Pate a Choux

Don’t let the French name scare you. Pâte à choux is one of the great bargains in baking: four humble ingredients, no baking powder, and yet it puffs into hollow, golden shells with nothing but steam doing the lifting.

The method is the recipe. You bring water and butter to a hard boil, then beat in the flour and cook it into a smooth paste, which dries the dough out so it can drink up the eggs later. Those go in one at a time, beaten until the batter turns glossy and smooth between each addition. That glossy, pipeable texture is your signal it’s ready.

Piped into mounds and baked hot first, then lower to finish, the shells balloon and dry out so they hold their shape instead of deflating. Once they’re completely cool, fill them with whipped cream or pastry cream for cream puffs, or pipe the batter into logs for eclairs.

Chef Tips

• Add the eggs one at a time and beat until glossy; the batter should fall from the spoon in a thick ribbon, not run off it.
• Bake hot first, then drop the heat to dry the interiors. Pull them too early and they collapse.
• Resist opening the oven door while they puff; a rush of cool air can deflate them.
• Cool the shells completely before filling, or the cream warms and the pastry turns soggy.

Variations

• Pipe small rounds for profiteroles, logs for eclairs, or a ring for a classic Paris-Brest.
• Fold grated Gruyere and a pinch of pepper into the batter for savory cheese gougeres.