Composition and Preparation of the Batter

Pâte à choux begins as a cooked mixture of water or milk, fat (usually butter), and flour, with a small amount of salt added if sweet butter is used. Sifted flour is added to the boiling water and fat and stirred in quickly. The resulting roux is then cooked for a few minutes while being stirred constantly to allow as much liquid as possible to evaporate so that the maximum number of eggs can be incorporated. Although some chefs use a slightly different formula that incorporates a stronger flour (especially for larger items, such as Paris-Brest, as opposed to profiteroles), I find it satisfactory to compromise and use a combination of bread and cake flours (in a sense, creating an all-purpose flour).