Matthew Woolen is a master pastry chef and has worked in a variety of Seattle restaurants, including gastropub Old Sage, Zhu Dang, and a gluten-free restaurant called Capitol Cider.

Matthew Woolen

Ever wonder what happened to the crullers at ye olde local chain <a href="https://www.chefsteps.com/activities/how-to-make-bulletproof-fluffy-yeasted-doughnuts-at-home">doughnut</a> shoppe? Us, too! It’s not just that they don’t make ’em like they used to; at most shops, they don’t make ’em at all! Well, we took matters into our own hands. The key to making crullers that are even better than the classic ridged eggy O’s of fried dough? Nailing the precise frying temperature for the pâte à choux, the eggy dough used to make things like éclairs and gougères. Like all choux-based recipes, this one is rooted in fundamental proportions and techniques. For example, a 1:1:1 ratio by weight of water to milk to butter gives an ideal balance of crispness, tenderness, and richness respectively; and a 4:1:1 ratio of eggs to volume of liquid and flour is standard for most choux dough. Most importantly, cooking the flour-liquid paste gelatinizes starches and partially breaks down <a href="https://www.chefsteps.com/activities/gluten-seitan-and-vital-wheat-gluten">gluten</a>, which renders the dough less elastic. Once the pre-gelatinized starch paste gets dropped in the fryer, the dough will rapidly expand as water converts to steam. But frying crullers can be tricky. If the oil is too cold, the gluten network won’t set and the crullers won’t maintain their shape—the doughnuts will collapse as soon as they cool. Too high a temperature, and the moist and eggy interior will disappear, turning dry and chalky instead. We found [f 340] to be just right, and when you can dial in that frying temperature with precision, you’re rewarded with perfect crullers, every time.

Crullers