Choux pastry

Choux pastry is a soft dough made by cooking flour in boiling water and butter, then beating in eggs. In a hot oven the water turns to steam and puffs the dough into a hollow shell. You fill the shells with cream or crème pâtissière for eclairs, cream puffs and profiteroles, or add cheese for savory gougères.

How to do it

1. Heat 125 ml (½ cup) water, 50 g (3½ tablespoons) butter and a pinch of salt until the butter melts and the water boils.
2. Take the pan off the heat and stir in 75 g (about ½ cup plus 1 tablespoon) flour all at once.
3. Put it back on medium heat and stir for 1 to 2 minutes, until the dough forms a ball and leaves a thin film on the pan.
4. Let it cool for 3 to 5 minutes, then beat in 2 to 3 eggs, one at a time.
5. Pipe onto a lined tray and bake at 200°C (400°F) for 20 to 30 minutes, without opening the oven for the first 15 minutes.

How to tell it is done

The dough is ready to pipe when it is glossy and falls from a spoon in a thick V-shaped ribbon. The baked shells are deep golden brown, feel light, and sound hollow when tapped. Pale shells collapse as they cool.

Why it works

Cooking the flour in water swells the starch so the dough can hold a lot of egg. In the oven, water in the dough turns to steam and pushes it outward. The egg proteins set and hold the puffed shape, leaving a hollow inside.

How to store it

Unfilled shells keep in an airtight box for a day, or frozen for a month. Crisp them for 5 minutes at 180°C (350°F) before filling.

Common mistakes

• Adding all the eggs at once. The dough can turn too runny to pipe. Stop when it reaches the V-shape stage, even with egg left over.
• Opening the oven early. The steam escapes and the shells sink.
• Underbaking. Bake until really brown, then pierce each shell to let steam out.
• Filling the shells too early. They go soft within a few hours.

Where it comes from

Choux is a French pastry. The name means "cabbage", after the shape of the puffs.