Bossche bollen at home: eight choux buns capped with dark chocolate
The familiar bakery Bossche bol is large; this home version makes eight smaller choux buns about 7 cm across. Bake them thoroughly or they will collapse. Dip only the tops in dark chocolate and fill with whipped cream just before eating.
Editorial team Holland Magazine ·
The Bossche bol is a pastry speciality from ’s-Hertogenbosch. A bakery version can be about 12 cm wide and almost entirely glazed with chocolate fondant. Our smaller home version has a dark-chocolate cap on a choux bun filled with whipped cream.
Times are guidelines; preheat during preparation where possible. Allow extra time to cool food before storing it.
Equipment
Saucepan, wooden spoon, electric mixer, piping bag with a 1 cm plain nozzle, baking tray, baking parchment, wire rack, small bowl for a bain-marie.
Ingredients
- 250 ml water
- 100 g unsalted butter
- 2 g salt
- 150 g plain wheat flour
- 4 medium eggs, beaten
- 500 ml whipping cream, well chilled
- 25 g caster sugar
- 200 g dark chocolate
- 15 ml sunflower oil
Method
- Preheat the oven to 200 °C, conventional heat. Bring the water, butter and salt to the boil. Take the pan off the heat, add the flour all at once and stir until a smooth ball forms. Return the pan to low heat and stir for another 1–2 minutes until a thin film forms on the bottom.
- Transfer the dough to a bowl and leave to cool for 5 minutes. Beat in the eggs in four additions with the mixer, waiting each time until the egg is absorbed. The batter is right when it is glossy and falls from the beater in a thick point.
- Spoon or pipe 8 tall mounds of about 7 cm diameter onto the lined tray, well spaced. Smooth the tops with a wet finger.
- Bake for 15 minutes at 200 °C, then 25–30 minutes at 180 °C. Do not open the oven door for the first 30 minutes. The buns are ready when deep golden, light and dry to the touch. Make a small hole in the base with a skewer and cool completely on a wire rack, at least 45 minutes.
- Melt the chocolate with the oil over a bain-marie. Dip the top of each bun in the chocolate, put the buns on the rack and leave the chocolate to set in the fridge for 15 minutes.
- Whip the cream with the sugar until stiff. Enlarge the hole in the base slightly, pipe the buns full and eat straight away.
Storage
Eat filled buns straight away or keep them covered in the fridge at 4 °C for a few hours at most. Unfilled buns keep dry and airtight for 1 day, or can be frozen.
Allergens
Wheat/gluten, egg and milk; dark chocolate may contain soya and traces of milk. Check the label.
Our own adaptation for home cooking, not kitchen-tested. Times are guidelines; check the result described in the method.