I also thought it was intriguing that if the butter melts before the water boils, it is better for the structure.
When I was a kid, my parents always bought Costco cream puffs, and (of course) the crust was soft because they were frozen. So when I first had fresh cream puffs, I thought there was something wrong with the pastry. I've since come to appreciate the soft inside with the firm outside.
I was surprised this mattered, too! I think it’s because you don’t want it to emulsify. Flour needs water to form gluten, so the more water available, the stronger the gluten.
Process photos 😃
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I also thought it was intriguing that if the butter melts before the water boils, it is better for the structure.
When I was a kid, my parents always bought Costco cream puffs, and (of course) the crust was soft because they were frozen. So when I first had fresh cream puffs, I thought there was something wrong with the pastry. I've since come to appreciate the soft inside with the firm outside.
I was surprised this mattered, too! I think it’s because you don’t want it to emulsify. Flour needs water to form gluten, so the more water available, the stronger the gluten.