Pâte à Choux (Choux Paste)

Before you start

Choux paste is a cooked dough. Water, milk and butter come to a boil, flour goes in all at once, and the paste is stirred over the heat until some moisture cooks off. Eggs are then beaten in one at a time. In the oven, the water in the paste turns to steam and inflates each mound like a balloon, while the egg proteins and gelatinized starch set around the air pocket into a crisp shell.

Two decisions shape the result. The first is how long you dry the paste on the stove: a thin film on the pan bottom tells you enough water is gone. The second is how much egg you add. Egg sizes and evaporation vary, so the last egg goes in a little at a time until the paste falls from the spoon in a slow, shiny V. Too stiff and the puffs crack and stay small; too loose and they spread flat.

Ingredients

• 120 ml (½ cup) water
• 120 ml (½ cup) whole milk
• 110 g (½ cup) unsalted butter — cut into small pieces so it melts before the liquid boils hard
• 1 tsp granulated sugar
• ½ tsp fine salt
• 140 g (1 cup + 2 tbsp) all-purpose or bread flour — sifted
• 4 to 5 large (about 200–240 g) eggs — beaten together in a jug; you may not need all of it
• 1 egg, beaten with a pinch of salt — for egg wash (optional)

Method

1. Heat the oven to 200°C (400°F) with racks in the upper and lower thirds. Line two baking sheets with parchment; dab a little paste under each corner later to keep the paper flat.
2. Put the water, milk, butter, sugar and salt in the saucepan over medium heat. Bring it to a full rolling boil only once the butter has completely melted, so you do not lose water to a long boil.
3. Take the pan off the heat and add the flour in one go. Stir hard until the flour disappears and a rough ball forms, about 30 seconds.
4. Return the pan to medium-low heat and keep stirring and pressing the paste against the pan for 2 to 3 minutes. Stop when it looks glossy, pulls away cleanly and leaves a thin film on the bottom of the pan. The paste should register about 75–80°C (170–175°F).
5. Move the paste to the mixer bowl and beat on low for 1 to 2 minutes to release steam. It should feel warm, not hot, before eggs go in, or they may start to cook.
6. Add the beaten egg in about five additions, beating until each is absorbed before the next. After four additions, lift the paddle: the paste should cling, then slowly drop off and leave a V-shaped tail. If it breaks off in clumps, add more egg a spoonful at a time. Stop as soon as the V forms.
7. Spoon the paste into the piping bag. Hold the tip upright, just above the sheet, and pipe 4 cm (1½ in) mounds about 5 cm (2 in) apart. Smooth any peaks with a wet fingertip and brush lightly with egg wash, keeping it off the parchment.
8. Bake for 10 minutes, then lower the oven to 180°C (350°F) without opening the door. Bake 20 to 25 minutes more, switching the sheets after the first 25 minutes total, until the shells are deep golden, including in the cracks, and feel light.
9. Pierce the side or base of each puff with a skewer to let the steam out and return them to the turned-off oven, door propped open, for 10 minutes. Cool fully on a rack before filling.

Tips for success

• Pale shells collapse. Bake until the color reaches the crevices, even if the tops look done earlier.
• Weigh the beaten eggs and note how much you used. That number tells you how much moisture your paste held, which makes the next batch faster.
• A French star tip gives the paste more surface to expand into and helps prevent random cracks on éclairs.
• Piped, unbaked mounds freeze well on the sheet. Bag them once solid and bake from frozen, adding 5 minutes.

Substitutions

Whole milk

Use all water for a crisper, paler shell that stays dry longer; use all milk for a softer, browner shell that bakes faster and needs watching.

All-purpose flour

Bread flour gives more structure and slightly taller puffs that hold their shape when filled. Cake flour is too weak and leads to flatter shells.

Unsalted butter

Salted butter works if you skip the added salt. Neutral oil can replace part of the butter for savory puffs, but the shells taste flatter and brown less.

Variations

Chouquettes

Pipe 3 cm mounds, brush with egg wash and cover with pearl sugar before baking. Shake off excess sugar once set and serve plain.

Savory herb choux

Beat 2 tablespoons chopped chives and a pinch of black pepper into the finished paste and pipe small puffs for filling with herbed cream cheese.

Troubleshooting

Puffs spread flat instead of rising

The paste was too loose, usually from adding all the eggs at once. Next time hold back the last egg and add it gradually until the V just forms.

Shells deflated after leaving the oven

They were underbaked or the steam stayed trapped inside. Bake until deep golden in the cracks, pierce each one and let them dry in the cooling oven.

Puffs cracked unevenly and look lumpy

The paste was too stiff or the oven too hot at first. Add a little more egg and check the oven temperature with a thermometer.

Hollow shells are soggy the next day

Unfilled shells absorb humidity. Re-crisp them at 180°C (350°F) for 5 minutes and cool before filling.

Storage

Store unfilled baked shells airtight at room temperature for 1 day or freeze them for up to 1 month; re-crisp in a 180°C (350°F) oven for 5 minutes. Unbaked paste keeps, covered and refrigerated, for 1 day, though it puffs a little less.

Safety notes

Do not taste the raw paste; it contains raw egg and raw flour. Baking sets the eggs well past 71°C (160°F). Contains wheat, egg and milk.