What are your favorite childhood cakes? I am sure that the majority will answer: eclairs! Of course, who may not like light, crispy cake with a delicate cream inside, covered with shiny glaze? Yummy, and more!
Eclair - what kind of cake, where and when did it appear
Eclairs are French pastries, widely known throughout the world since the end of the nineteenth century. They are elongated cakes from custard dough with a light cream inside.
Ideal eclairs should be smooth, even and identical, from 10 to 14 cm long.
Many do not dare to cook them at home, and prefer to buy ready-made in the store. It seems that such a delicious dessert and recipe should be complex, multi-step, with a long list of ingredients. In fact, it turns out just the opposite.
The ingredients are very affordable, which can be found in any refrigerator, and the method of preparation is simple enough if you follow the instructions clearly. Believe in yourself and be sure to try cooking. I think that the result will exceed all your expectations!
General rules for making dough for eclairs
The correct eclairs are made from choux pastry only. What is it really like? The basic principle is that the mixture of flour with oil and water is “brewed”, and then, after a little cooling, eggs are added. The result is a sticky, thick dough that does not spread, so to speak, keeps its shape.
Regular cakes are not torn, because they are prepared only from a dense, durable dough.
Classic recipe
Ingredients:
- water - 250 ml;
- butter - 100 g;
- flour - 200 g;
- eggs - 4 pieces;
- salt.
Cooking time: 70 min.
Calories per 100 grams: 204 kcal.
Recipe brewing dough for eclairs in steps:
- Melt the butter. You can use a water bath and microwave;
- Add water and salt;
- Pour into a small saucepan, put on fire;
- Start brewing the dough: gradually fill the flour, stirring the mass vigorously with a spoon until smooth for a couple of minutes in order to dry the brew;
- Cool for 10 minutes;
- When the mass has cooled down a little, start introducing the eggs one by one; it is convenient to use a mixer at this stage;
- Dough is ready! Put it on a baking sheet and bake for about 10 minutes at 180-200 ° C, then another 20 minutes. at 150 ° C.
Choux pastry for eclairs: recipe according to GOST step by step
The recipe is designed for the preparation of 20 pieces of cakes. Please note that the water for cooking should be measured in grams, and not, as usual, in milliliters.
Ingredients:
- wheat flour - 200 g;
- large chicken eggs - 5 pcs. (or 6 pieces of the average size);
- butter - 100 g;
- clear water - 180 g;
- salt - pinch.
Cooking time: 1h. 10 min.
Caloric content per 100 grams: 210 kcal.
How to cook:
- In a saucepan, bring to a boil a mixture of chopped butter, water and salt;
- Flour the flour thoroughly. It is desirable a couple of times that the baking turned out to be airy and fluffy;
- Pour the flour into the pan and mix thoroughly with a spoon or spatula;
- The dough will begin to brew and stick together in one room. Give him a good brew, continuing to stir quickly right on the included burner;
- Transfer to a bowl and let cool;
- Beat eggs in a separate container;
- Add them gradually to the dough, gently kneading it with a spatula or using a mixer;
- Cover the baking sheet with cooking paper;
- Using a culinary bag or an ordinary plastic bag, squeeze the dough onto a baking tray in the form of chopsticks about 12 cm long and 18 mm in diameter (it is also possible in the form of circles, then you get round eclairs balls);
- Bake in a preheated oven first 10 minutes at 220 ° C, then another 25 minutes at 180 ° C;
- Prepare your favorite cream and fudge, fill and decorate eclairs according to your own preferences.
How to cook lean choux pastry for eclairs
If you stick to vegetarian food and exclude animal fats from your diet, this is not a reason to deny yourself such wonderful and tasty desserts as eclairs.
The following recipe is for you: it does not contain eggs, milk and butter!
Ingredients:
- 2 stack flour;
- 2 table. spoons of vegetable oil;
- 1 stack boiling water;
- salt.
Cooking time: 65 minutes.
Caloric content per 100 grams: 198 kcal.
How to cook:
- Mix flour with salt, lay it down and make a well in the middle;
- Pour boiling water and vegetable oil into the center of the hollow;
- Stir the dough slightly and leave to cool until warm;
- Now you can knead it with your hands to a uniform consistency, it will take about 10 minutes;
- Let the dough rest for 25 minutes;
- Knead a couple of minutes once more;
- Everything, the lean dough for eclairs is ready, you can make cakes out of it and bake them as usual.
How to make choux pastry for eclairs on milk and dry yeast
Choux dough does not tolerate experiments with the composition and stages of preparation. However, you can try to cook another one of its time-tested varieties. Here, the water will be replaced by milk and dry yeast, and the result is almost better.
Therefore, make sure that the eclairs' ruddy color does not confuse you, and they are well cooked.
Ingredients:
- 200 g flour;
- 200 g of cow's milk;
- 4 medium chicken eggs;
- 70 g plums. oils;
- 10 g dry yeast;
- 20 ml of water;
- salt and sugar - on a pinch.
Cooking time: 2 hours.
Calories per 100 grams: 285 kcal.
How to cook:
- Boil the milk and pour over the sifted flour;
- Mix the resulting mixture with a mixer until smooth;
- Melt butter;
- Dried yeast dissolve in warm water and mix them with sugar, add to the custard mass;
- Beat eggs thoroughly until a foam is formed;
- Eggs should be poured in a little bit to the main test, constantly stirring;
- Salt, add butter and mix again until viscous fatty sour cream;
- It is better to let the dough stand for one hour, then form sticks from it and bake for 30 minutes in a hot oven at 200 ° C.
How to form and bake eclairs from choux pastry
The easiest way to form eclairs is by applying a culinary bag. You can use a variety of nozzles, especially beautiful eclairs are obtained using the nozzle "round" or "open star", with a diameter of 10-12 mm.
There is a little trick on how to quickly fill such a bag: you need to put it in a tall glass and straighten the edges. Then the dough is uniform, without voids it will fill, and you do not stain.
If you do not have a culinary bag yet, then you can use a regular cellophane bag, cutting off one of the corners of the desired diameter. This method is less convenient, but economical.
Eclairs are deposited on a baking sheet covered with cooking paper in a checkerboard pattern, diagonally, diagonally. The preferred length is 10-14 cm. Try to leave a sufficient distance between them, at least 3 cm, because when baking, they will increase in size.
In order to make the eclairs of the same size, you can make for your own convenience original labels on the baking sheet using a ruler and flour.
The best options for filling custard cakes: recipes
There is a great variety of fillings and creams for filling eclairs. The most common options are vanilla, coffee and chocolate, the most unusual are caramel, pistachio, coconut. But everyone has the right to choose his beloved, especially since there is where to turn around!
Eclairs are filled with cream using a pastry syringe.
Classic Custard
Ingredients:
- 400 ml of milk;
- 150 g plums oils;
- 2 table. l Sahara;
- 1 ½ table. l flour;
- 2 whole eggs and 1 yolk;
- 1 table. l powdered sugar.
Cooking time: 40 min.
Calories per 100 grams: 215 kcal.
How to cook:
- Add sugar to milk, bring to a boil. Check that the granulated sugar is completely dissolved;
- Allow the mixture to cool slightly;
- Stir the flour with all the eggs and powdered sugar, add to the sugar-milk mixture;
- Put on the fire and mix;
- Boil until cream thickens. Make sure that it does not boil;
- Cool, add soft butter and whisk with a mixer into a fluffy mass;
- You can play with flavors of cream, introducing into it if desired, vanilla, vanilla essence, citrus zest or cocoa powder.
Curd cream
Ingredients:
- 200 g of cottage cheese;
- 1 stack sugar sand;
- 200 ml of cream;
- 1 bag of vanilla sugar.
Cooking time: 20 min.
Caloric content per 100 grams: 112 kcal.
How to cook:
- Mix low-fat cottage cheese with sugar by hand with a fork or spoon, and then beat with a mixer or blender;
- Pour the vanilla sugar and pour in the cream, whip again thoroughly;
- Gentle and airy cream ready. Very easy and fast!
How to make chocolate icing
Glaze is applied to eclairs., while it is still warm. It is convenient to smear it with a cooking brush. There is another way: gently chop the bottom of the cake with a fork and dip its top in a liquid icing.
By adding butter, the icing of this recipe becomes smooth and shiny after setting.
Top icing can be sprinkled with nuts, confectionery powder, pour over caramel, decorate with fresh berries or fruits, mint leaves, chocolate figures.
Ingredients:
- 4 table. spoons of milk;
- 100 g butter;
- 4 table. cocoa spoons;
- 150 grams of sugar.
Cooking time: 20 min.
Calories per 100 grams: 442 kcal.
Recipe step by step:
- Mix the milk with sugar and cocoa powder in a suitable container;
- Put on fire;
- When the sugar is dissolved, add butter;
- Boil until thickening, constantly stirring and making sure that the glaze does not burn.
Useful tips
- Proportions are very important for successful preparation of eclairs, so it is advisable to use kitchen scales when measuring the weight of the desired products;
- In the recipe for choux pastry, no substitution of products is allowed, you can’t even change butter for spread or margarine - eclairs will not work;
- Eggs for cooking should be used only at room temperature, the fresher the better. Therefore, get them in advance from the refrigerator, at least 1 hour before cooking;
- Aim for the perfect consistency of dough - viscous thick sour cream;
- It is more convenient to prepare the cream in advance in order to cool it before filling the eclair;
- Sufficient distance should be left on the pan: in order for the eclairs to rise well, they need free air circulation;
- Eclairs must be baked while the dough is still warm;
- Cakes should be kept in the oven until golden brown, then they will be drier and stronger. Necessary juiciness will give cream to the eclairs;
- To prevent your cakes from falling off during baking, never open the oven ahead of time;
- Eclairs should cool down slowly, preferably for about an hour, so that they do not fall off. You can leave them in the oven, especially if the kitchen is a little cool.
And the main advice: cook with love and in a good mood, then you will definitely get an elegant delicious dessert on the level of famous French pastry shops!
Another recipe for choux pastry is very clearly shown in the next video.
