Pâte à choux
- 250 g water
- 100 g unsalted butter
- 5 g salt
- 150 g flour T55
- 200–250 g whole eggs, beaten
Pastry cream — → Crème Pâtissière
- 500 g base batch
Chocolate cream (add-on)
- 200 g dark chocolate 70%
Coffee cream (add-on)
- 30 g butter
- 36 ml espresso
Fondant glaze (homemade)
- 300 g caster sugar
- 60 g glucose syrup
- 120 g water
Sirop à 30 Baumé
- 100 g water
- 130 g sugar
The éclair is a study in precision: a choux that puffs without cracking, a pastry cream smooth enough to pipe cleanly, and a fondant that sets glossy without grainy crystals. Each component has its own failure modes. Master them in order.
Method
Pâte à choux
- Combine water, butter, and salt in a saucepan. Melt gently — do not scorch the butter's milk solids — then bring to a boil for a few seconds only.
- Remove from heat. Add all the flour at once. Stir, fold, and press to mix and dry the paste. Return to low heat and keep stirring until the dough pulls away cleanly from the pan. The panade is ready.
- Transfer to a stand mixer fitted with the paddle. Beat on low until no more steam rises. Add the beaten eggs little by little until the dough is smooth, glossy, and falls from the paddle in a slow ribbon that folds back on itself — a "ruban cassant".
- Pipe into éclair shapes. Optional: brush lightly with oil or spray cocoa butter, then dust generously with icing sugar to help cracking. Bake 45 min at 180°C, or 60 min at 130°C then 30 min at 150°C for better puff with fewer cracks.
Pastry cream
- Heat milk with vanilla to a boil. Cover and rest 10 min to infuse.
- Whisk egg yolks with sugar until pale. Whisk in flour and cornstarch.
- Bring milk back to a boil and pour over the egg mixture. Return to the saucepan and whisk over medium heat until thickened. Cover with plastic wrap directly on the surface. Rest 40 min in the freezer until just slightly jiggly.
Chocolate version: fold 200g dark chocolate 70% into the hot cream off the heat. Blend with a hand blender to smooth.
Coffee version: add 30g butter and 36ml espresso along with the dry ingredients. Whisk aggressively to incorporate when the cream thickens.
Filling
- Pierce the base of each éclair with a nozzle slightly larger than the filling nozzle — easier and less risk of cracking.
- Don't overfill the piping bag: too much pressure makes filling uneven.
- Fill all éclairs first. Leave them upside down with any excess cream showing. Once all are filled, remove the excess with a clean finger — do not wipe each one immediately as you go.
Fondant glaze
- For homemade fondant: boil sugar, glucose, and water to the soft-ball stage, then work on a marble surface until white and opaque.
- To use: warm very gently over a double boiler — never exceed 40°C. Add cocoa powder for chocolate, or espresso for coffee. Adjust consistency with sirop à 30 if needed. The fondant is ready when it falls from a spatula in a smooth ribbon.
- Dip the top of each éclair, or spread with an offset spatula. Let set at room temperature.
Sirop à 30: boil water and sugar together, cool, store covered in the fridge for several weeks.
Background
The fondant is the component most likely to fail silently. It crystallises if stored without plastic wrap directly on the surface, or if left at cold temperature. It grains if heated too fast or above 40°C. If it has already gone too warm, do not put it back on the heat — add sirop à 30, glucose, or a splash of warm water to loosen it. Glucose adds shine but a slightly less clean flavour.
The choux is ready to pipe when the dough passes the "ribbon" test: lifted on the paddle, it should fall slowly and fold back on itself in overlapping pleats. Too stiff and the éclairs won't puff; too loose and they spread flat.
Baking temperature is a trade-off. High heat (180°C, 45 min) gives good colour but more cracking. Low-then-high (130°C/150°C) gives a better puff with a smoother shell — worth trying if cracks are a recurring problem.
Mistakes I've Made
- Fondant grainy after setting. Was not stored with plastic wrap at contact, or was heated too fast. Always film at contact and warm gently — patience is the only tool here.
- Fondant too thick but already over 40°C. Don't put it back on the heat. Add sirop à 30 or warm water a little at a time.
- Filling nozzle too small. Using the same nozzle for filling as for piping the choux cracks the shell. Pierce with a larger tip.
- Wiping excess cream immediately. Finish filling all éclairs first, then clean up. Trying to wipe one at a time while piping is messy and slow.
- Choux too loose. Éclairs spread flat. Add eggs gradually — stop before the full amount if the ribbon test passes early.
Sources
- Éclairs au chocolat —
- Éclairs au café —
- Sirop à 30 Baumé —
- Big Choux Workshop —