Storing unbaked choux paste

[Scotty O]

How long can choux paste be kept between preparation and baking? Few hours? A day? Also how should it be kept? Obviously in the fridge, but should plastic wrap be pressed directly onto the surface to prevent a skin from forming? Store it right in the piping bag?

Scott

[Carolyn Tillie]

Great question -- I'll look forward to some answers.

Interesting that unbaked cookie dough (hermetically sealed) with raw eggs can last quite some time.

With the unbaked raw eggs in choux paste, I'm going to guess that it won't hold too long but what the hell do I know?

[mckayinutah]

Unfortunately, I try to get it in the oven between 30 -45 minutes at the latest after I begin piping. Haven't had much success with getting full volume out of them after letting sit more than 45 minutes, but others may chime in with better results or tricks.

HTH

Jason

[Comfort Me]

I was taught that choux paste had to be used immediately and could not be stored.

[Lesley C]

It's not ideal. I have kept it overnight, in the fridge, with the plastic against the dough -- not in the pastry bag!

Let it come to room temperature before piping. It dries out, so to get it back to the right consistency, you might need to add another egg.

Why not just pipe it out and freeze it raw?

[Wendy DeBord]

Although I've never done this, I've read that unbaked choux puffs can be frozen sucessfully with-out loss of quality. I believe (but I should double check) I read that in Bellouets petit four book. So have you done that Lesley?

[GG Mora]

When I worked in a restaurant kitchen, we would bake and freeze the choux puffs & then, after thawing, crisp them in the oven just before using. The raw dough held for any length of time simply doesn't puff properly.

[Lesley C]

I've tried both and have always had better results freezing baked puff pastry, flat on sheet pans, then, once frozen, storing them in bins. The frozen choux pastry never seemed to get the same lift in the oven -- especially carolines, little eclairs.

As for re-crisping in the oven. Never bothered. They never seemed soggy when defrosted -- unless they were old.

[Overlordofpastry]

I used to pipe out my choux paste then freeze them unbaked, they keep very well for a few weeks if wrapped airtight. They also freeze well once they are baked but they are more easily prone to freezer burn. Once choux paste is made, it must be used right away which is why i always freezed it and used it as I needed it, a huge time saver.

[Lesley C]

Is it really a time saver? You'll have to bake them later anyway. If you have a "surgelateur" like a Koma, they don't get freezer burn. Also, I try to use them within a week. Anyway, wouldn't the raw choux get freezer burn as easily as the cooked ones?

I worked in one huge pastry shop where all the choux pastry was frozen raw. I think freezer storage was an issue there. It never really worked as well for me though.

[Overlordofpastry]

I found it was easier to wrap and make a tight seal with the unbaked choux then with the baked choux so I there was less chance of freezer burn. And even if there was freezer burn, it was still going to be baked and it would go unnoticed in taste and appearance. Once it is baked and frozen, it can discolour and get the freezer burn taste which will not go away. Both ways can be done effectively, it is just a matter of storage and space. As far as time saving, instead of making the choux and piping it everyday, I simply bake them off as needed so they are fresh each day.