Basic Choux Pastry (Pâte à Choux)

Learn how to make basic choux pastry batter (pâte à choux). Choux pastry is a simple to make classic French pastry batter that has all kinds of uses including cream puffs, eclairs, profiteroles, beignets, cheese puffs, Parisian gnocchi, and much more!

Overview

Skill Level: Intermediate

What is Choux Pastry?

Choux pastry, also known as pâte à choux, is a classic French pastry batter. In its basic form, it contains only water, milk, butter, flour, and eggs. One of the unique features of choux pastry is the batter is cooked on the stove top.

The pastry relies heavily on the amount of moisture present to create rise and puff in the pastries. The steam created when the water starts to evaporate in the oven is what creates the lovely hollow pastries that are filled with custards and creams.

The choux in choux pastry is pronounced like “shoe”.

What Can You Make with Choux Pastry?

Choux pastry is an incredibly versatile pastry dough that can be used for many sweet and savory baking applications. When the batter is piped and baked it transforms into profiteroles, cream puffs, eclairs, and gougere (cheese puffs).

When the batter is fried it becomes French crullers, beignets, and churros. 

Parisian gnocchi is made by blanching the dough and then sautéing in butter for a savory meal. One basic dough can make so many wonderful pastries!

How to Make Choux Pastry

For this tutorial, we are making choux pastry in its basic form but it is a template to edit as you desire. If you want to make a sweet pastry dough, a few tablespoons of sugar can be added. And if you want to go a more savory route, some additional salt or fresh herbs would be appropriate.

The liquid can also be substituted with something more flavorful or colorful – fruit or vegetable juice or stock would all work well. Herbs, spices, and extracts can also be added. Choux pastry is your blank canvas!

Step 1: Boil the Liquid & Butter

The water, milk, butter, and salt are all brought to a boil. The butter needs to be completely melted and the mixture should be boiling before moving on to the next step.

Step 2: Create the Panade (Add the Flour)

Remove the boiling mixture from the heat and pour all of the flour into the pot at once. Stir vigorously until it all comes together into a smooth batter. This first mixture is called a panade, which is just a culinary term for a starchy thickener.

Step 3: Dry out the Panade

Once the flour is completely incorporated into a smooth batter, bring the pot back to medium heat and flatten the mixture to the bottom of the pan. Let it sit until you start to hear it crackling.

At this point, push the mixture to one side and if you see a thin film clinging to the bottom of the pan it is dried out enough. If it is not, continue cooking until a film forms.

Step 4: Evacuate the Steam

Remove the mixture from the heat and stir it until most of the steam has evaporated off. This process continues to dry out the pastry and will allow the pastry to achieve a nice golden color when cooked.

Step 5: Beat in the Eggs

Off of the heat, add the eggs in one at a time. Stir vigorously after each egg until it is completely absorbed into the batter before adding the next.

Once all of the eggs are added and thoroughly mixed in, the batter will have a smooth and glossy look. The glossiness is an indication of when the choux pastry is ready for use!

Step 6: Bake with your Choux Pastry!

Choux pastry is best when used within a few hours of making it. While it can be used immediately, I find I have the best results when the batter has rested for about an hour. Transfer it to a pastry bag (or large zipper bag) and use for any kind of choux pastry needs!