How to Make Choux Pastry {Pâte à Choux}

What is Choux Pastry?

Choux Pastry (pâte à choux) is a remarkably versatile pastry dough used to make cream puffs, eclairs, profiteroles, churros, and French crullers.

The beauty of choux pastry is that it puffs up as it bakes, creating a hollow center that's perfect for filling with things like pastry cream, whipped cream, ice cream, fruit and fruit preserves.

The French translation of "choux" is cabbage. So, if we're going to be literal here, I'm teaching you how to make cabbage pastry.

Thankfully, the name is reflective of the finished product not of the ingredient list. When baked, pâte à choux bakes up with little folds and crinkles that resemble little cabbages.

Like many French Pastries, choux pastry is both revered and feared. I feel that the reverie is justified and the fear of making it is not.

Master choux pastry and you can make an endless variety of impressive pastries filled with whatever your heart and imagination desires. And you CAN, in fact, master this French pastry dough because even though it has a reputation for being difficult it's actually not.

• Start to finish, the dough only takes about 15 minutes to make and requires only a handful of ingredients.
• The details and photos in this step-by-step guide and choux pastry recipe are there to ensure success for everyone, even if you've never made it or have not had success with it in the past.
• But, seriously. Once you've made a batch, you'll wonder why this simple pastry dough has a reputation for being difficult at all.

Ingredients Needed to Prepare this Recipe

Making choux pastry requires just 6 common ingredients, plus tap water.

1. Unsalted butter. Unsalted butter is preferred in this recipe because it allows you to control the amount of salt in the dough. If you do use salted butter, omit the added salt in this recipe.
2. Large eggs. Eggs add flavor and are what cause choux pastry to puff up in the oven while it bakes.
3. All purpose flour.
4. Granulated sugar. Most recipes for choux pastry do not include sugar, but just one tablespoon boosts the flavor of the dough considerably. And, when given the chance to add flavor, I always take it.
5. Whole milk + water. You can make choux pastry with only water, but I prefer to use a 50/50 combination of water and whole milk. That little bit of milk gives the dough a more tender texture and a richer flavor.
6. Salt. Salt adds flavor, but you want to be careful to not add to much. ¾ teaspoon is the perfect amount if using unsalted butter. If using salted butter, leave it out.

See the recipe card below for precise quantities.

Step by Step Photos and Instructions

#1. Add the butter, water, milk, salt, and sugar to a medium saucepan set over medium heat. Bring mixture to a full rolling boil, stirring frequently. 

#2. Reduce heat to medium-low and add the flour all at once.

Stir vigorously until the flour is completely incorporated and the mixture forms a thick ball of dough. 

#3. Cook the dough for about 1 minute longer, stirring constantly. As you stir, use the back of your spoon to mash the dough against the side of the pan.

Cooking and stirring the dough builds structure and keeps the dough from tasting "floury".

#4. Time to add the eggs! Whisk the eggs together in a small bowl or measuring cup.

Dump the dough into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. OR - use a mixing bowl and a handheld mixer.

It's important to add only as many eggs as you need to create a thick, shiny dough that holds its shape. I almost always have a tablespoon or so of beaten egg leftover.

If making something like profiteroles or eclairs, you can save the leftover egg for the egg wash that's brushed over the pastries before baking.

At this point, the dough can be used immediately or kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

How to Bake Choux Pastry

The dough is now ready to be baked into shells that can be used to make eclairs, cream puffs, or profiteroles!

Step #1: Sprinkle the parchment with a bit of water. This creates a more humid environment for the pastries as they bake, helping them rise as much as possible and not dry out.

Step #2: Scoop the batter into a pastry bag that's been fitted with a large round pastry tip and pipe the pastries onto the baking sheet, leaving about 3-inches of space in-between each one.

Step #3: Dip your finger in water (to keep it from sticking to the dough) and smooth out the tops of the pastries, especially the little flip that can happen as you pull the pastry bag away from the pastry.

Step #4: Brush the dough with a bit of egg that's been whisked with about a teaspoon of water.

Step #5: Bake! If making large pastries, bake them at 375 °F (190° C).

If making mall pastries, bake them at 400° F (204° C).

Useful Equipment

It's important to use an electric mixer to make choux pastry dough. Beating the eggs into the dough by hand is extremely difficult. Use either a Stand Mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or a hand held electric mixer.

I also like to use a heat proof spatula to stir the dough while cooking it in a saucepan because it allows you to scrape along the edges of the pan. This ensures that no little pieces of dough are stuck in the crevices and prone to burning.

Other useful equipment includes:

• A heavy bottom 3-quart saucepan.
• Large disposable pastry/ decorator bags
• A large round pastry tip for piping choux paste onto a baking sheet
• A baking sheet

How to Store Choux Pastry Dough and Baked Pastries

Choux pastry dough can be kept in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Once baked, unfilled pastries made with choux pastry dough can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 24 hours or in the refrigerator for 5 days. They can also be frozen for up to 3 months.

The length of time pastries will last after they've been filled depends on the type of filling. Pastry cream or cream cheese filled profiteroles will keep well in the refrigerator for a day or two. Fillings that include a high percentage of liquid, and those that contain meats or seafood do not last as long and should be eaten within a few hours.

To freeze pastries BEFORE baking, follow the recipe instructions to make the choux pastry dough then pipe the pastries onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet and put the baking sheet in the freezer. Let the profiteroles freeze for an hour or two. Then, remove the balls of dough from the baking sheet and put them in an airtight container.

Separate layers of profiteroles that are stacked on top of one another with parchment paper. Unbaked frozen profiteroles will keep for up to 2 months in the freezer. To bake, simply place the frozen balls of choux pastry on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake according to the recipe instructions below.

To freeze pastries AFTER baking, allow them to cool completely at room temperature. Then, put them in an airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator before filling and serving.

You can also freeze filled profiteroles - IF the filling lends itself to freezing. Not every kind of filling will freeze well, especially those with meat, seafood, or vegetables. In general, whipped cream and cream cheese fillings do not freeze well.

Other kinds of fillings, like my favorite pastry cream recipe, will freeze well. In general, if the filling will freeze well on its own, it's fine to freeze profiteroles that contain that filling.

When freezing filled profiteroles, I like to wrap them individually in plastic wrap, then put the wrapped profiteroles into an airtight container.

FAQs

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