Description
Classic French choux pastry (Pâte à Choux) is a versatile dough used to make light and airy cream puffs, profiteroles, and eclairs. This recipe details how to prepare the dough, pipe perfect shapes, and bake them to golden perfection, resulting in hollow shells ready to be filled with sweet or savory fillings.
Ingredients
Choux Pastry Dough
- 1/2 cup (8 Tbsp; 113g) unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces
- 1/2 cup (120ml) water
- 1/2 cup (120ml) 2% or whole milk
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- 1 cup (125g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 4 large eggs, beaten
Egg Wash
- 1 egg beaten with 1 Tablespoon milk or water
Instructions
- Prepare the dough base: Combine the butter, water, milk, salt, and granulated sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir until the butter melts, then bring to a simmer.
- Incorporate the flour: Once simmering, reduce heat to low and add the flour all at once. Stir vigorously until the mixture forms a thick dough ball that pulls away from the pan. Continue to cook by pressing the dough against the pan’s bottom and sides for 1 minute to fully cook the flour, then remove from heat.
- Cool the dough slightly: Transfer the dough to a stand mixer bowl fitted with a paddle attachment or a large bowl if using a handheld mixer. Let it cool for a few minutes to avoid cooking the eggs in the next step.
- Add eggs gradually: With the mixer on low, slowly add the beaten eggs in 3-4 increments, mixing 30 seconds between additions. The dough will look curdled initially but will become shiny, thick, smooth, and pipeable. Stop adding eggs once the desired consistency is achieved, saving a few teaspoons for the egg wash.
- Pipe the dough: Preheat oven to 400°F (204°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper and lightly moisten the parchment with water. Transfer dough to a piping bag fitted with a Wilton 1A tip and pipe 2-inch mounds spaced 3 inches apart. Smooth peaks with a wet finger and brush each mound with egg wash.
- Bake the pastry shells: Bake for 20 minutes at 400°F. Without opening the oven door, reduce heat to 350°F (177°C) and bake an additional 10-15 minutes until shells are golden brown and hollow inside.
- Cool and fill: Remove pastries from oven and cool on a rack completely before filling. Split open or poke holes in shells to fill with whipped cream, lemon curd, pastry cream, jam, or other desired fillings.
- Storage: Store filled pastries covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Unfilled pastries can be stored at room temperature for 1 day, refrigerated for 5 days, or frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw frozen pastries before filling and serving.
Notes
- The water-moistened parchment paper creates a humid environment inside the oven which helps the pastry puff evenly and prevents burning.
- The mixture may appear curdled when adding eggs, but this is normal; keep mixing until smooth and pipeable.
- Choux pastry dough can be refrigerated for up to 3 days in a piping bag; pipe and bake directly from cold or allow to warm slightly if too stiff.
- Do not open the oven door during baking to ensure proper puffing of the pastries.
- Use the leftover beaten egg for an egg wash to help pastries develop a shiny golden crust.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: French
