Perfect Pate a Choux Pastry every time! Bakes into tender high puffs, a no-fail recipe that takes minutes to prepare and turns out dozens of sweet puffs. Divide the batch into 2 and make 1/2 into savory Gougères (a cheesy puff of sorts) to accompany dinner and then whip the other half into sweet Cream Puffs filled with fresh Chantilly Cream for dessert.
Also called Choux pastry, it’s a versatile French Pastry batter that can take on many flavor profiles.
A classic Pate a Choux Pastry, cooked on the stove-top. Forming a soft pastry that’s piped into puffs and eclairs. As the pastry bakes, the water evaporates causing the puffs to rise and leaves a hollowed out center which is filled with sweet cream or slathered in butter.
carte du jour
How to make Pate a Choux Pastry
- Bring the water, butter, sugar, and salt and bring to a boil. Be sure that the butter is melted and the sugar and salt have dissolved.
- Create the panade, by adding the flour all at once. Bring the pot back to medium heat and work the mixture around in the pan. As it cooks, you’ll hear popping and snapping, stir vigorously until it all comes together into a smooth batter, which is the panade.
- Once the flour is incorporated into a smooth batter, flatten the mixture to the bottom of the pan. Let it sit and as you hear more crackling, continue to push the mixture from side to side. You’ll see a thin film forming on the bottom of the pan, as the Choux dries out.
- Remove the mixture from the heat after the film has formed and continue to stir until the steam has evaporated off. This process continues to dry out the pastry and gives it a golden color.
- After the steam subsides, add the eggs one at a time. Stir after each egg is added and combined into the Choux. Once the eggs are blended in, the batter will be silky and glossy. The gloss is the signal that the Choux is perfect.
Cover your Choux with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for 1 hour
- Preheat the oven to 425°F/218°C.
- Pull the Choux from the fridge and transfer to a pastry bag, pipe onto a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Put your puffs into the oven and turn the heat up to 450°/230°C and bake for 10 minutes.
- Reduce heat to 350°F/176°C and finish baking for another 15 minutes, until golden brown.
This process of raising and lowering the heat in the oven gives the puffs an extra boost to their height. Due to the steam build up from an active heating cycle.
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Perfect Pate a Choux Pastry
Perfect Pate a Choux pastry every time, bakes into tender high puffs. A nearly no fail recipe that takes minutes to prepare and turns out dozens of perfect puffs. Divide the batch into 2 and make 1/2 into savory Gougères and the whip the other half into perfectly sweet Cream Puffs filled with fresh Chantilly Cream.
- 1 1/2 cups (350 ml) water
- 1 stick Plus 1 Tablespoon (135 grams) unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon fine ground Kosher sea salt
- 1 1/2 cups (180 grams) all-purpose flour
- 7 large eggs room temperature
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In a large saucepan, combine the water, butter, sugar and salt and bring to a boil.
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Reduce the heat to moderate. Add the flour all at once and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until a tight dough forms and pulls away from the side of the pan, 2 minutes.
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Remove the pan from the heat.
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Begin adding the eggs 1 at a time, stirring vigorously between additions until the eggs are completely incorporated and the pastry is smooth.
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The dough should be glossy and very slowly, stretch and fall from the spoon in wide ribbons.
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Cover the dough with plastic wrap and allow to chill in the fridge for 1 hour.
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Preheat the oven to 425°/218°C and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
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Transfer the dough to a piping bag fitted with a 1/2-inch plain tip. Pipe 1 1/2-inch mounds onto the baking sheets, leaving 1 inch between them.
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Put your puffs into the oven and turn the heat up to 450°/230°C and bake for 10 minutes.
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Reduce heat to 350°F/176°C and finish baking for another 15 minutes, until golden brown.
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Remove from oven and pierce a hole in the top or the side of each of the puffs with a toothpick. This allows the steam to escape and your puffs to hold their shape.
- Prep time is approximate.
- Pate a Choux dough can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 3 months before baking; thaw the dough overnight in the fridge before using. The shaped or piped pastries can also be frozen for up to 3 months and baked straight from the freezer.
Try this Perfect Pate a Choux Pastry with our: CreamPuffs or Gougères (cheesy puffs, recipe incoming)!
10 comments
Yum! Sounds so fancy but looks easy to make! Can’t wait to try!
They are easy and make such a showy dessert (or savory) dish, Kari! Thanks so much for stopping by to check out our recipe 🙂
Angela, this is actually one of the many pate a choux recipes I read when I was preparing to take on pastries for the first time. Love your recipe 😀
Thanks, Colleen! This is such an easy recipe, so glad that you found it helpful! 🙂
I haven’t made pate a choux or gougères in a while and this recipe is definitely tempting me to give it a try again this weekend. Thanks for the extra tips and including both US and metric measurements!
Hi, Patrice! Metric measurements are definitely a must when baking in my opinion, recipes have a better chance coming out spot on when measured precisely. 🙌
I love little creme puffs for parties, great fancy dessert for a crowd.
They are the perfect party dessert, Angela!
These looks great! What perfect little desserts.
The one-bite wonder, Erika! Easy, versatile and showy, thanks for checking them out 🙂