Recipes › Dessert › Italian Bigne Cream Puffs Recipe

Italian Bigne Cream Puffs Recipe

Recipe by Pedro M. A. Neves

Bigne are delicate Italian choux pastry puffs filled with silky pastry cream, a beloved confection from the Veneto region. These light, airy pastries with their creamy centers represent the pinnacle of Italian pastry craftsmanship. Perfect for special occasions or as an elegant end to any meal, homemade bigne showcase the simplicity and refinement of traditional Italian dessert-making.

Ingredients

• 250 ml (1 cup) water
• 100 g (7 tablespoons) unsalted butter
• 150 g (1¼ cups) all-purpose flour
• 4 large eggs
• ½ teaspoon fine salt
• 500 ml (2 cups) whole milk
• 100 g (¾ cup) all-purpose flour for cream
• 100 g (½ cup) granulated sugar
• 5 large egg yolks
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 30 g (2 tablespoons) unsalted butter for cream
• 2 tablespoons powdered sugar for dusting

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 200°C (400°F). Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. Combine water, butter, and salt in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring until butter melts completely. Bring to a rolling boil.

3. Remove from heat and stir in flour with a wooden spoon until the mixture forms a ball. Return to low heat and stir constantly for 1-2 minutes to dry out the dough slightly.

4. Transfer dough to a mixing bowl and let cool for 2 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition until fully incorporated and the dough is smooth and glossy.

5. Pipe dough onto prepared baking sheets using a pastry bag fitted with a 1 cm (½ inch) round tip, creating small mounds spaced 3 cm (1¼ inches) apart. Bake for 25-30 minutes until golden and hollow-sounding when tapped.

6. Cool bigne completely on wire racks. Once cooled, use a small paring knife to carefully slice the top off each bigne to create an opening for filling.

7. Heat milk in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat until it steams but does not boil. In a separate bowl, whisk egg yolks with sugar until pale and thick, approximately 2-3 minutes.

8. Sift flour into the egg mixture and whisk until smooth. Slowly pour hot milk into the egg mixture while whisking constantly to prevent lumps from forming.

9. Return mixture to the saucepan and cook over medium heat, whisking frequently, for 2-3 minutes until it thickens into pastry cream that coats the back of a spoon. Remove from heat and stir in butter and vanilla extract.

10. Press plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the pastry cream to prevent a skin from forming, then refrigerate for at least 1 hour until completely chilled. Fill each bigne with pastry cream using a small spoon or pastry bag, dust with powdered sugar, and serve immediately.

Substitutions

• Replace butter with coconut oil in both choux dough and pastry cream for a dairy-free version (use unsweetened plant-based milk)
• Substitute all-purpose flour with rice flour in equal measure for a gluten-free bigne
• Use cornstarch instead of flour in the pastry cream for a lighter, more delicate texture
• Replace egg yolks with cornstarch slurry (2 tablespoons cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons milk) for an egg-free pastry cream

Tips

• Do not open the oven door during baking or bigne will collapse; they are ready when deep golden and sound hollow when tapped
• Bigne are best filled within 2-3 hours of serving to prevent them from becoming soggy from the pastry cream filling
• For extra richness, fold 100 ml (⅓ cup) of lightly whipped cream into the cooled pastry cream before filling
• These pastry puffs can be made ahead and frozen unfilled for up to 2 weeks; simply reheat in a 180°C (350°F) oven for 5 minutes before filling

Bigne are particularly celebrated in the Veneto region of northern Italy, where they appear at religious festivals, weddings, and special family gatherings. These choux pastries reflect the Italian mastery of French pastry techniques, adapted and perfected over centuries into a distinctly Italian confection.

You might also like

Italian Biscotti Recipe

70 min · Dessert

Italian Cheesecake Recipe

70 min · Dessert

Italian Chocolate Amaretti Cake Recipe

65 min · Dessert

Italian Chocolate Chestnut Cake Recipe

70 min · Dessert