Mary Berry Choux Pastry Recipe

Mary Berry Choux Pastry is made with a simple emulsion of melted butter and water, beaten vigorously with plain flour and eggs to create a glossy, pipeable dough. The result is a miracle of baking: light, golden shells that puff up in the oven to become completely hollow, ready to be filled with crème pâtissière or whipped cream. It is the ultimate master recipe for creating chocolate éclairs, profiteroles, or savory cheese gougères.

Jump to Recipe

Mary Berry Choux Pastry Ingredients

• 50g (2 oz) Butter: Cut into small cubes so it melts before the water boils away.
• 150ml (5 fl oz) Water: Cold tap water.
• 65g (2 ½ oz) Plain Flour: Sifted. Sifting is crucial to prevent lumps in the dough. Strong plain flour can also be used for a slightly crisper structure.
• 2 Large Eggs: Beaten.
• Pinch of Salt: (Optional) To season the pastry shell.

How To Make Mary Berry Choux Pastry

1. Melt the butter: Place the water and cubed butter (and salt, if using) into a medium saucepan over medium heat. Heat gently until the butter has melted completely. Once melted, turn up the heat and bring the mixture to a rolling boil.
2. Add the flour: The moment the water boils, remove the pan from the heat. Immediately “shoot” the sifted flour into the liquid all at once. Beat the mixture vigorously with a wooden spoon until it forms a smooth ball of dough that leaves the sides of the pan clean.
3. Cool the dough: Allow the dough ball (panada) to cool for 10 minutes. This step is critical; if you add the eggs while the dough is piping hot, they will scramble and the pastry will not rise.
4. Incorporate the eggs: Gradually add the beaten eggs to the cooled dough, a little at a time, beating vigorously with the wooden spoon or an electric hand whisk between each addition. The dough will look glossy and smooth. Stop adding egg when the dough reaches “dropping consistency”—it should fall reluctantly from the spoon, not run off it.
5. Pipe the shapes: Preheat the oven to 220°C (200°C Fan/425°F/Gas 7) and lightly grease a baking tray (or dampen it with water). Spoon or pipe the dough onto the tray. For profiteroles, pipe walnut-sized mounds; for éclairs, pipe 10cm lengths.
6. Bake the pastry: Bake in the hot oven for 20 to 25 minutes. Do not open the oven door during the first 15 minutes, or the steam will escape and the buns will collapse. They should be well-risen, crisp, and golden brown.
7. Dry the shells: Remove the tray from the oven. Using a small knife, make a slit in the side of each bun (or poke a hole in the bottom) to let the steam escape. Return them to the oven for 5 minutes to dry out the centers. Cool on a wire rack.

Recipe Tips

• Shooting the Flour: Mary emphasizes adding the flour “all at once.” If you sprinkle it in slowly, the water evaporates, changing the ratio, and the mixture becomes lumpy. Dump it in fast and beat hard.
• Dropping Consistency: You might not need all the egg. Watch the texture closely. If the dough becomes too runny, it will spread flat on the baking tray. It needs to hold its shape.
• Steam Power: Choux pastry rises solely on steam. Sprinkling the baking tray with a little water before adding the dough creates extra steam in the oven, helping the buns puff up maximally.
• Troubleshooting: If the buns are soft or soggy, they weren’t baked long enough or weren’t slit to release the internal steam. They must be crisp before cooling.

What To Serve With Choux Pastry?

This pastry is a vessel for rich fillings. For a classic dessert, fill the buns with sweetened whipped cream and top with melted dark chocolate to make profiteroles. For a French patisserie touch, fill éclairs with crème pâtissière (vanilla custard) and glaze with coffee icing. For a savory starter, beat Gruyère cheese and a pinch of cayenne into the raw dough before baking to make gougères.

How To Store Leftovers Choux Pastry?

• Room Temperature: Unfilled choux buns can be stored in an airtight container for 24 hours. If they soften, crisp them up in a hot oven for 5 minutes before using.
• Freeze: Baked, unfilled shells freeze perfectly. Freeze them in a bag for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature and refresh in the oven to restore crispness.
• Filled: Once filled with cream, they must be refrigerated and eaten within 4-6 hours, or the pastry will go soggy.

Choux Pastry Nutrition Facts

• Calories: ~60 kcal
• Fat: 4g
• Carbohydrates: 4g
• Protein: 2g
• Nutrition information is estimated per small unfilled bun based on 12 servings.

FAQs

Try More Recipes:

• Mary Berry Crème Caramel Recipe
• Mary Berry Lentil Jumble Recipe
• Mary Berry Magic Lemon Pudding Recipe