How long does it take to make Choux Pastry?
Let cool a few minutes and add 3–4 eggs one at a time, until a pinch of dough stretches into a thread without breaking: the number of eggs varies.
36 minTotal
6 minActive time
30 minSetting
Step by Step
| # | What to do | How long |
|---|
| 1 | In a pot, bring the water to a boil with the butter and salt | 5 min |
| 2 | Add the flour all at once and stir over the heat for 1–2 minutes | 2 min |
| 3 | Let cool 5 minutes and add the eggs one at a time, beating hard after each | 5 min |
| 4 | Pipe balls onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper | — |
| 5 | Bake in an oven preheated to 200°C (390°F) 25 minutes | 25 min |
How to Tell It's Done
- until the dough comes together into a ball and pulls away from the sides
- until the dough is smooth and glossy
- until the pastries are puffed and golden
Tips
- Cooking on the stove dries the dough: that way it absorbs more eggs, and their steam puffs it up in the oven.
- Opening the oven partway through lets the steam out and the pastries collapse. Open it only when they are golden and firm.
Common Mistakes
- Add the next egg only after the previous one is fully absorbed: dough that gets eggs too fast turns runny and won't hold its shape.
- Check by the cue (until…), not just the clock: every oven bakes a little differently.
More Ways
- A cup of water, 100 g butter and a cup of flour (about 140 g) added all at once; stir over the heat until the dough pulls away from the sides.
- Bake at 200°C (390°F) for 20–25 minutes without opening the oven, and pierce each puff right after baking to let the steam out.
- Passover rolls: boil water, oil, salt and sugar, add matzah meal, let cool and add eggs one at a time; shape with wet hands and bake at 180°C (355°F) for about half an hour.
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