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Choux pastry · cream puffs

Name: Choux pastry · cream puffs
Yield: 12 large puffs
Cuisine: France
Ingredients: 225 g Water; 115 g Unsalted butter Diced; 2 mL Fine salt; 150 g All-purpose flour; 4 Large eggs Beat before adding; 450 g Whipping cream Cold; about 35% fat; 50 g Sugar

Makes: 12 large puffs
Heat: 220°C → 175°C conventional
Baking time: 15 min + 25 min + 5 min drying

Cook paste about 1 min first; lower oven heat after 15 min and keep the door closed until drying.

France · Steam-raised pastry

Choux pastry · cream puffs

Cooked flour paste rises with steam into hollow shells, then receives a cream filling.

Include step photos when printing

Ingredients

Group	Ingredient	Amount	Preparation
Paste	Water	225 g
Paste	Unsalted butter	115 g	Diced
Paste	Fine salt	2 mL
Paste	All-purpose flour	150 g
Paste	Large eggs	4	Beat before adding
Filling	Whipping cream	450 g	Cold; about 35% fat
Filling	Sugar	50 g

Tools & alternatives

Utensil checklist

Tick the tools you have ready. Choose the recommended tool or its workaround; keep the specified pan size and heat rating.

Recommended Tools Regular Baker	Casual Baker Workarounds Hacks
Digital kitchen scale	Borrow a suitable scale for the gram amounts. Use measuring cups only where a volume is provided; fluff flour, spoon it in and level without packing.
Measuring spoons and a marked jug	Use standard measuring spoons for small volumes and a kitchen measuring jug for liquids; eating spoons vary in size.
Saucepan	An ordinary sturdy saucepan of suitable capacity is enough. Leave room for foaming or boiling; use a deep heavy pot for frying.
Mixer with paddle or beaters	Use a sturdy spoon and bowl for softened butter mixtures, or a hand mixer. Cream until lighter; do not replace beating with a quick stir.
Two lined sheets	Use a reusable baking liner rated for this heat, or grease the tray only if the method allows it. For sticky dough or meringue, keep a proper nonstick liner.
Scoop	Use two spoons to portion the mixture, keeping portions similar in size.
Cooling rack	Set a clean, cool wire trivet over a tray. Let air reach underneath; a flat plate can trap steam.

Timing & recipe details

Time & temperature

Baking temperature: 220°C → 175°C conventional
Baking time: 15 min + 25 min + 5 min drying

Cook paste about 1 min first; lower oven heat after 15 min and keep the door closed until drying.

Makes: 12 large puffs
Heat: 220°C, then 175°C conventional
Plan for: About 1½ hours including cooling

Method

01 · Prepare
5 min
Use: Oven; sheets
Heat oven to 220°C and line sheets.
Ready when: Sheets ready
01 PreparePreheat the oven and line two baking sheets.
02 · Heat
A few min
Use: Water, butter, salt
Bring to a full boil once butter melts.
Ready when: Butter fully melted
02 HeatBring the water, butter and salt to a full boil.
03 · Cook paste
About 1 min
Use: Flour
Off heat, stir in all flour. Return to heat and stir until a ball forms and leaves a light film.
Ready when: Paste follows the spoon
03 Cook pasteStir until the paste gathers into a ball and leaves a light film in the pan.
04 · Cool
5–10 min
Use: Cooked paste
Transfer to a bowl and cool below 50°C.
Ready when: Warm, not hot enough to cook egg
04 CoolLet the cooked paste cool until warm before adding eggs.
05 · Add eggs
A few min
Use: Paste; beaten eggs
Beat eggs in gradually, holding back the last portion if paste becomes loose.
Ready when: Glossy; a thick ribbon drops from the paddle
05 Add eggsAdd the eggs gradually until a thick glossy ribbon drops from the paddle.
06 · Portion
5 min
Use: Paste
Scoop 12 mounds with generous gaps. Flatten pointed tips with a damp finger.
Ready when: Mounds retain shape
06 PortionScoop twelve spaced mounds and smooth any pointed tips with a damp finger.
07 · Bake and dry
45 min + cooling
Use: Mounds
Bake 15 min at 220°C, then 25 min at 175°C without opening. Slit each shell; dry 5 min more. Cool on a rack.
Ready when: Golden shells with dry interiors
07 Bake and dryBake until golden, make small steam slits and dry the shells before cooling.
08 · Whip
A few min
Use: Cream, sugar
Whip together until smooth peaks hold. Keep chilled.
Ready when: Firm but not grainy
08 WhipWhip the cream and sugar until smooth peaks hold.
09 · Fill
Just before serving
Use: Cold shells; whipped cream
Split, fill and serve. Refrigerate filled leftovers.
Ready when: Shells completely cool
09 FillSplit the cold shells, fill with whipped cream and replace their matching tops.

What to look for

Stage	Look / feel for	Needs attention
Egg addition	Paste is glossy and pipeable.	A puddle that cannot hold its mound.
Baking	Shell walls are browned and dry.	Pale, flexible walls.

Troubleshooting

If you see this	Likely cause	What to do now	Next time
Flat puffs	Too much egg or insufficiently cooked paste.	If still unbaked, stop adding egg.	Judge paste texture at the last addition.
Collapse	Walls or interior remain damp.	Dry fully baked shells longer if needed.	Keep the oven closed until walls set.
Soft filled shells	Moisture migrates from cream.	Fill a fresh batch shortly before eating.	Store shells and filling separately.

Vanilla is omitted from the filling. Éclairs use the same pastry with different portioning and finishing.

Ingredient choices & substitutions

Ingredient	Specified type	Brand	Status
All-purpose flour	Wheat flour with ordinary protein content	King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour	Named in the base; match flour function if unavailable
Whipping cream	Dairy cream able to hold peaks	No required brand	Match the ingredient type

Ingredient	Alternative / ratio	Adjust handling	Likely outcome
All-purpose flour	Bread flourEqual weight as a trial	Expect egg demand to differ; use the paste cue.	A firmer shell is possible.
Whipping cream	Another unsweetened whipping creamEqual weight	Check the fat and whipping instructions.	Milk alone cannot supply this filling structure.

Match the ingredient’s function and weight. See the flour, gluten, yeast and salt guide.

Other approaches to this recipe

Hamel’s water-only dough supplies the base. McKenney’s milk-and-water recipe uses less flour and a different bake schedule; her texture check supports gradual egg addition, not a formula swap.

Cook / recipe	Use	What differs
King Arthur Baking · PJ HamelCream Puffs and Éclairs	Working base	Water-only paste; hot start followed by drying; whipped-cream filling.
Sally’s Baking · Sally McKenneyChoux Pastry	Technique comparison	Milk-and-water dough; demonstrates holding back some beaten egg to obtain a pipeable paste.
King Arthur Baking · Susan ReidPâte à choux perfected	Related technique explanation	Same host as the base; an explanation of paste cooking, steam expansion and drying, not an independent test.

The working ingredients and method form one recipe. Different formulas are compared without averaging their quantities or rise schedules.

Recipe

Choux pastry · cream puffs

Cooked flour paste rises with steam into hollow shells, then receives a cream filling.

Include step photos when printing

Ingredients

Group	Ingredient	Amount	Preparation
Paste	Water	225 g
Paste	Unsalted butter	115 g	Diced
Paste	Fine salt	2 mL
Paste	All-purpose flour	150 g
Paste	Large eggs	4	Beat before adding
Filling	Whipping cream	450 g	Cold; about 35% fat
Filling	Sugar	50 g

Tools & alternatives

Utensil checklist

Tick the tools you have ready. Choose the recommended tool or its workaround; keep the specified pan size and heat rating.

Recommended Tools Regular Baker	Casual Baker Workarounds Hacks
Digital kitchen scale	Borrow a suitable scale for the gram amounts. Use measuring cups only where a volume is provided; fluff flour, spoon it in and level without packing.
Measuring spoons and a marked jug	Use standard measuring spoons for small volumes and a kitchen measuring jug for liquids; eating spoons vary in size.
Saucepan	An ordinary sturdy saucepan of suitable capacity is enough. Leave room for foaming or boiling; use a deep heavy pot for frying.
Mixer with paddle or beaters	Use a sturdy spoon and bowl for softened butter mixtures, or a hand mixer. Cream until lighter; do not replace beating with a quick stir.
Two lined sheets	Use a reusable baking liner rated for this heat, or grease the tray only if the method allows it. For sticky dough or meringue, keep a proper nonstick liner.
Scoop	Use two spoons to portion the mixture, keeping portions similar in size.
Cooling rack	Set a clean, cool wire trivet over a tray. Let air reach underneath; a flat plate can trap steam.

Timing & recipe details

Makes: 12 large puffs
Heat: 220°C, then 175°C conventional
Allow: About 1½ hours including cooling

How do I make it?

Get ready
5 min
Heat the oven to 220°C and line the baking sheets. Allow about 5 minutes to prepare.
Preheat the oven and line two baking sheets.
Ready when: Sheets ready
Melt and boil
A few min
Heat the water, butter and salt for a few minutes. Once the butter is fully melted, bring to a full boil.
Bring the water, butter and salt to a full boil.
Ready when: Butter fully melted
Cook the flour paste
About 1 min
Take the pan off the heat and stir in all the flour. Return to the heat and stir for about 1 minute, until the paste forms a ball that follows the spoon and leaves a light film in the pan.
Stir until the paste gathers into a ball and leaves a light film in the pan.
Ready when: Paste follows the spoon
Cool the paste
5–10 min
Put the paste in a bowl and cool for 5–10 minutes, to below 50°C. It should be warm, but not hot enough to cook the eggs.
Let the cooked paste cool until warm before adding eggs.
Ready when: Warm, not hot enough to cook egg
Add the eggs
A few min
Beat in the eggs gradually over a few minutes. Hold back the last portion if the paste becomes loose; stop when it is glossy and falls from the paddle in a thick ribbon.
Add the eggs gradually until a thick glossy ribbon drops from the paddle.
Ready when: Glossy; a thick ribbon drops from the paddle
Scoop
5 min
Scoop 12 mounds onto the sheets with generous gaps. Flatten pointed tips with a damp finger; allow about 5 minutes, and check the mounds hold their shape.
Scoop twelve spaced mounds and smooth any pointed tips with a damp finger.
Ready when: Mounds retain shape
Bake and dry
45 min + cooling
Bake for 15 minutes at 220°C, then 25 minutes at 175°C without opening the oven. Cut a slit in each shell and bake for 5 minutes more to dry the insides. The shells should be golden and dry inside; cool them on a rack.
Bake until golden, make small steam slits and dry the shells before cooling.
Ready when: Golden shells with dry interiors
Whip the filling
A few min
Whip the cold cream and sugar together for a few minutes, until smooth peaks hold their shape. Stop before the cream turns grainy and keep it chilled.
Whip the cream and sugar until smooth peaks hold.
Ready when: Firm but not grainy
Fill and serve
Just before serving
Just before serving, split the completely cold shells and fill with whipped cream. Refrigerate any filled leftovers.
Split the cold shells, fill with whipped cream and replace their matching tops.
Ready when: Shells completely cool

What can go wrong, and how can I fix it?

What you notice	Likely cause	What to do
Flat puffs	Too much egg or insufficiently cooked paste.	If still unbaked, stop adding egg. Judge paste texture at the last addition.
Collapse	Walls or interior remain damp.	Dry fully baked shells longer if needed. Keep the oven closed until walls set.
Soft filled shells	Moisture migrates from cream.	Fill a fresh batch shortly before eating. Store shells and filling separately.

Useful recipe notes

Vanilla is omitted from the filling. Éclairs use the same pastry with different portioning and finishing.

See the detailed method and ratios in , or follow ingredients through the .

Ingredient proportions & recipe details

Choux pastry · cream puffs at a glance

Makes: 12 large puffs
Heat: 220°C → 175°C conventional
Baking time: 15 min + 25 min + 5 min drying

How do the ingredient proportions compare?

Percentages compare each listed weight with the combined flour weight (100%). These are ingredient ratios, not dough hydration; milk, eggs and fillings contain other ingredients as well as water.

Formula component	Grams	Flour = 100%
Water	225 g	150%
Unsalted butter	115 g	76.7%
All-purpose flour	150 g	100%
Whipping cream	450 g	300%
Sugar	50 g	33.3%

Method

01 · Prepare

02 · Heat

03 · Cook paste

04 · Cool

05 · Add eggs

06 · Portion

07 · Bake and dry

08 · Whip

09 · Fill

What to look for

Troubleshooting

How do I make it?

Get ready

Melt and boil

Cook the flour paste

Cool the paste

Add the eggs

Scoop

Bake and dry

Whip the filling

Fill and serve

What can go wrong, and how can I fix it?

Choux pastry · cream puffs at a glance