as about 200 °C (390 °F) falling to 180 °C (355 °F). The amount of sugar in the cream ("1 spoon of sugar") is set at 1 tablespoon, and vanilla to vanilla sugar.

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Time machine – what changed?

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

1914 (proofread, p. 526) → Modernised~85% of the text changedremovedadded
50 gr. smør ¼ l. vand g smør. 2,5 dl vann. 100 gr. hvetemel g hvetemel. 4 stk egg (smaa) ½ l. kremfløte. Vandet (små, veies nøyaktig). 5 dl kremfløte (til fyll). 1 ss sukker (i kremen). 1 ts vaniljesukker (i kremen). melis (til pudring). Gi vann og smørret gives smør et opkok, tages oppkok og ta gryten av ilden, irøres varmen.. Rør inn alt melet paa en gang, sættes på én gang. Sett gryten et øieblik øyeblikk tilbake over varmen, varmen til deigen «slipper gryten». Tages gryten».. Ta gryten av ilden, irøres eggene, ett ad gangen; varmen og rør inn eggene ett av gangen. Rør ikke meget, efter mye etter at det sidste siste egg er kommet i. Sættes i.. Sett deigen med dessertske paa dessertskje på smurt plate. Stekes Stek langsomt i varm ovn. Vei nøiagtig ovn, ca. 200 °C først, deretter 180 °C, i alt 25–30 minutter, til bakkelsene er tørre og ta smaa egg, saa kan det ikke gaa galt. Overskjæres vel halvt, naar gjennomstekte.. Skjær de er kolde; al kalde bakkelsene godt over halvveis opp og ta ut all bløt deig uttages, de fyldes deig. Visp fløten stiv med stivvispet fløte, hvori 1 ske sukker og litt vanilje. Strøes oppaa med flormelis. vanilje og fyll bakkelsene.. Strø melis over og server.

Note on Modernised

Mål omregnet til moderne enheter (2,5 dl vann, 5 dl kremfløte). «Stekes langsomt i varm ovn» er konkretisert til ca. 200 °C fallende til 180 °C. Sukkermengden i kremen («1 ske sukker») er satt til 1 spiseskje, og vanilje til vaniljesukker.

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Frequently asked questions

How do I know the dough is ready before the eggs are stirred in?
Bring the water and butter to a boil, take the pan off the heat, and stir in all the flour at once. Return it to the heat for a moment until the dough "pulls away from the pan," that is, gathers together and comes loose from the bottom and sides. Then take it off the heat and stir in the eggs one at a time.
Why should I use small eggs and weigh precisely?
Because the ratio of liquid, flour, and eggs determines whether the puffs rise and turn out hollow. The recipe uses 50 g butter, 2.5 dl water, 100 g all-purpose flour, and 4 small eggs — if these are weighed precisely, "nothing can go wrong." Eggs that are too large make the dough too loose. Also, do not stir much after the last egg goes in.
How are they baked and filled?
Spoon the dough onto a greased sheet with a dessert spoon and bake slowly in a hot oven. When the puffs are cold, cut them well over halfway open, remove all the soft dough, and fill them with stiffly whipped cream (½ l) with 1 spoonful of sugar and a little vanilla. Dust with powdered sugar.

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