How to Make Choux Pastry Dough: French Pâte à Choux Recipe

Pâte à choux, or choux pastry, is a French style of pastry prepared on the stovetop. Its ingredients are flour, water (or milk), butter, and eggs. Its texture is thick and sticky when raw, and light and crispy when cooked. Instead of using a leavening agent, choux batter is beaten together on the stovetop until it forms a thick mass. The process traps steam, which is then released in the oven, creating a crispy outer shell and a hollow interior that can be stuffed with a variety of fillings. The name choux is a reference to choux pastry's most common use, little round buns called petits choux (little cabbages).

Choux pastry has a relatively neutral flavor that is perfect for both sweet and savory purposes. Texturally, it is less flaky than puff pastry, trading puff pastry's many layers for large, irregular air pockets that give choux pastry a cloud-like texture.

Choux pastry can be the basis for both savory and sweet pastries.

1. 1. Gougères: Gougères are baked cheese puffs made from choux pastry dough mixed with grated cheese.
2. 2. Pastry shells: Profiteroles and cream puffs consist of plain choux pastry dough baked into rounds and then filled with ice cream, pastry cream, or custard. When stacked into a tower and covered with caramel threads, they form a croquembouche, a visually stunning dessert.
3. 3. Éclairs: Éclairs are basically cream puffs baked into log shapes. Use a piping bag to get the shape just right and fill the baked choux pastry with pastry cream. Finally, glaze éclairs with chocolate ganache.
4. 4. Fritters: Choux pastry can also be fried rather than baked, in the case of Spanish churros and American French crullers.