Éclair Paste

Appears in
Professional Cooking: 10th Edition
Professional Cooking

By Wayne Gisslen

Published 2025

  • About

Éclairs and cream puffs are made from a dough called éclair paste or choux paste. The French name pâte à choux (pot a shoo) means “cabbage paste,” referring to the fact that cream puffs look like little cabbages.

Unlike puff pastry, éclair paste is extremely easy to make. The dough itself can be prepared in just a few minutes. This is fortunate because for best baking results, the dough should not be prepared ahead of time.
In principle, éclair paste is similar to popover batter, even though one is a thick dough and the other a thin batter. Both products are leavened by steam, which expands the product rapidly and forms large holes in the center. The heat of the oven then coagulates the gluten and egg proteins to set the structure and make a firm product. A strong flour is necessary for sufficient structure.