Chocolate Eclairs / A Choux Pastry Question

[narelle]

Hi,

Was planning to make some chocolate eclairs for my Dad and thought I'd put the pastry flour I have in my pantry to good use. However looking at recipes online (I haven't made choux pastry since I was a teenager) it all indicates either regular flour or bread flour.

Why is this? I thought pastry/cake flour would help make it extra light and airy? I have regular flour, pizza/bread flour and pastry flour. I like experimenting!

Any info and/or recipes would be appreciated

thanks.
Narelle.

[Blueicus]

With choux paste you want something that has a definite structure since it's basically going to be hollow on the inside. Regular and Bread flour helps with this. That doesn't mean you can't make choux paste with a lower protein pastry flour, it just won't be quite the same.