An article that will help a BEGINNER hostess make perfect custard eclairs or cakes the first time

What is custard dough?

This dough - which, when baked, gives an airy, tender, crispy bun with a Void inside.
Air bubbles inside such buns are obtained from the fact ... that the dough contains a lot of water ... in a hot oven, the water begins to actively evaporate ... and the oil that is part of the dough does not allow air to pass freely through the pores of the dough ... and the pressure of water vapor from the inside of the bun inflates it like a ball ...

RULE ONE - do not let the water boil for a long time ...

Sometimes it happens that your water with oil has already boiled ... but you are distracted and it continues to gurgle ...

Because of this - it can partially evaporate from boiling ... and there will be less liquid in the pan. And the proportions of dry and liquid will be violated. As a result, the custard dough will turn out thicker than necessary.

RULE TWO - flour should boil instantly ...

While the liquid is heating up... we will prepare the "flour landing". It is "landing" - because landing - is always instantaneous and lightning fast. This is how it should happen with our flour ...

The first time I made choux pastry - and I made a mistake - I poured the flour out of the glass too slowly. Because she really slowly gets enough sleep from the glass.

We need to do it differently.

Take a sheet of paper - fold it in half. To have a fold line.
Pour our (already sifted) flour onto this sheet.
In this flour - add sugar (for sweet dough) ... or salt (for salty dough).
And when the mixture of water and oil boils in our saucepan ... reduce the heat ... and ...
We take our sheet - by the edges ... so that it bends in the fold lines ... and all the flour is ready for instant pouring from the sheet.
We bring a sheet of flour to the pan - in the second hand we immediately take a spoon (a wooden spatula ... or a mixer)
Pour flour into boiling oily water - in one motion - shuh and immediately (at the same second) stir quickly and quickly (the sheet was thrown aside, grabbed the handle of the pan with one hand and quickly mixed all the flour into the water ...
The brewed flour must be well BOILED.

Quickly poured flour should boil down. This takes time. They poured flour - mixed it with boiling water and without removing the pan from the fire (unless the fire was reduced) - we knead it right in the pan. Then we smear it with a spoon along the bottom of the pan - then we collect it in it - then we smear it again - again in someone ... So that the dough boils from all sides. After 2 minutes - it will already boil well.

And it will become a soft homogeneous lump.

RULE THREE - the temperature of the custard dough and the size of the eggs matter.

Now ... after the flour has boiled ... and the pan is removed from the heat .. you need to drive eggs into it. But not immediately - the dough should not be very hot (so that the eggs do not bake in it) - it is better to stick your finger into the custard dough - if the temperature is tolerable for you, then the eggs will not “burn”.

If the dough is completely cool before adding the eggs, this is also bad. It then turns out slippery. And then we will not be able to bring it to a meaty-creamy texture.

It may turn out that the size of the eggs will violate the proportion of liquid / dryness - and the dough will turn out to be too liquid ...

Therefore ... we drive eggs into a separate bowl. And we beat there ...

And then we begin to introduce a little egg mixture into the choux pastry.

Added - and stirred ... Added and stirred, kneaded ..

Until then - until the dough becomes the consistency we need (that is, sometimes part of the egg mixture is still in the mug ... and the dough has already become as it should ... it means that you don’t need to add more egg mixture - enough).

And here there is one more thing ... according to my observations, this is how it turns out. If you stir the custard dough with a wooden spoon, then more eggs are required ... And if with a mixer, then less. The fact is that the mixer - stirs the dough too much and intensively - and it becomes more liquid and fluid from mixer whipping ... and therefore requires fewer eggs ...

You will see for yourself - when it is enough to add eggs to our choux pastry. See the consistency.

Choux pastry recipe step by step

What does the RIGHT consistency of choux pastry look like.

The desired consistency - looks like a homogeneous shiny paste. Which keeps its shape for some time. You yourself will already see by the contents of your pan - here you are stirring the custard dough with a spoon - and the stains-patterns in the pan (traces from stirring) how they hold the frozen shape (photo above)

Or you can check it like this - I scoop the dough with my finger from the pan and if the scooped up liquid piece retains its shape - (like paste on a toothbrush) - the dough tuft sticks up and does not fall off ... then the dough is as it should.

Due to this gutta-percha property - choux pastry, when laid out on a baking sheet, completely keeps its shape and pattern (if the syringe had a patterned nozzle).
And after baking - such an eclair will retain its patterned surface.

And what to do if... the batter is too thick or too runny...

When this happened to me - I naively decided - that the density of the dough (in one direction or another) can be changed by adding eggs or flour ...

But in fact - these innovations in the recipe - will only spoil the whole dough. And it will have to be thrown away.

You need to solve the problem this way.

If the dough is thick, then in a separate saucepan we make a little of the same dough, but more liquid (that is, put a little more water according to the recipe - boiled flour - laid eggs). And then this batter - mixed with our first too-thick-dough.

If the dough is liquid, then in a separate saucepan we make a little of the same dough, but thicker (that is, pour water and oil according to the recipe, put flour according to the recipe - knead, brew the flour - and this dough (which is still without eggs) - add to our first-too-wet-dough.

RULE FOUR - the baking sheet must be wet.

We spread a baking sheet for buns with a VERY THIN LAYER of butter (vegetable or butter) - a thick layer of butter - will give a thick crust at the bottom, which will be difficult to tear off from the baking sheet.

Therefore, it is better to bake them on a silicone mat (it does not need to be lubricated with anything).

Be sure to sprinkle the baking sheet generously with water. I just pour water on it - and then shake off the water from the pan ... And small droplets remain clinging to the oil.

These same droplets will give us the right humidity inside the oven. And then our buns will rise more amicably.

How to spread the custard dough on a baking sheet.

Put the dough on a baking sheet

Or a spoon (soaked in water) ...
or a confectionery syringe with a large nozzle ...
or through an ordinary plastic bag with a hole cut in it ...
or twist a bag of plain paper ...
For profiteroles, it’s better with a spoon - you get a perfect circle (if something is smeared, correct with a wet finger). Or a wide nozzle without a pattern.

Choux pastry SHOULD BE DONE - IN SMALL PORTIONS

Round - no more than a teaspoon ...

Long - no more than two teaspoons in volume.

Otherwise, it will not rise - too much dough is difficult to rise.

The distance between the laid out portions of choux pastry should be at least 2 centimeters.

After baking - eclairs laid out with a spoon will look like round pot-bellied buns.
If long custard cakes - then with a syringe. If the nozzle of the syringe is thin, then you can simply squeeze a few sausages nearby (one on top of the other) - and we will end up with a sausage of the thickness we need.
RULE FIVE - do not let the choux pastry lie on the baking sheet for a long time.

If the balls of custard dough pressed onto a baking sheet are not immediately placed in the oven, then on their surface moisture will begin to evaporate very quickly from the dough - and an unnecessary crust will form on top of the dough. And then our eclairs (or profiteroles) will not rise.

RULE SIX - there must be hot humidity in the oven.

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees.

We put our baking sheet with custard eclairs and cakes.

And now we will create additional steam for the oven. To do this, pour some water on the bottom of the mug ... and plop it right on the hot bottom of the oven

(not on the flame itself, of course ... otherwise it will go out) but on the hot walls or bottom of the oven ...

So our custard profiteroles will certainly rise ...

RULE SEVEN - do not open the oven (until they are baked).

You ask, how do we know that they have already been baked ... if we do not open and look.

Small custard buns or cakes… bake for 20 minutes. Until golden brown appears.

If 20 minutes have passed - you opened the oven - and your profiteroles have not yet been baked (puffed up but pale). That is, it is likely that in such a pale form - they will fall off very much - they will be blown away. (if they are not baked until cooked). Then you can do this...

When you look into the oven - keep a cup ready with a small amount of water at the bottom ... In the event that you see that the buns are still damp and you need to let them bake more ... we plop this water on the bottom of the oven (give it to the park) and quickly we close the oven (without turning it off) - thus we give the buns time to bake to a ruddy state - and not fall off due to our premature intrusion into their steam bath.

I.e…

While you were poking the buns with a match and assessing their degree of readiness, precious steam escaped from the oven. And we run the risk of getting DEFLATED Eclairs with him ..

Therefore, they looked ... they decided that they were still undercooked ... they flopped some water and closed it ..

So there is less chance that our custard buns will be blown away.

AFTER YOU DECIDE - that the eclairs are already baked. We turn off the oven. We slightly open it - but we do not immediately take out our custard buns. And we give them to lie down and get used to the new temperature ... 5 minutes.

These are the 7 rules - understanding that you will always MAKE YOUR DOUGH and the right consistency, and the right conditions for the perfect BLOODING of cakes or eclairs.

Let the choux pastry feel your LOVE, CARE ... and trust the hands of a professional.))

Good afternoon, today I made an article that will help a BEGINNER hostess make perfect custard eclairs or cakes the first time. I will tell you how to make custard dough according to the recipe.

Choux pastry has a very simple recipe (the easiest of all that can be).

But despite the simplicity of the recipe if you don't know 7 important rules you may not be able to do anything. This is exactly what happened to me: I threw my first custard eclairs into the trash (they didn’t rise, they didn’t swell, they lay on the baking sheet with dead cakes - then I burst into tears).

And when the wounds on my sensitive culinary soul healed, with renewed vigor and faith in success, I began to scour the forums and articles and eventually found THAT INFORMATION that is not often written in choux pastry recipes. But without which it is impossible to bake the correct puffy eclairs and profiteroles.

So that you get EVERYTHING ALREADY FROM THE FIRST EXPERIENCE.

So... let's start in order.

What is custard dough?

This is a dough that, when baked, gives an airy, tender, crispy bun. with emptiness inside.

Air bubbles inside these buns are obtained from that the dough contains a lot of water. In a hot oven, water begins to actively evaporate, and the oil that is part of the dough does not allow air to pass freely through the pores of the dough, and water vapor pressure from inside the bun inflates it like a balloon.

And this very void in a custard ball-eclair or cake is filled with a variety of fillings: condensed milk, cream, curd paste, fruit jam.

Choux pastry can be made even by the most novice cook. But for this he will need not just a recipe.

But also some important nuances of baking, without knowing which custard buns or profiteroles may not turn out as airy as you want.

Now you will know all the secrets of custard dough ...

And then you can bake delicious profiteroles with chocolate (first photo) and custard cheesecakes with raspberries (second photo).

So, let's prepare this choux pastry. And we will reveal all its secrets.

• First I'll give you the recipe (a classic step by step choux pastry recipe)
• And then I will explain in great detail WHAT MISTAKES SHOULD NOT BE MADE in the very work of preparing this dough.

Dough recipe..

(proportions for 40 small buns)

• 1 glass water + 100g butter - melt.
• Without removing from the fire - pour the sifted flour there ( 1 glass, i.e. 160 grams)
• We brew this flour in hot water with butter (stirring with a spoon or mixer)
• Adding eggs 3-4 pieces. And knead again.
• We spread the dough with a spoon or pastry syringe on a greased baking sheet and bake.

EVERYTHING IS SIMPLE.

But only for those. who knows BASIC RULES FOR PREPARING THIS TEST.

Important rules -

for the custard recipe.

Let's now go through our recipe - step by step - and deal with each rule.

At first it's simple...

Pour water into a saucepan ... put oil in it and bring it all to a boil.

RULE ONE - do not let the water boil for a long time ...

Sometimes it happens that your water with oil already boiled... and you were distracted and she continues to gurgle b…

Because of this, she may partially evaporate from the boil... and liquids in a saucepan will become less. And the proportions of dry and liquid will be violated. As a result, choux pastry will turn out thicker than necessary.

RULE TWO - flour should boil instantly ...

While the liquid is heating up, we will prepare the "flour landing". Namely "landing" - because the landing of troops is always instant and lightning fast. This is how it should happen with our flour.

The first time I made choux pastry, I made a mistake - I poured the flour out of the glass too slowly. Because she really slowly gets enough sleep from the glass.

Have to do differently.

• Take a sheet of paper - fold it in half. To have a fold line.
• Pour our (already sifted) flour onto this sheet.
• In this flour - add sugar (for sweet dough) ... or salt (for salty dough).
• And when the mixture of water and oil boils in our pan, reduce the heat ... and ...
• We take our sheet - by the edges, so that it bent in the fold line, and all the flour was ready for instant pouring from the sheet.
• We bring a sheet of flour to the pan - in the second hand immediately take a spoon(wooden spatula... or mixer)
• Pour flour into boiling oily water - in one movement - shukh and immediately ( at the same second) stir quickly, quickly (the sheet was thrown aside, they grabbed the handle of the pan with one hand and quickly mixed all the flour into the water.

The brewed flour must be well BOILED.

Quickly rolled flour must boil down. This takes time. They poured flour, mixed it with boiling water and without removing the pan from the fire (unless the fire was reduced) - we knead it right in the pan. Then we smear it with a spoon along the bottom of the pan - then we collect it in someone - then we smear it again - again in a lump. To dough boiled on all sides. After 2 minutes, it will already boil well.

And it will become a soft homogeneous lump.

RULE THREE - the temperature of the custard dough and the size of the eggs matter.

Now, after the flour has boiled, and the pan is removed from the heat, you need to drive the eggs into it. But not at once- the dough should not be very hot (so that the eggs do not bake in it) - it is better to stick your finger into the custard dough: if the temperature is tolerable for you, then the eggs will not “burn”.

If the dough cool down completely before adding eggs that's bad too. It then becomes slimy. And then we will not be able to bring it to a meaty-creamy texture.

It may turn out that the size of the eggs will violate the proportion of liquid / dryness, and the dough will turn out to be too liquid.

Therefore, we drive the eggs into a separate bowl. And we beat it there.

And then we start little by little add the egg mixture into custard dough.

Added and stirred. Added and stirred-kneaded ..

Until the dough is we need consistency (that is, sometimes part of the egg mixture is still in the mug ... and the dough has already become as it should ... it means that you don’t need to add more egg mixture - that’s enough).

And here there is one more moment. According to my observations, this is how it turns out. If you stir the custard dough with a wooden spoon, then more eggs are required. And if the mixer - then less. The fact is that the mixer stirs the dough too much and intensively, and it becomes more liquid and fluid from mixer whipping, and therefore requires fewer eggs.

You will see for yourself when it is enough to add eggs to our choux pastry. See the consistency.

What does the RIGHT consistency of choux pastry look like.

The desired consistency looks like homogeneous glossy paste. Which keeps its shape for some time. You yourself will already see by the contents of your pan: here you mix the custard dough with a spoon, and divorce patterns in a saucepan (traces of stirring) how frozen ones hold their shape(photo above).

Or you can check like this: I scoop the dough out of the pan with my finger, and if the scooped up liquid piece retains its shape (like toothpaste on a toothbrush), sticking out test tuft up and does not fall, then the dough is as it should be.

Due to this property, the custard dough, when laid out on a baking sheet, completely keeps its shape and pattern (if the syringe had a patterned nozzle).

And after baking, such an eclair will retain its patterned surface.

What to do if the dough turned out too thick or too liquid?

When this happened to me, I naively decided that the density of the dough (in one direction or another) can be changed by adding eggs or flour.

But in fact, these innovations in the recipe will only spoil the whole dough. And it will have to be thrown away.

You need to solve the problem this way.

If the dough is thick, then in a separate saucepan we make a little of the same dough, but more liquid (that is, put a little more water according to the recipe - boiled flour - laid eggs). And then this batter was mixed with our first too-thick-dough.

If the dough is liquid, then in a separate saucepan we make a little of the same dough, but thicker. That is, pour water and oil according to the recipe, put the flour according to the recipe - knead and brew the flour. And now we add this dough (which is still without eggs) to our first too liquid dough.

When laying out the dough on a baking sheet, there is another useful rule ...

RULE FOUR - the baking sheet must be wet.

We spread a baking sheet for buns with a VERY THIN LAYER of oil (vegetable or butter) - a thick layer of oil will give a thick crust at the bottom, which will be difficult to tear off the baking sheet.

Therefore, it is better to bake them on a silicone mat (it does not need to be lubricated with anything).

Be sure to sprinkle the baking sheet generously with water. I just pour water on it and then shake the water off the pan. And small droplets remain clinging to the oil.

These same droplets will give us the right humidity inside the oven. And then our buns will rise more amicably.

How to spread the custard dough on a baking sheet.

Put the dough on a baking sheet

• or a spoon (soaked in water).
• or a confectionery syringe with a large nozzle.
• or through a regular plastic bag with a hole cut in it.
• or twist a bag of plain paper.

For profiteroles, it’s better with a spoon - you get a perfect circle (if something is smeared, correct with a wet finger). Or a wide nozzle without a pattern.

Choux pastry MUST BE LOWER IN SMALL PORTIONS

Round - no more than a teaspoon.

Long - no more than two teaspoons by volume.

Otherwise, it will not rise - too much dough is difficult to rise.

Distance between servings custard dough - should be at least 2 centimeters. After baking - eclairs laid out with a spoon will look like round pot-bellied buns.

If long custard cakes - then with a syringe. If the nozzle of the syringe is thin, then you can simply squeeze several sausages next to each other (one on top of the other), and we will end up with a sausage of the thickness we need.

RULE FIVE - do not let the choux pastry lie on the baking sheet for a long time.

If the balls of custard dough pressed onto a baking sheet are not immediately placed in the oven, then moisture will begin to evaporate from the dough, and on top of the dough an unnecessary crust is formed. And then our eclairs (or profiteroles) will not rise.

RULE SIX - there must be hot humidity in the oven.

Preheating the oven up to 180 degrees.

We put our baking sheet with custard eclairs and cakes.

And now we will create an additional steam for the oven. To do this, pour water on the bottom of the mug and plop it directly on the hot bottom of the oven. Not on the flame itself, of course, otherwise it will go out, but on the hot walls or bottom of the oven. So our custard profiteroles will certainly rise.

RULE SEVEN - do not open the oven (until they are baked).

You ask, how do we know that they have already been baked if we do not open and look.

Small custard buns or cakes are baked 20 minutes. Until golden brown appears.

If a 20 minutes have passed, you opened the oven, and your profiteroles not yet baked(puffed up but pale), that is, it is likely that in such a pale form they will fall off - they will be blown away. Then you can do this...

When you look into the oven keep a cup ready with a little water at the bottom. In the event that you see that the buns are still damp, and you need to let them bake more ... we plop this water on the bottom of the oven (give it to the park) and quickly close the oven(without turning it off) - thus we give the buns time to bake until golden brown and not fall because of our premature intrusion into their steam bath.

I.e…

While you were poking the buns with a match and assessing their degree of readiness, precious steam escaped from the oven. And we run the risk of getting DEFLATED Eclairs with him ..

Therefore, they looked ... they decided that they were still undercooked ... they flopped some water and closed it ..

So there is less chance that our custard buns will be blown away.

AFTER YOU HAVE DECIDED that the eclairs are already baked. We turn off the oven. We slightly open it, but we do not immediately take out our custard buns. Let's let them rest and get used to the new temperature 5 minutes.

These are the 7 rules - understanding that you will always MAKE YOUR DOUGH and the right consistency, and the right conditions for the perfect BLOODING of cakes or eclairs.

Let the choux pastry feel your LOVE, CARE and trust the hands of a professional.))

Well, in our next article we will do Cake SWANS - from custard dough. Recipe for beginners.

Good luck with your baking.

Olga Klishevskaya, specially for the site

Profiteroles, eclairs, choux buns are made from light, airy, crispy choux pastry. Such a dough rises in the oven, increasing in volume several times.

Custards become airy due to the large amount of water in the dough. When steam is formed inside the dough, it rises high up. A large cavity appears inside the products, which is filled with various fillings, creams. Custard cakes have a smooth shiny surface. Choux pastry is also used to make donuts, which are fried in a large amount of oil.

Choux pastry - general principles and methods of preparation

To prepare such a dough, you do not need to have any long experience. It does not roll out and does not knead by hand. Profiteroles can be spooned onto the roasting pan or squeezed out with a piping bag. To make the dough successful, you need to know only two rules:

- the dough must have a certain temperature - about 70-80 degrees to be hot enough, but not to fold the eggs;
Eggs must be warmed to at least room temperature before being introduced.

Before baking, the dough is reheated, or "boiled". In addition to flour, the composition of the dough includes water, butter, margarine, eggs. The number of eggs is selected depending on the amount of flour. It is due to the eggs that the dough becomes loose, rises and is filled with air. Do not add too much sugar to the dough so that it does not caramelize during heating.

Choux pastry - the best recipes:

Choux pastry for cheese eclairs

This is a quick recipe for yeast-free choux pastry. Whoever dares to try it will not be able to remain indifferent to unusual eclairs cooked with cheese and hot peppers (with unsweetened fillings). You can choose any fillings - meat, sweet, cream or vegetable. Fry or bake eclairs in the oven - this is just an incomparable version of choux pastry.

Ingredients: water (250 grams), salt, butter (100 grams, you can take margarine), flour (200 grams), hard cheese (150 grams), paprika (1 tsp), cumin, eggs (5 pieces).

Cooking method:
The usual custard dough begins with the dissolution of butter in water. Pour the flour into the boiling liquid and mix thoroughly. Remove fire and cool. We drive in the eggs one at a time, kneading well after each, rub the cheese into the finished dough and pour in the paprika. If you turn on the fantasy, you can add dried herbs. Fans of spicy, can add ground or hot pepper instead of paprika. The amount of cheese is also arbitrary. But it is simply impossible to spoil eclairs with cheese.

Put the dough on a baking sheet using a pastry bag. The easiest option is to use a regular spoon dipped in water. Sprinkle with cumin and coarse salt. Bake at 220 degrees until golden brown. The main rule when baking is not to open the oven for 10-15 minutes. If the temperature in the oven is too high, the products will first swell, and then they may fall off. If the temperature is too low, cakes do not rise well. Put a little water on the bottom of the oven - then the dough will rise higher.

Choux pastry for cakes with whipped cream

According to this recipe, you can get 12-14 blanks for cakes very quickly. It's easy to fill them with whipped egg whites and sprinkle them with nuts, for example.

Ingredients: butter (50 grams), water (250 grams), salt, flour (150 grams), eggs (4 pcs.).

Cooking method:
We heat water in a saucepan, add salt and butter, heat it up, without bringing the liquid to a boil. We immediately pour all the flour into the pan right on the fire. Stir with a whisk until a lump forms. Knead the dense dough in a lump in a circle for another 2 minutes, as a result, it should separate well from the walls of the pan. Transfer it to a bowl and break the eggs one at a time. Mix the dough, stir it in a circle for 5 minutes. It should be smooth and creamy. Ideally, the custard dough is homogeneous, shiny, and falls off the whisk in long pieces. In a preheated oven to a temperature of 200 degrees, lay out the cakes of the desired shape at a distance so that when baking they do not connect, changing the volume. Bake 30-35 minutes.

Choux pastry for donuts

Delicious tender donuts are fried in a large amount of fat. You will not even have time to fry them, as they will be solemnly eaten by your family.

Ingredients: a glass of water, butter (80 grams), eggs (4 pieces), salt, flour (1 cup), oil for frying.
Cream: 1 cup milk, sugar (0.5 cups), butter (150 grams), vanilla, egg.

Cooking method:
We select suitable dishes and heat the oil in water to about 70-80 degrees, add salt. Remove from heat, stir with a spoon. Put back on the fire, stir the dough until it begins to lag behind the bottom and walls of the pan. Remove from heat, cool slightly and beat in the eggs one at a time until it is smooth and shiny. Heat up oil for frying. Drop the dough into the boiling oil with a teaspoon. There should be a lot of oil, it is desirable that the pieces of dough float and sink in it.

Cream: dissolve the egg in a small saucepan, rub it with sugar and flour. Dilute milk, put on fire. Stirring, cook until thickened, cool and beat with butter. The temperature should not be lower than room temperature. Let the donuts cool, cut and decorate with cream.

— For choux pastry, the quality of the eggs is very important. To make sure they are fresh, you can conduct a test: dip the egg into a glass of water. A stale egg will not stay at the bottom of the glass, but will float up. Eggs that pop up blunt end up should not be used at all.

- Choux pastry does not need to be kneaded with a mixer or combine - if you get carried away too much, it will not be able to rise. The dough should not be thick or runny so that it rises well in the oven, it should double in size.

- Softer and lighter products are obtained from flour with a reduced gluten content.

- Butter can be replaced with margarine or concentrated fats, but it is better, of course, to use natural ingredients. Butter helps cakes rise while baking in the oven.

What are your favorite pastries from childhood? I am sure that the majority will answer: eclairs! Of course, who doesn't like light, crispy cakes with a delicate cream inside, covered with a shiny icing? Yummy, and more!

Eclairs are French pastries that have been widely known throughout the world since the late nineteenth century. They are elongated choux pastry pies with a light cream inside.

Ideal eclairs should be smooth, even and uniform, 10 to 14 cm long.

Many do not dare to cook them at home, but prefer to buy ready-made in the store. It seems that such a delicious dessert and the recipe should be complex, multi-stage, with a long list of ingredients. In reality, however, it turns out to be just the opposite.

The ingredients are very affordable, which can be found in any refrigerator, and the cooking method is quite simple if you follow the instructions clearly. Believe in yourself and be sure to try to cook. I think that the result will exceed all your expectations!

The main rules for preparing dough for eclairs

Proper eclairs are made only from choux pastry. What is it really? The basic principle is that a mixture of flour with butter and water is “brewed” and then, after cooling slightly, the eggs are added. The result is a sticky, thick dough that does not spread, so to speak, keeps its shape.

The increase in dough volume occurs due to the formation of steam inside the eclairs during baking at high temperatures.

Proper cakes do not tear, because they are made only from 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 for choux pastry for eclairs step by step:

Choux pastry for eclairs: a recipe according to GOST step by step

The recipe is for 20 cakes. Please note that water for cooking must be measured in grams, and not, as usual, in milliliters.

Ingredients:

• wheat flour - 200 g;
• large chicken eggs - 5 pcs. (or 6 pieces of medium size);
• butter - 100 g;
• pure water - 180 g;
• table salt - a pinch.

Cooking time: 1 hour 10 minutes.

Calories per 100 grams: 210 kcal.

How to cook:

1. In a saucepan, bring to a boil a mixture of chopped butter, water and salt;
2. Sift the flour carefully. It is desirable a couple of times so that the pastries turn out to be airy and lush;
3. Pour the flour into the pan and mix thoroughly with a spoon or culinary spatula;
4. The dough will begin to brew and stick together in one lump. Let it brew well, continuing to stir quickly right on the burner;
5. Transfer to a bowl and let cool;
6. Beat eggs in a separate bowl;
7. Add them gradually to the dough, gently kneading it with a spatula or using a mixer;
8. Line a baking sheet with cooking paper;
9. Using a culinary bag or a regular plastic bag, squeeze the dough onto a baking sheet in the form of sticks about 12 cm long and 18 mm in diameter (it can also be in the form of circles, then you will get round eclairs-balls);
10. Bake in a preheated oven, first 10 minutes at 220°C, then another 25 minutes at 180°C;
11. Prepare your favorite cream and fondant, fill and decorate eclairs according to your own preferences.

How to cook lean custard dough for eclairs

If you adhere to a vegetarian diet and exclude animal fats from your diet, then this is not a reason to deny yourself such wonderful and delicious desserts as eclairs.

The following recipe is just for you: it does not contain eggs, milk and butter!

Ingredients:

• 2 stack flour;
• 2 table. tablespoons of vegetable oil;
• 1 stack boiling water;
• salt.

Cooking time: 65 minutes.

Calories per 100 grams: 198 kcal.

How to cook:

1. Mix flour with salt, fold it into a slide and make a recess in the middle;
2. Pour boiling water and vegetable oil into the center of the deepening;
3. Mix the dough slightly and leave to cool until warm;
4. Now you can knead it with your hands until a homogeneous consistency, it will take about 10 minutes;
5. Let the dough rest for 25 minutes;
6. Knead lightly again for a couple of minutes;
7. Everything, lean dough for eclairs is ready, you can sculpt cakes from it and bake them as usual.

How to make choux pastry for eclairs with milk and dry yeast

Choux pastry does not tolerate experiments with the composition and preparation steps. However, you can try to cook another version of it, time-tested. Here the water will be replaced by milk and dry yeast, and the result is almost better.

Keep in mind when you start directly baking that milk gives products a darker color.

Therefore, make sure that the ruddy color of the eclairs does not confuse you, and they are well baked.

Ingredients:

• 200 g of premium flour;
• 200 g cow's milk;
• 4 medium chicken eggs;
• 70 g plums. oils;
• 10 g dry yeast;
• 20 ml of water;
• salt and sugar - a pinch each.

Cooking time: 2 hours.

Calories per 100 grams: 285 kcal.

How to cook:

1. Boil the milk and pour the sifted flour into it;
2. Beat the resulting mixture with a mixer until a homogeneous consistency;
3. Melt butter;
4. Dissolve dry yeast in warm water and mix it with sugar, add to the custard mass;
5. Beat the eggs thoroughly until a dense foam forms;
6. Eggs should be poured in a little bit to the main dough, constantly stirring;
7. Salt, add oil and mix again until a viscous state of fatty sour cream;
8. It is better to let the dough rise for one hour, then form sticks out of it and bake for 30 minutes in a hot oven at 200 ° C.

How to form and what to bake eclairs from choux pastry

Eclairs are easiest to shape using a pastry bag. You can use a variety of nozzles, especially beautiful eclairs are obtained using nozzles "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 will fill it evenly, without voids, and you will not stain anything.

If you don't have a pastry bag yet, you can use a regular plastic bag by 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, obliquely, diagonally. The preferred length is 10-14 cm. Try to leave a sufficient distance between them, at least 3 cm, because they will increase in size during baking.

To make the eclairs the same size, you can make some kind of marks on the baking sheet for your convenience using a ruler and flour.

The best fillings for 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 ones are caramel, pistachio, coconut. But everyone has the right to choose their favorite, especially since there is where to turn around!

Eclairs are filled with cream using a pastry syringe.

If you don’t have one, you can simply cut the cake carefully from the edge and put the filling in with a spoon.

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:

1. Add sugar to milk and bring to a boil. Check that the sugar is completely dissolved;
2. Allow the resulting mixture to cool slightly;
3. Mix the flour with all the eggs and powdered sugar, add to the sugar-milk mixture;
4. Put on fire and stir;
5. Cook until the cream thickens. Make sure that it does not boil at the same time;
6. Cool, add soft butter and beat with a mixer into a fluffy mass;
7. You can play with the flavors of the cream by adding vanillin, vanilla essence, citrus zest or cocoa powder if desired.

Ingredients:

• 200 g of cottage cheese;
• 1 stack granulated sugar;
• 200 ml cream;
• 1 sachet of vanilla sugar.

Cooking time: 20 min.

Calories per 100 grams: 112 kcal.

How to cook:

1. Mix low-fat cottage cheese with granulated sugar by hand with a fork or spoon, and then beat with a mixer or blender;
2. Pour in vanilla sugar and pour in the cream, beat thoroughly again;
3. Delicate and airy cream is ready. Very simple and fast!

How to make chocolate frosting

Glaze is applied to eclairs , while it is still warm. It is convenient to spread it with a culinary brush. There is another way: gently prick the bottom of the cake with a fork and dip its top into the liquid glaze.

By adding butter, the glaze according to this recipe becomes smooth and shiny after hardening.

Top glaze can be sprinkled with nuts, confectionery powder, pour caramel, decorate with fresh berries or fruits, mint leaves, chocolate figures.

Ingredients:

• 4 table. spoons of milk;
• 100 g butter;
• 4 table. spoons of cocoa;
• 150 g sugar.

Cooking time: 20 min.

Calories per 100 grams: 442 kcal.

Recipe step by step:

1. Mix milk with sugar and cocoa powder in a suitable container;
2. Put on fire;
3. When sugar dissolves, add butter;
4. Cook until thickened, stirring constantly and making sure that the glaze does not burn.

And the main advice: cook with love and in a good mood, then you will definitely get an elegant delicious dessert at the level of the famous French pastry shops!

Another recipe for custard dough is very clearly shown in the following video.

An unusual and interesting type of dough is custard, which seems to be prepared from simple ingredients.

Despite this, not every hostess decides to cook it on her own, often buying ready-made delicacies. Meanwhile, homemade cakes are much tastier! Thanks to our article, you will be able to cook incredibly delicious pastries from custard text.

Delicious dough from the French

Choux pastry- a unique type of dough that does not need to be left for a long time in order to knead later. It is boiled with continuous stirring, and then baked in the oven. The completion of such a creation is chic buns, empty inside, and therefore you can add any filling to them.

Although no documented fact has been found, it is generally accepted that they came up with a recipe for such a test in France. According to one of the legends, its creator is the personal chef of the famous Catherine de Medici.

Unrivaled French custard eclairs cooks all over the world immediately liked it, and therefore no one began to deal with the prescription origin. If you delve into history, you can see that choux pastry baked since ancient times in Russia. The only difference was that the Russians did not prepare such a refined dish with the most delicate cream from the dough.

This dough is almost impossible to spoil and make it very tough. It does not need to be rolled out - the products are formed with a culinary syringe directly onto a baking sheet.

Choux pastry - general principles of cooking

You don't need much experience to prepare the dough. Wonderful profiteroles are laid out with a spoon and are prepared very quickly. To choux pastry has become absolutely ideal, it is worth adhering to several principles:

• the dough is hot with a temperature of about 80 gr, but so that the egg does not curl;
• before adding to the mixture, the eggs should be preheated to room temperature.

Before baking, the mixture is boiled, and it consists of flour, water, eggs, butter and margarine. The number of eggs varies depending on the amount of flour, because with their help the dough becomes loose and airy.

Classic custard recipe

The easiest cooking recipe is next.

1. 50-100 g of butter is dissolved in 200 ml of boiling water, and then add half a teaspoon of salt there. If the mixture begins to boil strongly, you need to start adding a glass of flour to it little by little, constantly stirring the mass with a wooden spatula or spoon. Choux pastry should be homogeneous and perfectly separated from the walls. If there is a desire, water is replaced with milk, but only diluted with water (1: 1). It is allowed to add half a spoon of sugar to the mixture.
2. After a couple of minutes of the process, the dough is removed from the heat. and cooled for five minutes, and then raw eggs are introduced there in turn. In this case, the dough is thoroughly mixed. As a result, you should get a stretchy, shiny, dense consistency of the mixture, which will not tear when unfolded. To prepare a serving, you will need about five eggs (it all depends on their size).
3. Then, on the prepared parchment, smeared with vegetable oil, custard dough is laid out in any form. You can make peas of the same size, while retreating between them about half of its size, since the dough will be doubled during baking. If you need buns, then the dough is formed in the form of a "sausage".
4. The tray is sent to prepared oven for 30 to 50 minutes at a temperature of 180-200 gr. Products in finished form should become golden and hollow inside.

Choux pastry - pastry filling ideas (stuffing)

Finished products from choux pastry need to be filled oily cream, fruit, jam, sour cream with sugar. In addition, famous chefs use an interesting mixture of whipped cream, cane sugar, and cottage cheese as a filling. It becomes creamy and smooth.

When you want to get a more satisfying filling, you can fill the products with fish paste or grated cheese, with garlic and mayonnaise. You need to start such baking immediately either through a hole or through a small incision. If you need to fill the products later, for example, before the arrival of guests, they can be put in a bag and stored in a cool place.

So, choux pastry is an ideal basis for delicious dishes in the form of baking dumplings, pies and pasties. It's easy to make and requires very few ingredients! Try to cook something from custard dough, and it will become your favorite!