Eclairs may be the perfect dessert. A harmonious blend of buttery choux pastry, refreshingly chilled filling, and smooth chocolate. They’re decadent without being too rich. Fancy without being inaccessible to amateur bakers. By using Organic All-Purpose Einkorn Flour, you can have your cake and easily digest it, too!
Making a dessert like this may seem daunting, but if you break it down step by step, we think everyone can nail this recipe. Whether you’re making them for a relaxing night in or taking them to a party, these eclairs will hit the proverbial spot–every time.
Instructions
Pastry Cream
Begin by making your pastry cream, so it can chill in the fridge before you make the other elements. Make sure you give the cream plenty of time to chill correctly. If you try to use your pastry cream early, you’ll end up with a soupy mess.
Over low heat, combine the milk and half of the sugar in a medium saucepan and wait for the sugar to dissolve. Meanwhile, mix the remaining sugar with cornstarch in a medium bowl. Whisk in the egg yolks.
Slowly pour the scalded milk over the egg mixture–making sure to whisk constantly. If you don’t, you’ll probably end up with something like scrambled egg floating around your cream, which is not very appetizing. Once they are combined, return the mixture to the saucepan over medium heat. Whisk constantly until it thickens. This will go slowly at first but watch it, because once it starts to thicken it will reach the custard stage quickly. Once it has, add the butter and vanilla.
Pour the completed cream onto a plastic lined baking sheet in an even layer to chill in the fridge for at least two hours. This step could be made quite a while in advance, if you want to take some of the pressure off later. Once you are ready to assemble, place the cream into a piping bag with a medium circular tip.
Pate a choux
Next you are going to make the pastry. After preheating your oven to 375F, combine the water, butter, and salt in a medium saucepan over low heat until the butter is melted. Add in all of your flour and mix with a wooden spoon. A wooden spoon is preferable, because it won’t heat up like a metal spoon and is easier to hold onto while you stir your dough.
Increase the heat to medium and stir constantly until you notice a starchy film developing on the bottom and sides of the saucepan. This can be quite a vigorous arm workout, so pace yourself. Once you see the film, transfer the dough into a stand mixer with the paddle attachment and mix until it’s no longer steaming and has cooled to 120F.
Add your eggs one at a time, scraping the sides after a couple, and mix until fully incorporated. When the dough starts looking like wet brownie batter, stop adding eggs and test the dough by dipping in the paddle. You’re looking for a smooth and shiny consistency that doesn’t fall right off the paddle. It should keep its shape while being moist. Pro tip: when the consistency is right, it will slowly fall off a spoon or paddle, creating a ‘v’ shape in the air.
Once the desired consistency is reached, transfer half to a piping bag with a large circular tip. Pipe straight lines onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Leave about an inch in between, because they will puff up in the oven. Repeat with the other half of the dough. If you want, you can put an egg wash on them before baking to make the exterior shiny. It’s not necessary and keep in mind that they will have chocolate on top.
Bake the eclairs for 40 minutes until they are golden brown and the interior cracks don’t look wet. Let them cool completely before filling them with cream.
Chocolate Ganache
For the ganache, chop the chocolate up into small pieces and place in a microwave safe bowl. A double boiler would also work. Pour the cream over the chocolate and microwave in 30 second bursts, stirring in between, until the chocolate is melted and smooth. This should only take a minute or so. Don’t overdo it. Also, take care that no water comes into contact with your melting chocolate. Chocolate and water are enemies. A single drop will cause your chocolate to seize in a chunky lump. Once it’s smooth, add in the butter.
Assembly
To assemble your eclairs, use a medium circular piping tip to cut a hole in the bottom of each pastry. Place the tip of the piping bag containing the cream into the eclair. Slowly fill it with cream. You should feel the eclair filling up in your hand. Be careful not to overfill–you don’t want the cream falling out the bottom or bursting out the sides when you take a bite…or maybe you do.
Once they are filled, you can put chocolate on the top by either dipping the top into the ganache or using a spoon. The chocolate should look smooth and shiny as it sets. If the ganache starts to stiffen in the bowl, microwave it for just 10 seconds. It should loosen right up.
Once all of your eclairs are filled with cream and topped with chocolate, they are ready to serve. Plate them how you will or just eat them right off the pan. Enjoy!
You can purchase our Organic All-Purpose Einkorn Flour on our online store.
Einkorn Eclairs
Ingredients
Pate a chox:
- 3 1/4 cup Einkorn AP Flour
- 2 1/3 cup Water
- 1 tsp Salt
- 17 Tbsp Butter 2 sticks plus 1 Tablespoon
- 12 Whole Eggs medium
Pastry Cream:
- 2 cup Whole milk
- 1/2 cup Cane Sugar divided
- 2 Egg yolks
- 2 Whole eggs
- 4 Tbsp Cornstarch
- 2 Tbsp Unsalted butter
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract
Chocolate Ganache:
- 1/2 cup Heavy cream
- 4 oz Semi-sweet chocolate 1 cup chocolate chips
- 1 Tbsp Butter
Instructions
Pastry Cream
- Start with the pastry cream as it needs 2 hours to chill after being made.
- Combine the milk and half of the sugar in a medium saucepan. Heat over low heat and scald. The sugar will be dissolved in the milk.
- In a medium bowl whisk together the cornstarch and the remaining sugar. Add the eggs and egg yolks. Whisk well to combine.
- Slowly add the scalded milk to the eggs, whisking constantly. Return the egg mixture to the saucepan and heat over medium. Again, whisking constantly until the mixture thickens into a custard. It will take a bit and then turn quickly. Remove from the heat and continue whisking.
- Add the vanilla extract and butter. Whisk until fully combined.
- Pour the custard onto a plastic wrap lined baking sheet and spread out evenly. Cover with another layer of plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming. Place in the refrigerator a minimum of 2 hours before transferring to a piping bag with a medium circular tip.
Pate a choux
- Preheat the oven to 375F.
- In a medium saucepan combine the water, butter, and salt. Heat over low heat until the butter is melted.
- Add the flour all at once and begin to stir with a wooden spoon. Stir until no dry spots remain and lumps are minimal. The dough will begin to pull away from the walls of the saucepan.
- Increase the heat to medium and continue to stir constantly until a starchy film starts to form on the bottom and sides of the saucepan.
- Transfer the dough to a stand mixer bowl fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on low until the steam dissipates and the dough has cooled to 120F.
- Add the eggs one at a time on low speed and allow them to incorporate fully before adding the next. Scrape the sides of the bowl and the paddle after a few eggs. Once the dough begins to look like a wet brownie batter, stop adding eggs and test.
- Test the dough by dipping the paddle into the dough and pulling it out. It should look smooth, shiny, and not fall off the paddle. It should retain its shape while being moist.
- Transfer half of the dough to a large pastry bag fitted with a large circular tip. Pipe straight lines onto a parchment lined baking sheet, providing about 1 inch between each.
- Repeat with the remaining dough. Optional: Egg wash the dough before baking (not shown here).
- Bake at 375F for 40 minutes. Pate a choux should be puffy and golden brown, and the interior cracks should not look wet.
- Cool completely before filling.
Chocolate Ganache
- Chop the chocolate into small pieces. Add to a medium bowl and pour heavy cream over the chocolate. Microwave for 30 second intervals, about 1 minute.
- Stir to combine. Once a smooth consistency is achieved, add the butter and stir until combined.
Assemble
- Use a medium circular piping tip to remove a hole from the bottom of the eclair.
- Place the tip of the piping bag containing the pastry cream into the eclair and gently fill with cream. You can feel the eclair filling in your hand. Careful not to over fill.
- Dip the eclair in chocolate, top side down or spread over the top using a spoon.
- Allow to set for a few minutes and the chocolate will become shiny.
Can this be made dairy free using almond milk?
Hello Sally,
That’s a great question. We haven’t tested that so I can’t say for sure, but it would be worth a try!