Pâte à Choux is a versatile and magical dough that expands significantly during baking, creating hollow pastries that are perfect for filling. This dough serves as the base for delightful treats like cream puffs, éclairs, and savory Gougères. The best part is that it’s incredibly quick to make, and the same dough can be baked or deep-fried to create different culinary delights. Once you try making Pâte à Choux, it will become a staple in your repertoire, offering endless possibilities for sweet and savory creations.
MAKES: Enough for at least 2 dozen pastries
TIME: 15 minutes
INGREDIENTS:
- 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
- Pinch of salt
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 4 eggs
INSTRUCTIONS:
- In a saucepan over high heat, combine the butter, salt, and 1 cup of water. Bring the mixture to a boil.
- Reduce the heat to low, and add the flour all at once. Stir constantly until the mixture forms a ball and pulls away from the pan, which should take about 30 seconds.
- Remove the saucepan from the heat and beat the eggs into the mixture one at a time. This can be done by hand or using an electric mixer. Stop beating when the mixture becomes glossy. From this point forward, handle the batter minimally.
- At this stage, you can either bake the dough immediately according to specific recipes, deep-fry it as described in the variations below, or cover and refrigerate it for up to 2 days before use.
VARIATIONS:
Deep-Fried Pâte à Choux
- To deep-fry the pastry, pour at least 2 inches of peanut oil or neutral oil, such as grapeseed or corn oil, into a deep pan on the stove. Set the heat to medium-high and bring the oil to 350°F (175°C).
- Carefully drop spoonfuls of the dough into the hot oil, adding only as many as can fit comfortably at once.
- Cook the pastries, turning them as they brown, for a total of 5 to 10 minutes.
- Use a slotted spoon to remove the pastries from the oil when they are evenly browned, and drain them on paper towels.
- Dust or sprinkle the pastries with your choice of seasonings, such as confectioners’ sugar, granulated sugar, ground cinnamon, salt and pepper, or grated Parmesan.
- Serve the deep-fried Pâte à Choux pastries while they are hot or at least warm.
Churros
- Churros are a delightful deep-fried treat from Spain and Mexico.
- Combine 1/2 cup of sugar with 1 teaspoon of cinnamon on a plate to create a cinnamon-sugar mixture for coating.
- To fry the pastries, you can either drop spoonfuls of the dough into the hot oil or use a pastry bag with a large star tip to pipe strips of dough about 4 inches long into the hot oil, creating signature churro sticks.
- Deep-fry the churros as described in the deep-frying variation above, drain them on paper towels, and then roll them in the cinnamon-sugar mixture before serving.
Enjoy the wonders of Pâte à Choux as it transforms into light and airy pastries. Whether you choose to bake or deep-fry, the result will be a delicious treat ready to be filled or enjoyed on its own. From classic cream puffs to crispy churros, this versatile dough opens up a world of possibilities in your kitchen.
