Food & Cooking Recipes Dessert & Treats Recipes Pie & Tarts Recipes Pâte à Choux 3.4 (460) 20 Reviews This delicate dough is the starting point for eclairs, profiteroles, cream puffs, and more. By Martha Stewart Martha Stewart Martha Stewart is a bestselling author, entrepreneur, and lifestyle expert who has taught millions of people through generations the joy of entertaining, cooking, gardening, collecting, crafting, and home renovating via her eponymous magazine, Martha Stewart Living, Emmy-winning television shows, and 99 books (and counting). Based in Katonah, N.Y., where she helms her 156-acre Bedford Farm, Martha is America's first self-made female billionaire. Editorial Guidelines Updated on May 6, 2024 Rate PRINT Share Close Prep Time: 10 mins Cook Time: 5 mins Total Time: 15 mins Servings: 36 Yield: 3 dozen cream puffs A classic French recipe, choux pastry or pâte à choux can be used for both sweet and savory delicacies such as profiteroles, cream puffs, eclairs, and gougères. To make our simple pâte à choux recipe, you’ll begin by cooking a mixture of butter, flour, and water on the stovetop. Off the heat, you'll then add eggs and beat the dough until smooth. Typically, pâte à choux dough is piped into circles or rectangles before being baked until puffed and hollow. When cool, these puffs are filled with pastry cream, whipped cream, ice cream, or savory fillings, such as crab or cheese. 32 Classic French Recipes That Bring the Bistro Closer to Home How to Make Pâte à Choux Dough Ahead of Time Pâte à choux dough can be made up to two days before you plan to bake it (which is an extra helpful way to get ahead of the game if you're entertaining). After incorporating the eggs, transfer mixture to a piping bag, press out as much air as possible, and refrigerate. The dough will be ready to pipe, bake, and fill whenever you are. If you don’t have a piping bag, you can use a resealable plastic bag instead: Fill as you could a piping bag, then cut a small bit off one of the bottom corners just before you’re ready to pipe. Ingredients ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch pieces 1 teaspoon sugar ½ teaspoon salt 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour 4 large eggs, plus 1 large egg white Directions Bring butter, sugar, salt, and water to a boil: Bring butter, sugar, salt, and 1 cup water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Remove from heat. Stir in flour and continue to cook: Using a wooden spoon, quickly stir in flour. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until mixture pulls away from sides and a film forms on bottom of pan, about 3 minutes. Transfer to an electric mixer and add eggs: Transfer to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on low speed until slightly cooled, about 1 minute. If you don't have a stand mixer, transfer the flour mixture to a bowl and let cool 5 minutes. Use a wooden spoon to incorporate the eggs by hand, mixing well after each addition. Add eggs, one at a time: Raise speed to medium; add whole eggs, 1 at a time, until a soft peak forms when batter is touched with your finger. If peak does not form, lightly beat remaining egg white, and mix it into batter a little at a time until it does. Other Pastry Dough Recipes to Try: Basic Pastry Dough Pâte Brisée (All-Butter Pie Dough) Puff Pastry Danish Dough Originally appeared: Martha Stewart Living, November 2005 Rate It PRINT Updated by Esther Reynolds Esther Reynolds Esther Reynolds is an experienced recipe developer, recipe tester, food editor, and freelance writer with over a decade of experience in the food and media industries.