Choux Pastry

Method

1. Heat the oven to 200C (fan 180C) and line a baking tray with baking parchment. Sift 40 g of plain flour onto a sheet of paper so it can be tipped in all at once.
2. Put 60 ml of water, 25 g of diced unsalted butter, 1 pinch of fine salt and 0.25 tsp of caster sugar in a small heavy pan over medium heat. Let the butter melt completely before the water boils, then bring to a full rolling boil.
3. Take the pan off the heat, tip in the flour in one go and beat hard with a wooden spoon until the paste comes together in a smooth ball with no dry patches. Return to low heat and dry the paste for 1-2 minutes, turning it constantly, until it leaves a thin film on the base of the pan and no longer sticks to the spoon.