Homemade eclairs
- Sarah Cook
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Makes 24
More effort
Prep: 1 hr
Cook: 45 mins
Plus chilling and cooling
A star rating of 4.8 out of 5.20 ratingsRate
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Homemade eclairs are a labour of love, but the reward will be a decadent mouthful of crisp pastry oozing creamy vanilla custard
Freezable (Unfilled choux buns can be frozen)
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Afternoon tea sandwiches
A star rating of 4.8 out of 5.16 ratings
Ingredients
Nutrition
Units:
MetricUS
- 140g plain flour
- pinch of sugar
- 125ml milk
- 100g butter
- 4 eggs
For the custard filling
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300ml milk
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50g caster sugar
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2 egg yolks
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1 tsp vanilla extract
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4 tsp each plain flour
and cornflour
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300ml double cream
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Nutrition: per eclair
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kcal155
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fat12g
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saturates7g
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carbs9g
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sugars4g
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fibre0g
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protein3g
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salt0.13g
low
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Method
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step 1
Start by making the custard filling. Heat the milk until almost boiling in a saucepan. Meanwhile, mix together the sugar, egg yolks and vanilla in a bowl, then stir in the flours, a couple of tsp at a time, to a smooth paste.
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step 2
Gradually whisk in the hot milk, pour everything back into the saucepan and cook over a high heat, stirring constantly, for about 5 mins until thick – it will go alarmingly lumpy but don’t worry, just keep stirring it vigorously with a wooden spoon until smooth.
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step 3
Lay a sheet of cling film directly on the custard surface, then cool and chill until you’re ready to fill the buns.
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step 4
To make the choux buns, heat oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Sift the flour with the sugar and a pinch of salt into a small bowl. Put the milk and butter into a medium saucepan with 125ml water and gently heat so the butter melts but the liquid doesn’t bubble.
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step 5
Once the butter has completely melted, increase the heat until the liquid comes to a fast rolling boil. Immediately turn off the heat, tip in the sifted flour and beat vigorously with a wooden spoon until you a have a smooth dough that comes away from the sides of the pan. Spread over a large dinner plate to cool to hand temperature.
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step 6
Allow to cool for a few minutes, then gradually add the eggs, mixing well between each addition until the mixture reluctantly drops off the spoon. Don’t add all the egg unless you need to.
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step 7
Cut 2 large sheets of baking parchment. On each one draw 2 sets of ‘track’ lines with a 10cm gap – these will be your guidelines so your eclairs will all be roughly the same size. Use the paper to line 2 large baking sheets – penside down.
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step 8
Spoon your choux mixture into a piping bag with a 1cm star or round wide nozzle, or into a disposable piping bag with a similar-size hole snipped off for piping. Pipe 2 rows of well-spaced, squashed ‘S’ shapes on each sheet between the guidelines. Bake, one tray at a time, on a high-ish shelf for 25 mins, reducing temperature to 200C/180C fan/ gas 6 as soon as they go in the oven.
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step 9
After 25 mins, poke a hole in the end of each bun, or using a small serrated knife, split down the middle and return to the oven, upside-down, to dry out for 5 mins until crisp and golden. Set aside to cool.
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step 10
While the buns are cooling, finish your filling. Whisk the cream until thick, then use your electric whisk to beat the cooled, set custard until just smooth again. Fold in the cream. Spoon your filling into a piping bag – use a small nozzle if you’re filling the buns through the holes you've pierced, or a large nozzle if you’ve split the buns in half. Carefully pipe the custard into each cooled bun – they should feel heavy once full.
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step 11
Arrange the buns on a wire rack and spread each with a little of your chosen icing. If you can’t decide, it’s really easy to split your batch of choux buns, halve icing quantities, and make a selection to keep everyone happy. See the tip below for more icing flavours.
RECIPE TIPS
CARAMEL CRUNCH ECLAIRS
Melt 100g golden caster sugar in a pan with 2 tbsp golden syrup and 2 tbsp water. Once melted, increase the heat, bubble until caramel coloured, then remove from the heat and stir in 4 tbsp toasted flaked almonds. Carefully dip the top of each bun into the hot caramel, spooning over a little extra to cover if you wish. Cool on a wire rack.
COFFEE & WALNUT ECLAIRS
Once you’ve beaten the eggs into your choux mixture, stir in 85g finely chopped walnuts. Add 2 tbsp strong coffee to the custard filling, and make an icing by mixing 140g icing sugar with enough strong coffee to get a thick but runny consistency for drizzling over filled buns.
CLASSIC CHOCOLATE ECLAIRS
Melt 100g plain chocolate and 25g butter together in a heatproof bowl over a pan of barely simmering water. Once melted, remove from the heat and stir in 75ml double cream and 1 tbsp sifted icing sugar. Once cooled a little, spread over the tops of the buns and leave to cool.
Recipe from Good Food magazine, March 2010
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A star rating of 4.8 out of 5.20 ratings
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