# Freezing Pate Choux?



## sparky32

Currently, the bakery/cafe I'm working at freeze the raw Pate Choux dough, thaw and bake them. I remember reading in my chef books that if frozen, it could be baked straight out of the freezer instead. What recommendations do you all have in dealing with the storing of Pate Choux?


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## foodpump

Thaw before baking. You can also bake, then freeze, and briefly flash in the oven to heat/crisp up very succesfully too.


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## trenac

We used to do a daily set tea and I would just pipe the choux, freeze them and bake them frozen and they always came out well. I actually prefer that to pre-baking them as in the humid FL climate they never crisped back up.


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## breton beats

PaCh is great because it can be baked frozen, or baked. If pulling from the freezer I do not let it thaw out, usually the extra water from condensation can make it look kind of grey or cause the shape to slump. 

If you freeze the unbaked dough once frozen it is good tohave them wrapped but if it is a comercial freezer and you go through them quickly no real need. (We keep all of our gougeres in a bag in the freezer and then pull out as needed.) If you freeze the baked shell it becomes trickier because they can crack easier.

Baking frozen PaCh requires longer baking temp and if possible it is better to use a still oven then an convection because the longer time can make them a little browner. But afterall PaCh is just a shell. It is what's inside that really counts.


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## bughut

So glad sparky32 posted this question, as i never seem to find the time to experiment with freezing raw choux. Up til now i've always frozen it cooked. Not alway successfully. Woo hoo! now i know. Thanks all


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## mrpastry

hen you plan to freeze the PaCh, roast the roux a little extra, so you need an extra egg or two, then add a touch extra milk to make the PaCh just ever so slightly softer than when baking fresh.
The additional egg ensures proper expansion, the added-after milk will help with a little extra moisture for expansion before the shell sets. Right from frozen start off in a hot oven 425°-450°F for 5 minutes and drop to 325°F to finish the bake.
I also mist the frozen choux before putting in the oven.

Cheers! MrPastry


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## panini

Well, I got to tell you. Like bighut, I had never frozen the shoe paste. Still having a hard time figuring how it increases quality or production.
I did however experiment " before Mr. Pastry had time to enlighten us"
I use my -10 deg.freezer for production. I wrapped the product. Baked some frozen and some thawed. Only have decks. Not even close to a nice product. 
My second time around was much better. As Mr.P states, a little milk (which I don't normally use) helped 1/2 the batch greatly. The other half I cooked the roux longer then paddled it hot in a mixer until almost all the moisture evaporated and added back that liquid in eggs. Didn't need to spritz. Throw those metal -10 frozen pans on 500 decks and they steam and dance a little:talk:
Just some feedback from testing. I'm thinking about producing the frozen ones for wholesale to accounts. We stopped delivering the finished product because they were always getting desroyed and old.
panini


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## jbb22

Dear all Concerned above ,

some have said is possible and some have said its acceptable to a certain percentage .

My personal experience baking the Eclairs and then stock it frozen for a period up to 8 months , when you thaw it , it is not a fresh product and will not cater to a nice client unless if you sell it to people who doesn't  know which is wrong .

Did any one tried that and thinks that is possible to freeze the pate a choux for couple of month ?


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## jcakes

I've only frozen them for a month or so; not longer.  I've frozen them baked and unbaked; either baked or recrisped right from the freezer.  We don't have a lot of room to store frozen stuff so space is at a premium so if we haven't used it in a month, out it goes unless it's fruit puree  Or maybe french macaron shells.  So yes, after 8 months I can't imagine it would be as good.


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