Rose's Baking Basics

Cream Puffs, Profiteroles, and Éclairs

Makes Twenty-four 2 inch cream puffs or eight 4 inch long éclairs

Oven Temperature: 425°F/220°C, then 350°F/175°C

Baking Time: 25 to 30 minutes for cream puffs or 35 to 40 minutes for éclairs, oven off and ajar for 10 minutes, then oven closed for 1½ hours

Baking Equipment: One 15 by 12 inch cookie sheet or an inverted 17¼ by 12¼ by 1 inch half-sheet pan, lined with parchment or coated with vegetable shortening and floured

A pastry bag fitted with ½ inch (#6) plain round pastry tube for the puffs, or ¾ inch (#7) for the éclairs

A wire rack set on a cookie sheet

A disposable pastry bag or a quart-size reclosable freezer bag for the filling

These crisp little pastry balloons or éclairs can be filled with whipped cream, pastry cream, or Chocolate Mousse Ganache. When filled with ice cream and drizzled with warm ganache, they are called “profiteroles.” This dough is unique in that it is cooked on the stovetop before baking.

Makes 324 grams/1⅓ cups

unsalted butter	57 grams	4 tablespoons (½ stick)
bleached all-purpose flour	71 grams	½ cup (lightly spooned into the cup and leveled off) plus 1½ tablespoons
2½ large eggs	125 grams	½ cup (118 ml)
water	118 grams	½ cup (118 ml)
sugar	.	½ teaspoon
fine sea salt	.	a pinch

Preheat the Oven

▪ Thirty minutes or longer before baking, set an oven rack at the middle level. Set the oven at 425ºF/220ºC.

Mise en Place

▪ About 30 minutes ahead, cut the butter into a few pieces and set it on the counter at room temperature (65º to 75ºF/19º to 24ºC).

▪ Sift the flour onto a piece of parchment.

▪ Into a 1 cup measure with a spout, weigh or measure the eggs and lightly beat them.

Make the Dough

1. In a medium saucepan, preferably nonstick, mix together the water, butter, sugar, and salt and bring it to a full rolling boil. Immediately remove the saucepan from the heat and add the flour all at once.

2. Stir with a silicone spatula or wooden spoon until the mixture forms a rounded mass, leaves the sides of the pan, and clings slightly to the spatula.

3. Return the pan to low heat and cook, stirring and mashing continuously, for about 3 minutes to cook the flour.

Food Processor Method

4. Without scraping the pan, transfer the mixture to a food processor. With the feed tube open to allow steam to escape, process for 15 seconds. With the motor running, pour in the eggs all at once and continue processing for 30 seconds. If necessary, remove the blade and, using a silicone spatula, mix the pastry to a uniform consistency.

Hand Method

4. Without scraping the pan, empty the mixture into a bowl. Add the eggs in four parts, beating vigorously with a wooden spoon after each addition.

Both Methods

5. The dough will be smooth and shiny, and should be too soft to hold peaks when lifted with a spoon. If it is too stiff, add a little extra water. The dough can be stored in an airtight container and refrigerated overnight or up to 2 days. Beat the mixture lightly with a wooden spoon before piping.

6. If using parchment, dab a small dot of the dough in each corner of the cookie sheet, under the parchment, and press it lightly to affix it. This will hold it in place while you pipe.

to Shape Puffs

7. Scrape the cream puff dough into the pastry bag. Pipe 24 puffs, about 1½ inches in diameter and ½ to ¾ inch high (13 grams each), about 1 inch apart. (Alternatively use a teaspoon, lightly coated with nonstick cooking spray, to scoop out the dough. With a fingertip, push the dough off the spoon and onto the cookie sheet.)

8. Dip a fingertip into water and smooth the tops. Spritz or brush the puffs lightly with water.

to Shape Éclairs

7. Pipe eight 4 by 1 inch lengths, ½ to ¾ inch high (about 40 grams each), centered about 3 inches apart, onto the cookie sheet. (If you are using a spoon, use a metal spatula, dipped in water, to spread them into shape, making the ends slightly wider than the centers.)

8. Spritz or brush the éclairs lightly with water. If desired, run the tines of a fork down the length of the tops. This will help the éclairs crack evenly during baking but will result in a wider shape.

Both Puffs and Éclairs

9. If making several batches or if you are not ready to bake the pastries immediately, coat them lightly with nonstick cooking spray and cover lightly with plastic wrap. Refrigerate if not baking within 1 hour.

Bake the Puffs or Éclairs

10. Bake for 10 minutes. To prevent them from collapsing, do not open the oven door. Lower the heat to 350ºF/175ºC and continue baking for 15 to 20 minutes for puffs or 25 to 30 minutes for éclairs, or until golden brown. Turn off the oven.

11. To release the steam from the inside of the pastries: Either make a small slit in the side of each one, or transfer the pastries to a wire rack set on a cookie sheet. Either way, return them to the turned-off oven. Use a wooden spoon covered with foil to prop open the oven door and let the pastries dry in the oven for 10 minutes.

12. Close the oven door and leave the pastries in the turned-off oven for 1½ hours to dry out completely (alternatively continue baking at 200ºF/90ºC for 45 minutes). Test a pastry by cutting it in half horizontally. The dough inside should not be soft to the touch. If it is still soft, let it dry for a little longer.

Cool the Puffs or Éclairs

13. Let the pastries cool completely on a wire rack and then store them in a gallon-size reclosable freezer bag or airtight container until ready to fill.

Fill the Puffs or Éclairs

14. Use a serrated knife to cut each pastry horizontally in half. If using whipped cream, fill shortly before serving. If using Cornstarch-Stabilized Whipped Cream, Chocolate Mousse Ganache, or Pastry Cream, the filled pastries can be refrigerated for up to 2 days.

15. For the cream puffs, use 2 teaspoons of Lightly Sweetened Whipped Cream, Pastry Cream, or Chocolate Mousse Ganache, or a small scoop of ice cream. For the éclairs, use 3 to 3½ tablespoons filling. If using pastry cream, make 1½ times the recipe for the original pastry cream. You will have enough if making the Chiboust cream variation with added whipped cream.

16. If desired, dust the pastries with powdered sugar, or drizzle with Ganache Drizzle Glaze and/or Caramel Glaze. (You can also use a small metal spatula to spread the glaze on top of the éclairs.)

Store unfilled Airtight: room temperature, 1 day; refrigerated, 1 week; frozen, 6 months.

FILLED, AIRTIGHT: room temperature, up to 3 hours; refrigerated, up to 2 days. For crisp pastry, fill shortly before serving. The pastries start to soften once filled but are still delicious.

Make This Recipe Your Own

For 18 larger (2½ inch) cream puffs, pipe the dough 2 inches in diameter, about 18 grams each. They will need a scant tablespoon of filling each.

Variation

Deluxe Puffs

For extra light and airy puffs, use bread flour or unbleached all-purpose flour, and in place of the 125 grams/½ cup/118 ml whole eggs, use 8 grams/1½ tablespoons/22 ml egg yolk and 90 grams/6 tablespoons/89 ml egg whites. Bread flour is heavier, so you will need only ½ cup, lightly spooned, plus ½ tablespoon for the same weight.

The pastry will stick to parchment, so instead, coat the pan with shortening and flour. (Do not use baking spray with flour because it will be more slippery when piping the puffs.)

Making Cream Puffs or Éclairs