Traditional Oven baked Cream Puffs (Bignè di San Giuseppe) are an Italian pastry traditionally made for Italian Father's Day, on March 19th, which happens to be St. Joseph's Day. These delicate choux puffs filled with a lemon-scented pastry cream and a dusting of icing sugar on top fill the glass cases of every bakery in Rome. Bring a true taste of Italy to your kitchen.
Festa del Papà (Italian Father's day)
If you happen in Italy, and more specifically in the area of Rome, in February and March, you will see on display in the glass cases of all the bakeries, cafés, grocery stores and pastry shops, a pastry called Bignè di San Giuseppe (St. Joseph's Day Cream Puffs), both in the fried and baked versions. These delicious sweets are traditional for the Festa del Papà. In Italy Father's Day, falls on March 19th, that on our religious calendar is San Giuseppe (St. Joseph's Day).
A religious tradition
This holiday is deeply connected to a Catholic tradition. Saint Joseph is Jesus's father and thus made the symbol of all fathers. Not to mention, Joseph is also the Patron Saint of friars and pastry makers. It's no coincidence that on Father's Day, pastry shops show off their most delectable pastries. Not only Bignè di San Giuseppe, both baked and fried, but also Zeppole (the Neapolitan version filled with pastry cream and topped with amarena cherry).
Traditional Italian Oven baked Cream Puffs (Bignè di San Giuseppe)
Since I was in Rome this time of year, I wanted to celebrate my father with homemade Bignè di San Giuseppe. And I opted for the baked version.
Just a suggestion, take your time to make them, since there are a few steps involved: make the choux pastry, shape the puffs, bake them, make the pastry cream, and lastly fill the puffs. To cut some time, you could make the pastry cream the day before and leave it in the fridge, covered. You could also make the bignè in advance and fill them just before serving.
First, make the choux pastry
The batter of the puffs (bignè) is the French pate à choux (choux pastry). You can use it to make a wide variety of pastries: cream puffs for Profiteroles, éclairs, savory gougères, and more. Choux pastry is made by cooking flour with water (and/or milk) and butter with a little salt and sugar, then mixing in eggs.
In a thick-bottomed saucepan, add the cubed butter and the water, a pinch of salt and a teaspoon of sugar. Stir with a wooden spoon until the butter has melted. When the water is at a soft boil, remove the pan from the heat and add the sifted flour all at once.
Return the saucepan on the stove and stir with a whisk first and then continue with a wooden spoon, until you get a ball of soft "dough". Then, place the mixture into a bowl and let it cool.
TIP: Keep stirring the mixture until you see a white film forming at the bottom of the saucepan (it can take 5-10 minutes).
Once the dough is lukewarm, add one egg at a time, and beat well to mix it in the batter. Make sure the egg is completely incorporated before adding the next one. You can use a wooden spoon, a handheld mixer, or better yet, a stand mixer. You want to obtain a smooth and homogeneous batter, like a thick pastry cream.
Then, make the puffs
Transfer the thick batter into a piping bag with a star nozzle and have ready two baking trays lined with parchment paper (the bignè need space so that they don't stick to one another while baking). Make one medium size circle, then another one overlapping and closing at the top. You will get about 12-15 medium cream puffs. Or you can make larger ones.
Bake the puffs in a preheated 190°C/375°F convection oven for 25-30 minutes. When you see they are puffy and a beautiful golden color, turn off the oven, take them out and quickly poke a little hole at the base with a toothpick. Then put them back in the oven, leaving the door slightly open (place a wooden spoon to keep it from closing). Leave them for 10 minutes to dry out inside.
Tips on baking the puffs
Baking the puffs at the right temperature and right time is part of the success of the recipe. A good puff is crisp on the surface, hollow inside, and won't deflate once out of the oven. To ensure that the puffs are dry inside, when they are fully baked, you can poke the bottom with a toothpick. Then, leave them to dry in the oven, turned off, and with the door slightly opened.
The pastry cream
The pastry cream is my mother's simple recipe made of eggs sugar, flour (or cornstarch), milk, and lemon rind. I love the fragrant scent and flavor of the citrus in the pastry cream! Here's how to make it:
- Heat the milk in a saucepan with the lemon rind. Beat the egg yolks and sugar in a bowl, then add the flour and mix well. Pour the heated milk mixture slowly on the egg mixture, mixing with a whisk. Put the mixture back on the stove and stir constantly until the pastry cream has thickened.
- Transfer it to a bowl and let it cool with a plastic wrap directly on top to keep it from drying out.
Lastly, fill the puffs
Remove the puffs from the oven and let cool completely on a wire rack before filling them.
Put the pastry cream in a piping bag with a long small nozzle. Fill the puffs from the side, leaving some pastry cream overflowing, or from the bottom.
Optional, dust with powdered sugar.
These puffs are light, delicate, fragrant (thanks also to a grating of lemon zest in the batter). The pastry cream is lush, velvety, citrusy, and not too sweet. The perfect counterpart to the pastry.
Buona Festa del Papà
In the end, I was happy with how these Bignè di San Giuseppe turned out and even happier at the thought that my father and my family would enjoy them.
Thank you to all the dads for everything they do and for spoiling their little girls. Even those ones, like me, who aren't that little anymore.
Traditional Oven baked Cream Puffs (Bignè di San Giuseppe)
Traditional Oven baked Cream Puffs (Bignè di San Giuseppe) are an pastry traditionally made for Italian Father's Day, on March 19th, which happens to be St. Joseph's Day. These delicate choux puffs filled with a lemon-scented pastry cream and a dusting of icing sugar on top fill the glass cases of every bakery in Rome. Bring a true taste of Italy to your kitchen.
- Total Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
- Yield: 12-15 cream puffs 1x
- Category: Sweets
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
Bignè (Puffs):
- 4 organic free range eggs
- 80 g butter, cubed
- 200 ml water
- pinch of salt
- 1 tsp granulated sugar
- 120 g unbleached all purpose flour
- 1 tsp grated lemon zest (optional)
Pastry cream:
- 3 large organic egg yolks
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons 00 flour or unbleached all-purpose flour
- 3 glasses of milk (about 400 ml)
- the rind of ½ an organic lemon
Instructions
Choux pastry:
- Preheat the convection oven to 190°C/375°F.
- In a thick-bottomed saucepan, add the cubed butter and the water, a pinch of salt and a teaspoon of sugar. Stir with a wooden spoon until the butter has melted. When the water is at a soft boil, remove the pan from the heat and add the sifted flour all at once.
- Return the saucepan on the stove and stir with a whisk first and then continue with a wooden spoon, until you get a ball shaped dough.
- Keep stirring the mixture until you see a white film form at the bottom of the saucepan (it can take 5-10 minutes). Then, place the mixture into a bowl and let it cool.
- Once the dough is lukewarm, add one egg at a time, and beat well to mix it in the batter. Add the following egg only when the previous one has been completely incorporated. You can use a wooden spoon, a handheld mixer, or better yet, a stand mixer. You want to obtain a smooth and homogeneous batter, like a thick pastry cream.
- Transfer the thick batter into a piping bag with a star nozzle and have ready two baking trays lined with parchment paper (the bignè need space so that they don't stick to one another while baking). Make one medium size circle, then another one overlapping and closing at the top. You will get about 12-15 cream puffs.
- Bake the puffs in a preheated 190C/375F oven for 25-30 minutes. When you see they are puffy and a beautiful golden color, turn off the oven, take them out and quickly poke a little hole at the base with a toothpick. Then put them back in the oven, leaving the door slightly open (place a wooden spoon to keep it from closing). Leave them for 10 minutes to let them dry inside.
- After this time, remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack.
Pastry cream:
- Heat the milk in a saucepan with the lemon rind; beat the egg yolks and sugar in a bowl, then add the flour. Pour the heated milk mixture slowly on the egg mixture, mixing with a whisk. Put the mixture back on the stove and stir constantly until the pastry cream has thickened.
- Transfer it to a bowl and let it cool with a plastic wrap on top to keep it from drying out.
Assemble:
- Put the pastry cream in a piping bag with a small nozzle and fill the puffs, from the bottom or on the side.
- Optional, dust with powdered sugar.
Enjoy!
Notes
You can easily halve the recipe.
The cream puffs will keep in the refrigerator, covered, for a couple of days (but they will soften a bit). You can also store the unfilled puffs, once they're cooled off, for 3-4 days in a tin box, covered, or freeze them. Once thawed, fill them with the pastry cream.
Ricetta in Italiano:
PrintBignè di San Giuseppe al Forno
- Prep Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
- Yield: 12 bignè medi 1x
Ingredients
Bignè:
- 4 uova, organiche da allevamento a terra
- 80 g burro
- 200 ml acqua
- 1 pizzico di sale
- 120 g farina 00
- 1 cucchiaino di zucchero
- 1 cucchiaino di scorza di limone grattugiata
Crema al limone:
- 3 tuorli
- 3 cucchiai di zucchero
- 3 cucchiai farina (o fecola)
- 3 bicchieri di latte
- 1 scorza di limone
Instructions
- Preriscaldate il forno ventilato a 190°.
- Preparate la pasta choux che sarà l'impasto base dei bignè: in un pentolino dal fondo spesso mettete il burro a pezzetti e versate l'acqua, unite il sale e un cucchiaino di zucchero e portate lentamente ad ebollizione, rimestando con un cucchiaio di legno. Non appena il burro sarà sciolto e l'acqua bollirà, togliete il pentolino dal fuoco e versate al suo interno la farina setacciata. Riportate il pentolino sul fuoco e amalgamate gli ingredienti con una frusta all'inizio e poi continuate a mescolare con un cucchiaio di legno per ottenere una palla compatta. Girate il composto fino a quando vedrete formarsi una patina biancastra sul fondo del pentolino (tra i 5 e i 10 minuti circa).
- Versate l'impasto in una ciotola e lasciatelo intiepidire. Una volta tiepido, unite le uova, una alla volta, aggiungendo la seguente solo quando la precedente sarà stata completamente assorbita (oltre che con un mestolo di legno, potete compiere questa operazione servendovi delle fruste di uno sbattitore a mano o la foglia di una planetaria). Alla fine dovrete ottenere un composto liscio e omogeneo.
- Trasferite il composto ottenuto in una sac-à-poche con bocchetta stellata e spremetelo su una teglia foderata con carta da forno, formando dei cerchi di misura media sui quali passerete due volte accavallando e chiudendo in cima la pasta choux. Otterrete circa 12-15 bignè: vi serviranno due teglie perché i bignè devono essere distanziati tra loro in modo che, durante la cottura, gonfiandosi, non si attacchino.
- Cuocete i bignè in forno ventilato preriscaldato per 25-30 minuti. Quando risulteranno gonfi e belli dorati in superficie, spegnete il forno, bucherellateli alla base con uno stuzzicadenti e rimetteteli in forno spento socchiuso per 10 minuti per farli asciugare dentro.
- Trascorso questo tempo, estraeteli dal forno e lasciateli raffreddare su di una gratella.
- Ora preparate la crema: riscaldate il latte in un pentolino con la scorza di limone; sbattete in una ciotola, con la frusta, i tuorli e lo zucchero quindi aggiungete la farina. Versate il latte riscaldato sul composto a filo, amalgamando con la frusta. Riportate il composto sul fuoco e mescolate continuamente fino a che la crema non si sarà addensata.
- Trasferite la crema in una ciotola e fatela raffreddare con un foglio di pellicola a contatto per non farla seccare.
- Farciteli i bignè con la crema, che avrete trasferito in una sac-à-poche con bocchetta piccola.
- A piacere cospargeteli con zucchero a velo.
Notes
Conservate i bignè alla crema in frigorifero, coperti, per 2-3 giorni.
Potete conservare i bignè non farciti e completamente raffreddati per 3-4 giorni in una scatola di latta, oppure potete congelarli e una volta scongelati farcirli all'occorrenza.
I love baking and kneading dough because it takes me to a happy place in my soul.
Dahn says
Oh, I know what you mean about deep frying. I love eating fried food but hate making it. I think these are better baked anyway, you won't feel like a rock is sitting in your belly if you eat an extra one 🙂
You're right, these cream puffs are actually better baked, so you can even indulge in having two 😉 . Thank you for stopping by!
demeter | beaming baker says
Hi Nicoletta & Loretto! I must say, these baked cream puffs are absolutely gorgeous. Nicoletta, I hope that you had a wonderful time celebrating Italy's Father's Day with your father. 🙂 Although, I must say, I can't imagine him not having a wonderful time with a big plate of these cream puffs. You're a great daughter for rushing home and making this batter by hand! The baking life is just a bit (okay, maybe a LOT... haha) harder without the great luxury of a stand mixer. P.S. The pictures turned out beautifully! Next time, I hope you have more time so you don't have to rush. Rushing is my least favorite part of baking. Have a wonderful weekend you two!
Thank you Demeter for your nice comment! We had a nice time and the cream puffs are all gone, even the flat ones 😉 . I know, rushing and baking are not good together. Have a beautiful sunday!
Kathy @ Beyond the Chicken Coop says
These are so beautiful! I've never made cream puffs....I need to change that and get baking!
Thank you Kathy, so much! Cream puffs are quite lengthy but worth the while 🙂 .
Sarah says
These. look. so. dreamy. Ahhhh!
Thanks a lot! My father and family were quite happy with them, (12 cream puffs) gone in a day 🙂 .
karrie @ Tasty Ever After says
Love that you were in Rome with your family to make these 🙂 My Hubby saw the photo of these and said "Can you make those?" So guess I'll be making them this week too 😉
Thank you Karrie! I am having a nice time, enjoying my parents a lot. In a month I'll be going back to Edmonton , so I am treasuring every moment. You can't say No to hubby, you got to make them 😉 . Hope you like them and find the recipe and tips easy to follow.
Kamran says
Nicoletta, these cream puffs look absolutely ethereal! One of my best friends in middle school got me hooked on fried bignè (so bad for you, but so delicious!); it's so nice seeing your baked recipe for them. They look absolutely stunning!
You're right, fried bignè are addictive, sooo delicious! I was so close to frying them... 😉 . So glad you stopped by, Kamran, and left you're comment. So appreciated. Thank you!
Jackie @ supermancooks says
Nicoletta these are amazing!!! I have never had these, but now I am dying to try them! I love the history behind them and particularly the idea that you made them with love for your papa... isn't that what life is all about? Beautiful!!!
Thank you so much, Jackie, for your kind words. So glad you stopped by! They are really delicious! Here you can still find them in the pastry shops and cafés, but are slowly dying down and being replaced by Easter sweets. And, yes, that's what life is all about!
Raquel @ My California Roots says
These look so fantastic, Nicoletta! I haven't attempted many pastries in my home, but since these look so good baked I might have to give them a try. And that custard with the lemon sounds fantastic! I bet your dad loved these - so special that you made them for him 🙂
You are so sweet, Raquel, thank you! My dad loved them, and was really happy I baked them for him. I'm sure you would like them. The pastry is light and the filling is heavenly 🙂 .