How to make perfect eclairs(pâte à choux)

After trying this Eclair recipe, you’ll ask yourself why you didn’t try it earlier. I was one of those people who thought it might be hard to make eclairs. But let me tell you, this is not true!! They are not only easy to make but also taste divine, and I can guarantee you’ll make them again and again.

This is one of those recipes that you get better at the more you do it. If it’s your first time making eclairs, I suggest you read through this post. I will address a few important points for achieving the perfect eclair.

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What are eclairs?

Eclairs are made with choux pastry filled with pastry cream and dipped in chocolate. But you may ask what is Choux pastry, also called “Pate a choux” (Pot ah-Shoo)?

Pate a Choux is a delicate pastry dough made with water, butter, eggs, and strong flour that is cooked on the stovetop before baking. The double-cooking process is what creates the hollow interior of the eclair. As the flour goes through a heating process before baking, the starches are gelatinized, which helps to support the structure of the gluten when the steam is released in the baking stage.

The moisture and the egg protein in the dough are what make this incredible light and airy pastry so good. When it’s baked in a hot oven, the moisture evaporates and the egg protein stretches, which creates crispy and light as-a-feather eclairs.

You can use this dough to make not only eclairs, but also profiteroles/cream puffs, craquelins, and many more desserts.

Ok, we know now what Eclairs are. Let’s talk about the process of making them and what to avoid doing.

• The one most important thing to remember is DO NOT open the oven door before the eclairs have risen (first 25-30min.)! If you do, you will end up with flat or sunken eclairs, and you don’t want that to happen.

So, how to avoid these cracks? To begin, you can pipe them with a French start tip rather than a round tip. The zig-zag type of nozzle (French start tip) creates more surface area that allows the eclairs to expand when baking without cracking. If you are using a round tip, you can use a fork and run it through the surface of the piped eclair, creating those lines.

Also, make sure when you are piping the eclairs, use the same pressure to achieve a consistent shape with each one. There is no magic to this, it’s called practice. The more you do it, the better you’ll get. One tip I can give you is when you are piping the eclairs, have the edge of the tip touching the surface and keep it at a 45º angle. That will give you more support and smooth pipping.

Another thing to pay attention to is making sure the salt and sugar are dissolved before adding the flour and that the flour is sifted to avoid any lumps. All those things can interfere with the final look of the eclairs.

High temperatures can also cause cracks to form on the surface of the eclairs. However, in many recipes, you will see people using two different temperatures, one high in the first few minutes and then lowering it for the rest of the baking. The reason for that is to force the dough to rise quicker by having the water evaporate faster and then lowering the temperature to finish the baking. That can definitely work. But I prefer to bake them at the same temperature. I think this way is more consistent and gentle to the dough, and less likely to develop cracks. If your dough is the right consistency it will rise no matter the temperature technique. Try both ways and see what works for you best.

• Very important, as in any recipe that uses flour, is to weigh the ingredients!!! If you like to bake, investing in a kitchen scale is not only inexpensive but also will help in achieving consistent results every time.

• Whisking the eggs before adding them to the dough is recommended. This way you’ll be able to add a little at a time and be in more control of how much liquid you add. Plus having the eggs already whisked helps with the smoothness of the dough.

And that sums up everything you can encounter while making eclairs, as well as how to avoid them. Now, let’s actually make them!

How to make eclairs?

You need basic ingredients: water or a mix of water and milk, butter, sugar, flour, eggs, and salt.

The process of making the actual dough is very simple. As you can see in the images, you need just one saucepan. Add the water, butter, sugar, and salt. Melt them. As soon as it starts to boil and everything has dissolved, dump in all the flour and start mixing over medium heat. The goal is to have most of the water evaporate and end up with a thicker consistency. When it creates a film on the bottom of the pan, it’s ready. Although, if you feel like it still has too much moisture, give it a few more stirs before taking it off the heat.

Transfer the hot dough to the bowl of a stand mixer, or you can use a hand mixer. Fold it a few times to let it cool off faster and spread it out in the bowl, which also helps with speeding up the cooling process. Wait a few minutes. Start adding the whisked eggs a little at a time while mixing. Keep an eye on the consistency; it should be smooth and glossy. Stop often and do the finger check. Run your finger through the dough; if it leaves a mark and the sides are slowly folding on themselves, the dough is ready. It’s better to check more often than make it too runny and try to fix it.

A helpful trick is to add the piping bag with the nozzle into a tall glass or a cup to fill it with the dough. Once you have that ready, start piping the eclairs or profiteroles onto the baking tray lined with a silicone mat or parchment paper.

When piping the eclairs by nature they will have a little tip at the end. Don’t leave them like this or they will burn when baking. It’s very easy to fix, by dipping your finger in water and gently smoothing it out. I like to pipe the eclairs at about 3.5 – 4 inches(9-10cm). They will expand as they bake. Once ready, transfer them to a cooling rack.

When making Eclairs I like to have the pastry cream already done by making it the day before. If you making everything the same day, start with the cream first and then do the dough. That way it will have more time to chill in the fridge.

The principle of making the pastry cream is very similar to the actual dough. Here are a couple of recipes for classic pastry cream and chocolate pastry cream.

How to make pastry cream?

Pastry cream ingredients are also very simple. All you need are milk, egg yolks, sugar, cornstarch, vanilla, butter, and salt. If you are making chocolate, then you will need cacao powder or chocolate. The process is also very simple and similar to how you would make the dough. This classic pastry cream Recipe has detailed directions, but I’ll go over the process here too.

You need a saucepan to which you will add the milk and vanilla seeds. Heat it up until just about boiling.

Meanwhile, in a separate bowl, you will combine the egg yolks, sugar, salt, and cornstarch.

Then, when the milk is ready, you will pour a small amount of it into the egg mixture to temper it, whisking constantly. Once they are tempered, you can add the rest of the milk and transfer it to the stovetop.

Make sure you are whisking the whole time while cooking, or it will stick to the bottom. It will thicken very quickly (2-5 minutes)

When ready, take it off the heat and add the butter. Mix until everything is combined. At this point, you can add the chocolate if using it.

Transfer it to a bowl and cover it with plastic film by touching the cream. If you just put the plastic over the bowl, the cream will form skin as it cools, which is not a good idea. Keep it in the fridge until chilled and ready to pipe.

It doesn’t have to be completely cold when filling the eclairs or profiteroles, but shouldn’t be warm either. It thickens as it cools. So, give it at least 2 hours in the fridge before using it.

When filling the eclairs, I like to make one hole on each side at the bottom of the eclair. You can also try just one hole at the bottom center.

And of course, adding the final touches. I’m talking about the chocolate and nuts on top. All you have to do is melt some chocolate and dip the eclairs in it. Sprinkle some chopped nuts of your choice and you are done!

You will be so proud of yourself for creating such a beautiful pastry and you definitely deserve to eat as many as you’d like! They are great for birthday parties, or any celebrations since they are individual sizes and easy to eat.

How to store eclairs?

Once they are ready, you can have them at room temperature for a few hours, or you can keep them in an airtight container in the fridge for a few days. The shells might soften as they sit, but they will still taste delicious! You can also freeze the Choux Pastry but without the cream. The reason for that is the pastry cream will not have the same thick consistency when thawed, it will become runny and make the whole eclair soggy and unpleasant.

I hope that after reading this post, you will feel more at ease and confident in making choux pastry and using it to make Eclairs, Profiteroles, or choux au craquelin.

Let’s connect!

I would love to connect with you! Let me know if you try this recipe, and please leave a star review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ for others to see. This helps people find the recipe.

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