Pâte à choux is a posh name for what the rest of us mere mortals would simply call choux pastry (if you have no idea how to pronounce it, “shoe” will do the trick). There’s no overwhelming list of ingredients to justify this classic French dough’s fancy name; flour, water, butter, sugar, salt, and eggs are all it takes to make it. With some precision and technique, however, you can easily transform it into delicious, light-as-air profiteroles (Ina Garten’s favorite French dessert) or some crispy, golden churros, instead of desperately looking for ways to buy Costco’s discontinued food court churros.
What truly makes this type of dough unconventional compared to all the rest is that it starts on the stove. Whipping it up couldn’t be any simpler: Bring together the ingredients in a pan, cook them over medium heat, and let the dough cool once the moisture evaporates. But you’ve seen profiteroles, and they look nothing like that initial gooey, dense mess. They’re puffy, crispy, and light. So, how do they get that way?
Well, the secret lies in the baking process. The moment the choux gets exposed to heat, it becomes softer and more flexible as the butter melts. Soon enough, the moisture — now turned into steam — pushes against it. With nowhere to escape due to the flexible outer layer, the steam stays trapped inside.
The trick behind choux pastry’s perfect puff
As the heat builds, the gas inside stretches the pastry even further, eventually making it puff up — a reaction that continues until the dough reaches maximum flexibility. For the record, the pastry’s elasticity comes mainly from the flour’s time gelatinizing on the stove. During this irreversible chemical process, the starch granules in the flour absorb water in addition to swelling and bursting under heat, ultimately thickening the dough.
While the pastry is in the oven, the eggs within undergo denaturation, yet another heat-dependent process where proteins break apart some of their hydrogen bonds and firm up the pastry. As the dough’s soft inner layers stretch to fill the gaps, the outer surface undergoes the Maillard reaction, crisping up and giving the pastry its distinct golden crust and rich flavor profile.
Before you freak out about all the science behind choux, trust us when we say that making it is not as complicated as it seems. It’ll totally be worth it when you end up with a batch of creamy, mouthwatering cream puffs. With a little extra creativity, you can turn them into the most irresistible homemade éclairs, beautifully topped with rich chocolate icing and filled with silky cream that just oozes out of them. If by any chance you’re looking for a savory twist, don’t hesitate to experiment a bit and surprise your loved ones with the best Valentine’s Day gruyère and crab gougères.
