Classic Eclair Recipe (VIDEO) (2024)

FAQs

Why do eclairs fail to rise? ›

Another reason your eclairs may not have risen is because there is too much moisture in the dough. Once you have melted the butter, remove the pan from heat, add all the flour at once and stir, then place the pan back on the heat and mix quickly until the mixture forms a dry ball that comes away from the pan.

Other than form and name, they are continents apart in taste. An American eclair is made from frozen ingredients such as frozen pre-separated egg whites and yolks and frozen pre-made cream. A French eclair is fresh: freshly separated eggs, freshly stirred creme, freshly picked or ground ingredients.

Why are my eclairs soggy? Answer: This can happen if your choux pastry wasn't thick enough, and too runny. It's important to make sure each egg is fully incorporated before adding the next one. It is also important not to open your oven and peak.

If the puffs collapse it means there was too much moisture in them. So either you did not dry the dough enough, or they were not cooked enough. To avoid this I recommend drying the dough really well (see below) and cracking the door of the oven open when the choux are baked.

It's also important not to open the oven door for the first twenty-five minutes of cooking time. It's the steam inside the eclairs and inside the oven that causes the pastry cases to rise, and opening the oven door will drop the temperature and affect this process.

The solution is to use enough flour so that the dough is thick enough. Second, your cream puffs or choux pastries may not hollow out because the baking temperature is too low to start. As with most pastries, this dough needs high heat to get a high rise!

As Serious Eats reported, luxury eclairs are the result of French chefs facing competition, and putting their skills to the test, which explains the high-end fillings and intricate decoration. For now, the Maitre Choux versions are made in the tiny kitchen beneath the shop.

Once cool, the pastry is filled with custard (crème pâtissière), whipped cream or chiboust cream, then iced with fondant icing. Other fillings include pistachio- and rum-flavoured custard, fruit-flavoured fillings, or chestnut purée.

Eclairs are traditionally made from choux pastry dough, pastry cream filling, and chocolate ganache on top. This delicious preparation is called eclair au chocolat in French and it's likely the way you've eaten eclairs from a bakery.

If you don't have a French star nozzle, an open star nozzle is the next best option. And if you use a plain round one, use a fork to lightly scrape along the pastry lengths before baking to increase the surface area to help minimise the cracking and to help retain the straight shape.

Why do my eclairs taste eggy? ›

Choux pastry tastes eggy: This is normal, for the most part! Choux pastry is mostly eggs, so you're definitely going to taste them here. If you're really tasting the eggs, then you may have added them in the while the dough is too warm.

Best way to make ahead – Unfilled whole choux pastry can be kept in an airtight container for 3 days. Re-crisp in a 180°C (160°C fan-forced) oven for 5 minutes. Glaze then fill per recipe. Filled éclairs will keep for 2 to 3 days but the choux pastry loses its crispness as I've said many times.

To prevent eclairs from becoming soggy, it's important to ensure they are fully baked and properly cooled before filling them. Make sure the choux pastry shells are golden brown and crispy.

I use this approach in my cream puffs, but personally prefer straight pastry cream in my eclairs. Eclairs are best when served either at room temperature or cold, within 12 hours of filling them with pastry cream.

If too much egg is added or if it is added too quickly, the Choux's ability to rise when baked will be affected. Similarly, if not enough egg is incorporated, it won't puff, causing it to be dense inside.

If there is too much fat in your mixture it can interfere with the rising. This may happen if you added too much butter, or too much egg. That's why I recommend weighing out your egg quantities! Choux pastry also may not rise if the flour hasn't been cooked enough, as this prevents the formation of gluten.

There are multiple reasons why cream puffs may deflate. The first cause is undercooking. When preparing dough on the stovetop, be sure to keep cooking and stirring until a film forms on the bottom of the saucepan. Another cause of flat cream puffs is lowering the temperature during baking.

To understand why choux is twice-cooked, it's important to know that choux needs lots of moisture: it's the steam generated by its high water content that causes it to swell and puff so much (there's no baking soda, baking powder, yeast, beaten egg whites, or any other leavening agent to help give it extra lift).