Pâte à Choux

Appears in
The Fundamental Techniques of Classic Cuisine

By French Culinary Institute

Published 2021

  • About

Although pâte à choux is made from the basic flour-water-fat combination of other pastry doughs, unlike the other doughs it is leavened through the addition of eggs and cooked before it is shaped. The initial dough is formed by beating flour into a heated mixture of water, butter, sugar, and salt. The heat causes the flour to swell and form a paste. The paste is then cooked on the stovetop, where it is beaten constantly to pull out enough moisture and dry the paste enough to enable it to absorb the eggs. The French term for this process is dessécher. The paste is then removed from the heat and beaten to develop the gluten structure and to cool slightly so that the eggs can be added safely. If the eggs are added before the mixture has cooled enough, they will begin to cook and will not blend into the paste.