Pâte à Choux (French Choux Pastry)

Choux pastry, or pâte à choux, is an important building block in the world of baking and pastry, puffing up when cooked to make everything from cream puffs, profiteroles, and éclairs to Parisian gnocchi, churros, and beignets. It's easy to make, as long as you understand the process. In English, we sometimes call it "cream puff pastry," which is infinitely more appealing, but fails to communicate the impressive versatility of choux. Choux is a multi-purpose "paste" that hovers somewhere between dough and batter. It's made by cooking flour with water and/or milk and butter, then mixing in eggs off heat to form a pipe-able, spoonable consistency. It's then cooked a second time, either by baking, frying, or poaching, depending on the specific recipe the choux is being used for.

Unlike typical batters, choux is thick enough to hold its shape without spreading out flat like a pancake or needing a vessel to contain it, like a Yorkshire pudding. Unlike your average dough, though, it’s thin enough to pipe by hand into a wide variety of fun shapes and sizes (think puffs, tubes, rings, and more). This rare combination of traits helps explain choux’s unique value proposition in the pastry world.

But choux's real magic trick is that, when baked, it puffs up big and hollow like a Yorkshire pudding (a close cousin), tender inside, but with a crispier shell that, once baked, sets firm without deflating. It can also be fried or poached for a similarly puffy effect.

1 cup water or milk (235 g)
6 Tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into ½" cubes (84 g)
2 tsp. sugar (8 g)
½ tsp. Diamond Crystal kosher salt; for table salt use half as much by volume or the same weight (2 g)
4½ oz all-purpose flour, sifted (128 g)
4 large eggs (200 g)

Special Equipment:
3 qt saucier or saucepan
stand mixer
pastry bag and tip (optional)

In a 3 qt stainless steel saucier or saucepan, combine water (or milk), butter, sugar (if using), and salt.

Set over high and and cook until liquid comes to a rolling boil and butter has fully melted, about 2 minutes (the small butter cubes should be fully melted just about at the same time the liquid hits a strong boil).

Remove from heat and add flour. Using a wooden spoon or stiff silicone spatula, thoroughly mix in flour until no lumps remain (make sure to hunt down and smash out any stubborn ones).

Return saucepan to medium-high heat and cook, stirring very frequently, until dough registers 175°F (80°C) on an instant-read thermometer; if you don't have a thermometer, other signs the dough is ready include a thin starchy film forming all over the inside of the saucier and the dough pulling together into a cohesive mass.

Using A Stand Mixer:
Transfer dough to a stand mixer fitted with the paddle and beat at medium speed until dough registers 145°F on an instant-read thermometer (you need the dough cool enough that it doesn't cook the eggs when they hit it).

Add eggs one at a time, making sure each is fully beaten into the dough before adding the next; it can help to start the mixer at medium-low speed for the first egg and then increase the speed to medium once the choux batter begins to develop.

Scrape down sides of mixer bowl, then mix once more at medium speed just to ensure the choux batter is fully mixed, about 5 seconds.

To Incorporate Eggs By Hand:
Let dough cool in saucepan, stirring frequently, until it registers 145°F on an instant-read thermometer. Add eggs 1 at a time, stirring well between additions until each egg is fully incorporated before adding the next, until a smooth, shiny paste forms.

Use choux right away, or hold at room temperature for up to 2 hours before using; how you use the choux will depend on the application, though it’s important to prevent a skin from forming, either by transferring the choux right away to a pastry or zipper-lock bag and keeping it sealed, or pressing plastic wrap directly against the choux’s surface.

Makes 18 puffs.

Cook's Notes:

• Sugar is optional. At the very least, choux should be seasoned with salt. If it's going to be used for a dessert, a small amount of sugar can also be added to gently push it in a sweet direction.
• The choux can be made up to 2 hours before using; keep at room temperature in a sealed pastry bag or with plastic pressed against its surface to prevent a skin from forming.