125ml (½ cup) milk
100g (7 tbsp) butter, diced
½ tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
150g (heaped 1 cup) plain (all-purpose) flour
4 medium eggs
eggwash (1 egg beaten with 1 tbsp milk)
Combine the milk, 125 ml (½ cup) water, the butter, salt and sugar in a saucepan and set over a low heat. Bring to the boil and immediately take the pan off the heat. Shower in the flour and beat the mixture with a wooden spoon until smooth.
Return the pan to a medium heat for about 1 minute, stirring constantly, to dry out the paste. Tip it into a bowl.
Add the eggs one by one, beating with the wooden spoon. Once they are all incorporated into the mixture, it should be smooth and shiny, and thick enough to pipe. The choux paste is now ready to use. (If you are not using it immediately, brush the surface with eggwash to prevent a crust forming.)
Pipe small mounds on to a baking sheet lined with greaseproof paper in staggered rows, using a piping bag fitted with a 1 cm (½in) nozzle. Brush with eggwash and lightly mark the tops with the back of a fork. Bake at 200°C/400ºF/Gas 6 for 15 – 20 minutes until dry and crisp, but still soft inside. Cool on a wire rack.
