The French Dessert That May Be Better Store-Bought Than Homemade

When it comes to desserts, it's hard to beat homemade. The results can be tasty and fulfilling, and yet, sometimes it may not be worth the effort. Such is the case with éclairs, a complex French treat that makes it easy for even expert chefs to make mistakes.

Baking éclairs consists of two recipes: one for the cream filling and another for the flaky choux pastry. It can also come with toppings like chocolate or fruit glaze, but these are not strictly necessary. In the words of expert pastry chef Sumaiya Bangee in an exclusive interview with sister site Tasting Table, "Éclairs are about getting the egg ratio right, as well as ensuring the bake on the choux pastry is correct." Choux pastry needs to be baked twice to get it right, a process that contains many potential pitfalls. In Bangee's words, "Underbaked, [choux pastry] will lose its puff, and overbaked, it will be hard and crunchy, which isn't the texture of a choux pastry."

And we haven't even touched on the filling yet. Éclair cream has its own set of challenges, and even if you manage to prepare it correctly without curdling or other consistency issues, you still have to pipe it into the pastry properly. With so many opportunities to get them wrong, not to mention all the effort and time involved, perhaps you're better off buying them at the store. Even though the best desserts from stores like Costco rarely measure up to pastry chef-level treats or homemade ones, it may still be better than agonizing over a complicated éclair recipe only to be disappointed by the results.

If you are determined to make these pastries at home, there are a few potential éclair-making mistakes to clear. Firstly, don't overwork the dough. Regardless of what type of dough it is or what it's meant for, overmixing can alter the gluten network and make the result tough and dense. This is especially important to avoid with light, fluffy pastries, so watch how you handle your dough carefully.

Another big mistake when making éclairs is adding the incorrect amount of eggs or water. The eggs are especially important since you don't have much room for error. Too much or too little can both ruin the texture and affect the all-important rise. This also means you'll have to be sure to carefully read the recipe a few times to make sure you've got the process right. While you're at it, you ought to go a step further and measure your ingredients out ahead of time so you can move through that process as smoothly as possible.

And of course, you need to use the right sort of ingredients, like flour. Typical all-purpose flour will not do the trick, since its middling amount of protein makes it harder for the éclairs to create the structure they need and, in particular, to trap steam and form the air pocket into which you'll pipe filling. High-protein flours, like bread flour, are better suited for éclairs, so shop thoughtfully.

Static Media owns and operates Foodie and Tasting Table.