CHOUX PASTRY

HTC215
FUNDAMENTAL OF BAKING

CHOUX PASTRY

LEARNING OUTCOME:
Understanding pie and tart making:

Understanding Theory:
Formula and Ingredients
Mixing methods
Appropriate equipment
Terms & Glossaries

Practical:
Baking methods, Presentation, Trouble shooting

CHOUX PASTRY

● Pantanelli, the head chef of Catherine de Medici
of Florence, invented choux pastry after moving to
France in 1540.

● That pastry named after him was, essentially, a hot
dried paste with which he made gateaux and
pastries which spread across France.

● Its irregular shape after baking earned it the
name ‘choux’ (French for cabbage). Further
refinement and perfection were introduced in the
19th Century by Antoine Careme.

CHOUX PASTRY

● Choux (pronounced "shoo") is a type of rich pastry
dough used for making items such as éclairs, cream
puffs (profiteroles), croquembouche, churros and Paris
Brest

● It is characterized by a crispy outer shell with a light,
airy interior.

● Made with flour, butter, eggs, and water, although it can
sometimes be made using half water and half milk.

● It is leavened with steam, rather than a chemical
leavening agent such as baking soda or baking
powder, or a biological leavening agent such as yeast.

HOW DOES IT WORK

● Unlike short crust, flaky or puff pastry, choux
pastry dough is made from water and flour which
is further enriched and lightened through the
incorporation of eggs while beating the paste.

● Baking results in a crisp shell with a thin, moist
lining of cooked paste and a hollow center. There
is no leavening agent in choux pastry. Instead,
these pastries rely on the steam produced during
baking to puff up and form the hollow center.

● Choux pastry can be shaped prior to baking to
make a variety of products.

TOOLS AND EQUIPMENT

• Pot
• Wooden spatula
• Scrapper
• Nozzle for piping
• Nozzle for filling
• Piping bag
• Mixer with paddle
attachment

CHOUX PASTRY INGREDIENTS

● strong flour/soft flour
● butter/margarine
● water/milk
● Eggs
● sugar/salt(optional)

MIXING -CHOUX PASTRY

1. Bring the water and butter to a boil, stir to combine.

2. Remove from heat source, add the flour and continue
stirring.

3. Heat the mix again while stirring till the mixture becomes
a cohesive mass and clears the side of the pot.

4. Transfer the mix to a mixer with a paddle attachment.
Mix on low speed until the mix reaches a temperature of
around 43–60°C then add ¾ of the eggs gradually
until fully incorporated.

5. Add the remainder of the eggs until the desired
consistency (viscosity) is reached. The paste should be
smooth and moist but firm enough to hold its shape.

CHOUX PASTRY

PIPING -CHOUX PASTRY

1. Fit a piping bag with a 2/3 inch (15 mm) plain nozzle.
2. Hold the bag in one hand a little over halfway up. Fold the top of the bag down over

your hand and spread out your fingers to open up the bag.
3. Fill the piping bag tightly with choux pastry.
4. Fold the top of the bag back up, then twist it, forcing the pastry down until it is just

about to come out of the end of the nozzle.
5. Grasping the bag so that it is pinched closed just above the pastry, squeeze it until the

required length of choux pastry has been forced out onto a baking tray, greased or
lined with greaseproof or non-stick baking paper.
6. With a wet knife held against the nozzle, cut off the length of pastry, lifting the nozzle
as you cut.
7. Give the bag a twist to maintain the pressure on the pastry. Leaving a 2 inch (5 cm)
space between the eclairs to allow for expansion during cooking, pipe out another
length of pastry.

PIPING TECHNIQUE -CHOUX PASTRY

BAKING-CHOUX PASTRY

1. Once the eclairs or puffs have been piped out, bake in an oven
preheated to 220° C. Do not open the oven door during baking.

2. Bake until perfectly crisp and dry, usually 15–20 minutes.
3. Remove from the oven and make a small slit in the side of the puffs

or eclairs to let the steam out.
4. Return to the oven for 5 minutes to dry out.
5. The baked product must have a well-browned exterior with a dry

center

DEFROSTING-CHOUX PASTRY

● Baked choux pastry shapes freeze well. When required, place
straight from the freezer in a moderately slow oven 160° C for 5
to 15 minutes, depending on size, to thaw and crisp.

● Make-ahead pâte à choux: The choux dough can be
refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 3 months
before baking.

TIPS MAKING-CHOUX PASTRY

• Generally, a combination of water and milk is used in the recipe but all
water or all milk may also be used. Higher milk levels improve the
pastry tenderness and color while high water allow for higher baking
temperatures.

● Margarine or shortening may be substituted for butter if required.

● Pastry flour is preferred due to its milder protein content which
prevents cracking and distortion of the pastry during baking. Bread
flour may also be used, but this may require higher hydration of the
flour and may reduce expansion of the baked product.

● A small quantity of sugar that may be added to the recipe to provide
the baked product with desirable color and flavor (along with the salt).

TIPS MAKING-CHOUX PASTRY

● Excessive boiling of the liquids should be avoided due to possible
deleterious effects on flour hydration.

● Overcooking the mixture after adding the flour may cause
denaturation of the proteins, resulting in incomplete absorption of the
eggs and the formation of a non-homogeneous mix.

● Since the pastry relies completely on steam for leavening, it is
important to ensure there is a sufficient amount of water (from water,
milk and eggs) in the paste.

● Both unbaked and baked choux paste can be stored in the freezer. The
unbaked mix can be thawed and baked as normal when required.

● It is important to keep in mind that all baked choux paste products
have a short shelf-life due to issues with texture deterioration.