Bakery Style Eclairs Recipes

CLASSIC CHOCOLATE ECLAIRS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper, or silicone mat.
• In a medium saucepan, combine water, butter, sugar and salt. Slowly heat the mixture over medium heat, stirring frequently to dissolve sugar and melt the butter. Once sugar is dissolved and butter is melted, increase the heat to medium high heat and bring the mixture to a boil.
• Meanwhile, sift the flour.
• When the butter mixture comes to a boil, remove the saucepan from heat and add flour all at once. Quickly mix the mixture until all the flour is absorbed. (We just made panade!)
• Put the saucepan back to burner and reduce the heat to medium. Cook the dough, continuously mixing with a wooden spoon. The dough will start to form into a ball. Keep mixing for another 3-4 minutes until light crust forms on the bottom of the pan. (Note: It's important to cook for at least 3-4 minutes to dry out the panade.)
• Transfer the dough into a mixing bowl with paddle attachment and mix it for a few minutes on low speed until the mixture is at room temperature, about 2 minutes. (No mixer? No problem. You can mix it with a wooden spoon!)
• Then add eggs one at a time, mixing the batter well after each addition. This will help to get egg absorbed into the dough quicker. Don't add more than 2 eggs at a time! This is important, as you might not need to add all the eggs. The dough should be smooth and shiny, thin enough to slowly fall into a ribbon, but too runny.
• Transfer the batter into a large pastry bag, fitted with a round or star tip. Rest the batter for at least 1 hour at room temperature, or refrigerate for up to 2 days. (Note: Make sure to close any opennings to avoid drying out the batter.)
• Pipe the batter into 4-inch skinny logs at least 2 inches apart. Level the peaked tops with a wet fingertip.
• Bake the shells for 30-35 minutes, or until the shells are puffed up and golden brown, one baking sheet at a time. (Note: Don't open the oven door the first 25 minutes.)
• Once the shells are baked, cool until safe to handle, cut out 2 wholes on the bottom using a round piping tip, or simply make a small slit on the side of shells, using a small sharp paring knife. Arrange the shells back on the baking sheet with the holes facing up. And bake them again for another 5 minutes. This dries out the inside of pastry shells and make them extra crisp.
• Transfer the shells onto a wire rack and cool completely before filling.
• In a medium saucepan, bring milk and vanilla extract to a boil. Once it boils, turn the heat off.
• In a separate bowl, beat egg yolks with sugar until pale. And then stir in flour and cornstatrch.
• To temper the egg yolk mixture, take about ½ cup of hot milk and add it into the egg yolk mixture, while stirring vigorously.
• Now, add the tempered egg mixture back into the saucepan with remaining milk. Cook it over medium heat, stirring constantly, until it comes to a boil, about 5 minutes. (Note: It's normal if the mixture looks curdled in the beginning, be patient and it'll smooth out.) To see if the mixture is boiling, stop whisking for a moment. If it's burping bubbles, cook for 1 minute and remove from heat.
• Run the custard through a sieve, if desired, and transfer into a clean bowl and cover with a plastic wrap, so it touches the cream and refrigerate it for at least 2 hours. (TIP: Don't be alarmed if your chilled pastry cream looks too thick and lumpy. Simply whisk it until smooth again.)
• Whip heavy whipping cream till hard peaks form. Fold in the whipped cream into the chilled pastry cream and gently fold until well combined. Transfer the filling into a large pastry bag fitted with a round tip.
• Heat heavy cream until just simmer. Do not boil. Pour it over chocolate chips, and let it sit for good 2 minutes. Then stir it until smooth for couple minutes. Stir in butter to add some shine.
• Pipe the filling through the prepared holes on the bottom or a side slit. And then dip each filled eclair in the chocolate ganache.
• Let the eclairs set for about 1 hour in the fridge before serving.

CHOCOLATE ECLAIRS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°. In a large saucepan, bring water, butter and salt to a boil. Add flour all at once and stir until a smooth ball forms. Remove from heat; let stand 5 minutes. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Continue beating until mixture is smooth and shiny. , Using a tablespoon or a pastry tube with a #10 or large round tip, form dough into nine 4x1-1/2-in. strips on a greased baking sheet. Bake 35-40 minutes or until puffed and golden. Remove to a wire rack. Immediately split eclairs open; remove tops and set aside. Discard soft dough from inside. Cool eclairs. , In a large bowl, beat milk and pudding mix according to package directions. In another bowl, whip cream until soft peaks form. Beat in sugar and vanilla; fold into pudding. Fill eclairs (chill any remaining filling for another use). , For frosting, in a microwave, melt chocolate and butter; stir until smooth. Stir in sugar and enough hot water to achieve a smooth consistency. Cool slightly. Frost eclairs. Store in refrigerator.

BAKERY STYLE ECLAIRS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F. In a medium saucepan, bring water, butter, and salt to a boil over medium-high heat. Add flour all at once and stir quickly with a wooden spoon until mixture forms a ball; remove from heat. Add 1 egg to mixture and beat hard with wooden spoon to blend. Add remaining eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition; each egg must be completely blended before the next egg is added. While beating dough, its consistency will change from looking almost curdled to smooth. When dough is smooth, spoon it into a large resealable plastic storage bag and, using scissors, snip off one corner of bag, making a 1-inch-wide cut. Gently squeeze bag to form ten 1" x 4" dough logs about 2 inches apart on an ungreased large rimmed baking sheet. Bake 40 to 45 minutes, until golden and puffy. Remove to a wire rack to cool. In a large bowl, beat cream until stiff peaks form. Fold in pudding mix and set aside. In a small bowl, stir together confectioners' sugar, cocoa, and milk to make a smooth icing. Cut eclair shells horizontally in half and spoon pudding mixture equally into bottom of each. Replace tops of eclair shells and spread cocoa icing over tops. Cover loosely and chill at least 1 hour before serving.