Basic Steps for Pâte à Choux

Boil the milk, butter, salt and sugar.

Add the flour and use some elbow grease to mix the dough vigorously with a wooden spoon until it starts to dry and form a skin on the bottom of the saucepan. This is referred to in French as desséché, meaning ‘dehydrated’. (it’s important to let some of the water evaporate so that you can add eggs to the dough without making it too runny.)

Transfer the dough to a bowl and beat to cool slightly. Beat in the eggs one by one. (You can also use a stand mixer.)

When the dough is done, you should be able to lift the spoon and draw out a ribbon that slowly dissolves into the dough after a few seconds.