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You are here: Home / Sweet baking / Our favorite choux pastry method

Our favorite choux pastry method

35 Comments Sweet baking

Choux pastry, or pâte à choux (French), is a light pastry dough used to make all kinds of famous and delicious pastries!

Our favorite coux pastry recipe
Our favorite coux pastry recipe
Our favorite coux pastry recipe
Our favorite coux pastry recipe
Our favorite coux pastry recipe

Profiteroles, croquembouches, éclairs, French crullers, beignets, St. Honoré cake, Paris-Brest, quenelles, Parisian gnocchi, dumplings, gougères, chouquettes, craquelins and churros. Choux pastry is fun and versatile and relatively easy to make.

If you follow the steps below, you will very well may want to make them all. Personally we love making small choux buns and eclairs. They are lovely simply filled with whipped cream, or our favorite recipe for pastry cream, but the possibilities to give them your own twist are endless.

But first let us share with you the way we like to make choux!


The choux pastry recipe

Ingredients for the choux paste

With this amount we make around 40 small buns (18 grams per bun)

150 g pastry flour, French type 45, you can also use all purpose / plain flour

220 g / 4 medium eggs*

125 g water

125 g milk

100 g butter

2 g salt (½ teaspoon with a dent)

5 g / ¾ tsp (vanilla) sugar

*Make sure you know the weight of the eggs, because the amount you use is important to the consistency of the paste. If you want to be exact, weigh each egg in a cup. If your 4 eggs are over the total weight, you can adjust with the last egg you are adding.

Before you begin

Choux pastry has two important stages. First you cook it and then you bake it. For the liquid, you can use water or milk or a combination of both. We choose the combination of both because this way you get a nice color and tender bite, but the extra water also allows for baking at a slightly higher temperature. We will always recommend using fresh butter, because of the taste. Using pastry flour with a low protein content gives the pastry the best chance to hold its shape during baking. Salt and sugar give the finishing touches in terms of taste and also dough consistency and color. Finally make sure the eggs you use are fresh and at room temperature to get the best result.

For beating in the eggs we use a handheld mixer at medium speed, which works very well for us. Alternatively you can use a standing mixer with paddle attachment. You can also do the beating by hand. Really give it some elbow grease when you do this.

Making the choux pastry

Making perfect choux pastry
Making perfect choux pastry
Making perfect choux pastry
Making perfect choux pastry
Making perfect choux pastry

  • Start by weighing all the ingredients. It is also important to know how much your eggs weigh (this is the weight without the shell). This is important, because the consistency of the choux dough must be just right, not too thick and not too sloppy.
  • Sift the flour and set aside.
  • Prepare the piping bag with the nozzle of your choice.
  • Take a saucepan with a thick bottom and pour in the milk and water together with the butter, salt and sugar. Slowly bring this to the boil over low to medium heat, while stirring the mixture with a wooden spoon. When the butter has melted let the mixture boil a bit more vigorously for one minute.
  • Now take the pan off the heat, add all the flour at once and stir well with your wooden spoon until the mixture is smooth and the flour has absorbed all the moisture (see pictures).
  • Return the pan to low to medium heat and stir for one more minute, so the flour can cook. This step is very important to stabilize the dough, even though it may seem not much is happening.
Making perfect choux pastry
Making perfect choux pastry
Making perfect choux pastry
Making perfect choux pastry
Making perfect choux pastry

Consistency: The paste should have a shiny and smooth surface and be firm enough to hold its shape. It should fall from your spoon but only after a few seconds (see picture).
  • Transfer the dough to a mixing bowl. Now, either with a mixer or by hand beat the paste for a few moments and then immediately mix in the first egg, while the paste is still warm. Add the other eggs, one by one, do not add the next egg until the current egg is fully incorporated. Again, it is very important to get the right consistency, so with the last egg you can still adjust the amount. If you use the right type of flour and the amount of egg we indicated, you should be very close to the sweet spot. Only if you think the paste is so stiff it needs extra moisture, you can add a bit of warm milk to correct this. Do NOT add extra flour at this stage, because it will not be cooked.
We quickly incorporate the eggs with a handheld mixer, but you can also beat them in by hand. You have to give it some elbow grease and first it will appear curdled, but just keep at it until the dough is smooth!
Our favorite choux pastry method
Our favorite choux pastry method
Our favorite choux pastry method
Our favorite choux pastry method
Our favorite choux pastry method

Choose a nozzle you like for the piping of the choux. A smooth version if you want to glace them or a serrated one to make the buns already look pretty good with just a touch of icing sugar.

Our favorite choux pastry recipe
Our favorite choux pastry recipe
Our favorite choux pastry recipe
Our favorite choux pastry recipe
Our favorite choux pastry recipe

  • Put the dough in a piping bag and pipe the desired shapes on a baking tray, lined with baking paper. Optional you could give the choux an egg wash, this will smooth the surface. Otherwise you can smooth out any tails with your finger, first dipped in water.
  • Place in the preheated oven, convection setting at 175 °C / 350 °F (for the conventional oven setting start with 190 °C / 375 °F). You can bake the buns at this temperature for the whole baking process, or (depending on the workings of your oven) you can bake them in two stages and lower the temperature to 165 °C / 330 °F after the buns have gotten their color, volume and a crust has formed. You can test this and see what method yields the best result. Do not worry about a few cracks appearing in your pastry during baking. It is a delicate balance between a well puffed up bun and a the right shape and surface.

    After the first stage (especially if your oven is sealed very well) you can slightly open the oven door and let the steam escape. The total baking time will be around 20 to 24 minutes. The choux buns should be golden brown and, what pastry chefs call, ‘dry’ on the inside. This effectively means the inside should feel moist but no moisture is to be seen. If they sink after baking this means there was still too much moisture inside and you will need a slightly longer baking time. Make a note for your next bake!

It is great fun to watch the choux grow in the oven. This expansion is caused by the creation of steam inside the pastry during baking.

Advice for storing and freezing

Making perfect choux pastry
Making perfect choux pastry
Making perfect choux pastry
Making perfect choux pastry
Making perfect choux pastry

Baked choux buns will loose their freshness and crispy exterior relatively quick. So it is best to serve and eat them within hours of baking. Moisture left in the buns will make the pastry soft, but do not worry too much, they will still be delicious.

If you want to keep them for longer, you can store them in the freezer. If possible it is best to flash freeze them 30 minutes after baking. Try not to squeeze them or pack them too tight for the best result. We store them in a big container, so each bun has enough room. Consume them within 2 to 3 weeks.
If you want you can also freeze the unbaked paste, but again need to use it preferably within 1 to 2 weeks.

Sweet baking

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Comments

  1. Loredana says

    October 19, 2021 at 17:43

    Hello and thank you for the recipe!
    Should weeave the dough to rest flr a while (1 h and half) so the gluten can relax and have a finished product without craks? I has reading that somewhere…

    Reply
    • Loredana Stoian says

      October 19, 2021 at 17:44

      Sorry for the spelling, I was in a hurry…😅
      That was “should I leave the dough “

      Reply
  2. Vincent says

    April 13, 2021 at 08:29

    I have been making gougères for many years with great results: 200g water 100g flour 50g butter 3 large eggs.
    I add freshly ground nutmeg for special flavor! I mix 75g of comté cheese finely diced.
    Arrange walnut sized dollops on parchment paper et voilà!

    Reply
  3. Stu says

    April 28, 2020 at 22:02

    If I am my harshest baking critic, my wife is my fairest and most honest. I made Choux for the first time today, along with your Creme Pat recipe as a filling… She’s says: ‘These are fantastic!’

    Thank you for the recipe, and the notes and suggestions to make these perfectly. Really appreciate your website, your time and knowledge, and the opportunity to make others happy.

    Erg bedankt

    Reply
    • Weekend Bakers says

      April 30, 2020 at 16:22

      Thank you Stu,
      Wonderful we got to be a small part of your baking success and your wife’s happiness too 🙂 Nothing better than the honest praise of your partner and sharing a bun or two (or more) together.

      Enjoy your pastry baking and the rest of your baking journey!

      Greetings from Holland,
      Ed & Marieke
      WKB

      Reply
  4. Vie says

    April 20, 2020 at 08:32

    Thank you for the recipe. So delicious.

    Reply
    • Weekend Bakers says

      April 22, 2020 at 11:03

      Thank you for trying and liking the recipe Vie!

      Enjoy your choux baking

      Reply
  5. sofia says

    March 5, 2020 at 12:48

    if I wanted to die my choux pastry when would I have to do this

    Reply
    • Weekend Bakers says

      March 5, 2020 at 16:19

      We have never done this, but we are sure the right moment would be to put the drops in with the first egg you add.

      We would always love to see your results. You can share it on our website:
      www.weekendbakery.com/send-…your-loaf/

      Reply
  6. sofia says

    March 5, 2020 at 12:43

    would it still work if I add plain flour?

    Reply
    • Weekend Bakers says

      March 5, 2020 at 16:14

      Hello Sofia,
      Yes, that is fine as an alternative (see ingredients list)

      Reply
  7. Joe says

    November 14, 2019 at 02:17

    It was my first time making choux. I followed the recipe exactly by volume, and it came out way too runny to even stay in the piping bag. I’m sure it’s my own fault for adding too much of the egg even though I weighed it all exactly. I didn’t follow the last step about slowly adding the last egg.

    One question, what do you mean by “(vanilla) sugar”?

    I ran out of eggs so I’ll have to try again tomorrow.

    Reply
    • Weekend Bakers says

      November 19, 2019 at 15:43

      Hello Joe,
      Runny is not good. We think, if like you say you used the right amount of egg (220g) then maybe something went not according to plan with one of the other steps. This step is really important!:
      Return the pan to low to medium heat and stir for one more minute, so the flour can cook. This step is very important to stabilize the dough, even though it may seem not much is happening.
      And this one too:
      Transfer the dough to a mixing bowl. Now, either with a mixer or by hand beat the paste for a few moments and then immediately mix in the first egg, while the paste is still warm.
      So follow the steps and work quickly but precise. Look at the pictures as to judge the consistency.
      Vanilla sugar is just sugar with a vanilla taste which you can buy or make yourself by adding a vanilla bean (even a used one) to a bag of sugar.

      Hope the next time will be great!

      Reply
    • Cary says

      April 10, 2020 at 09:56

      Yep, you have to cook that protein out.
      I add my eggs one by one, however just before I get to the consistency I’m after, I even drop down to half an egg.
      🙂

      Reply
      • Weekend Bakers says

        April 13, 2020 at 19:49

        Thanks fro sharing this Cary!

        Reply
  8. Krystal Beggs says

    January 11, 2019 at 05:52

    I’m studying cret 3 partissre next month and I know at the end of my course this is one of the challenges they ask so I’ll deffinaly be trying this recipe out before then , I like how you show pics of the method as well as for me it helps to see where I’m at when I try making this . 🙂

    Reply
    • Weekend Bakers says

      January 14, 2019 at 18:33

      Hi Krystal,
      Hope it will be a success and best of luck with your pastry studies. Let us know about your results!

      Reply
      • chris says

        August 23, 2019 at 04:15

        Hi Ed & Marieke
        To make chouqettes, we just need to sprinkle pearl sugar at the last step ya?

        Thanks for the detailed guide!

        Reply
        • Weekend Bakers says

          August 29, 2019 at 09:25

          Hi Chris,
          Yes this is what we know too. We have also seen people dusting the choux buns with some icing sugar before sprinkling on the pearl sugar for better ‘adhesion’. We have not tried this ourselves.
          Hope it will be great and enjoy your studies and baking!

          Reply
  9. Mick says

    November 28, 2017 at 11:20

    These are great instructions. Easy reading is damn hard writing. I can’t wait to have a crack at these.

    Reply
    • Weekend Bakers says

      December 1, 2017 at 19:09

      Thanks Mick! Always love to hear how they turn out and always open for suggestions and tips based on your experience.

      Greetings,
      Ed & Marieke

      Reply
  10. Patrick says

    November 27, 2017 at 23:47

    Good evening Ed and Marieke: it is always a fabulous fun and pleasure to read from you. I am A French Baker baking from scratch every morning in my Food Truck; was before an engineer. But I teach now: not only Engineering and design but also bakery. To be honest with you, your website is a real reference in our world. I use it in my syllabus, my Kahoots game, your video for my students. Of course, I need to be competitive so my recipes are not exactly yours: chou for instance is 50/50 water and milk, less butter and extremely careful on the eggs. For the rest, you are simply perfect, very pedagogic, very professional and so Baking Lovers dedicated. If any thing I can do for you from the States, you are Welcome. You are extremely famous in North Carolina because Weekend Bakery is my reference in the Culinary Art University. Love you very much.

    Reply
    • Weekend Bakers says

      December 1, 2017 at 19:08

      Hi Patrick,
      Great to read your excellent comment. Maybe ask when you say French baker, are you originally from France and how did you journey all the way to NC? And do you have an oven in the truck you bake your bread in?
      Thank you very much for your praise of course. We were not aware about our fame in NC 🙂

      Greetings from tiny Holland,

      Ed & Marieke

      Reply
      • Patrick says

        December 3, 2017 at 16:52

        Yes I am a real French from France. More French is impossible. Jacksonville NC because it is the place of the US Marines Corps and my son enrolled with he was 18. I build my own Foodtrucks (remember I am originally engineer) . This is my number 4. Yes, oven, mixer, wood table, every thing dedicated to bakery. Love so much WeekendBakery! When I compare with some US Websites, like Brütopia! Day and night. Merry Christmas and stay in touch.

        Reply
        • Weekend Bakers says

          December 5, 2017 at 19:34

          Hi again Patrick,
          So nice of you to share with us. You are one creative baker, using your engineering skills to do what you love best.
          And thank you for your very kind words.

          Have a lovely holiday season with your loved ones and a successful start of the new year!

          Reply
  11. Zanzoona says

    November 27, 2017 at 16:41

    Awwwwwww 😻 😻 😻 Amazing. Thank you so much 😘 😘 😘. I make éclair in balls shape just like your photo above. Usually I use 200 g all purpose flour minus 2 big spoons of Corn Flour, 175 g milk, 45 g Lurpack butter, 3 eggs and of course vanilla. I’ll try your delicious recipe this evening.. Wish you all best of the best and every happiness..

    Reply
    • Weekend Bakers says

      November 27, 2017 at 18:10

      Love to hear how it goes! Thanks for sharing your recipe, which is different from ours with more flour and less egg and the addition of corn flour. Hope our version gives good result too.

      Reply
      • Zanzoona says

        November 28, 2017 at 13:27

        I tried your recipe yesterday evening 😊 😊, it’s wonderful guys! I eat 4 prices, and can’t wait to go back to home to eat the rest before anyone else… YOU ARE GREAT…thank you so much 😘 😘 😘. Bye bye 😘

        Reply
        • Weekend Bakers says

          December 1, 2017 at 19:09

          Thanks again for letting us know. Excellent!

          Reply
  12. Natalie says

    November 27, 2017 at 06:43

    I love the step photos in this recipe – it makes it easier for everyone to understand the texture of the dough before piping. Thanks for a great recipe!

    Reply
    • Weekend Bakers says

      November 29, 2017 at 22:01

      Thank you Natalie, glad you find it useful too.

      Happy choux making!

      Reply
  13. Barb says

    November 27, 2017 at 01:55

    How does the recipe change if I want to add cheese?

    Reply
    • Zanzoona says

      November 27, 2017 at 16:54

      If you allow me to answer you: After you take the dough off the heat and just before you add the eggs. This will make the cheese melted with the warm dough when you add it gradually and keep moving the dough by wood spoon.

      Reply
    • Weekend Bakers says

      November 27, 2017 at 18:08

      Hi Barb and thank you Zanzoona!
      Another method is adding (grated) cheese right after you have incorporated the eggs (for instance with the classic French Gougères). Indication around 100 to 125 grams of cheese.

      Happy choux baking!

      Reply
      • Zanzoona says

        November 28, 2017 at 13:30

        Thank you dear friend ☺ ☺ ☺

        Reply

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