Homemade eclairs

Name: Homemade eclairs
Prep time: 2 h 30 min
Cook time: 2 h 30 min
Total time: 2 h 30 min
Yield: 24
Cuisine: Global
Ingredients: 140 grams plain flour; 1 pinch pinch of sugar; 125 milliliters milk; 100 grams butter; 4 eggs; 300 milliliters milk; 50 grams caster sugar; 2 egg yolks; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 4 teaspoons each plain flour and cornflour; 300 milliliters double cream

Homemade eclairs might be just the hor d'oeuvre you are searching for. This recipe makes 24 servings with 130 calories, 3g of protein, and 10g of fat each. This recipe covers 3% of your daily requirements of vitamins and minerals. Head to the store and pick up flour and cornflour, egg yolks, double cream, and a few other things to make it today. It is a good option if you're following a lacto ovo vegetarian diet. From preparation to the plate, this recipe takes about 2 hours and 30 minutes.

Instructions

Start by making the custard filling.

Ingredients you will need

Custard

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.

Ingredients you will need

Egg Yolk

Vanilla

Sugar

Milk

Equipment you will use

Sauce Pan

Bowl

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 dont worry, just keep stirring it vigorously with a wooden spoon until smooth.

Ingredients you will need

Milk

Equipment you will use

Wooden Spoon

Sauce Pan

Whisk

Lay a sheet of cling film directly on the custard surface, then cool and chill until youre ready to fill the buns.

Ingredients you will need

Custard

Roll

To make the choux buns, heat oven to 220C/200C fan/gas

Ingredients you will need

Roll

Equipment you will use

Oven

Sift the flour with the sugar and a pinch of salt into a small bowl.

Ingredients you will need

All Purpose Flour

Sugar

Salt

Equipment you will use

Bowl

Put the milk and butter into a medium saucepan with 125ml water and gently heat so the butter melts but the liquid doesnt bubble.

Ingredients you will need

Butter

Water

Milk

Equipment you will use

Sauce Pan

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 (see picture 1).

Ingredients you will need

Butter

Dough

All Purpose Flour

Equipment you will use

Wooden Spoon

Frying Pan

Spread over a large dinner plate to cool to hand temperature.

Ingredients you will need

Spread

Once the dough mix has cooled, scrape it back into your pan. Using your wooden spoon, beat in each egg, one by one, until you have a smooth, shiny mixture.

Ingredients you will need

Dough

Egg

Equipment you will use

Wooden Spoon

Frying Pan

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 (see picture 2). Use the paper to line 2 large baking sheets penside down.

Equipment you will use

Baking Sheet

Spoon your choux mixture into a piping bag with a 1cm 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 (see picture 3).

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.

Equipment you will use

Oven

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.

Ingredients you will need

Roll

Equipment you will use

Serrated Knife

Oven

While the buns are cooling, finish your filling.

Ingredients you will need

Roll

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 youre filling the buns through the holes you've pierced, or a large nozzle if youve split the buns in half. Carefully pipe the custard into each cooled bun they should feel heavy once full.

Ingredients you will need

Custard

Cream

Roll

Equipment you will use

Whisk

Arrange the buns on a wire rack and spread each with a little of your chosen icing (see below). If you cant decide, its really easy to split your batch of choux buns, halve icing quantities, and make a selection to keep everyone happy.

Ingredients you will need

Spread

Icing