This gluten free choux pastry is a recipe from my second cookbook, Intolerance Friendly Kitchen. Because the book was published in Australia and not abroad, I often get requests for this recipe. So, let’s share the love and get straight into it!
Gluten free choux pastry
This gluten free choux pastry is xanthan gum free and nut free. It can be made with a single wholegrain flour, meaning no high starch flours (like tapioca flour) are needed.
With the right attention and care, the choux pastry bakes up to become perfectly gorgeous and light. Perfect for gluten free eclairs or gluten free cream puffs!
We’ll delve into all the substitution options as well as tips to ensure you get the lightest, most delicious gluten free choux pastry possible. No xanthan gum required!
Tips for your gluten free choux pastry
- Unfortunately, choux pastry is just one of those things that takes a bit to master. It is not difficult to make, but it takes a bit of experience to determine how much egg to add.
- The tricky thing with choux pastry is that the amount of egg needed generally differs from batch to batch. You want the mixture to emulate its texture when you took it off the heat – a ball that sticks to the bottom of the pan if you move it around. It should be a little shiny and still firm enough that it will hold shape when you pipe it. If in doubt, don’t add more egg. Some batches will require the whole 125g, some only 100g. This depends on everything from the different batches of flour to the humidity in your kitchen. It’s something you will learn with experience.
- It’s important to add the egg by weight and sight rather than by egg. Eggs vary wildly in their net weight and we don’t want to leave anything to chance.
- Choux pastry with too much egg added will not puff up. If you have flat choux pastry, you have added too much egg.
Ingredient notes
You can use all white rice flour for this recipe or include the small proportion of tapioca starch. Tapioca starch can add a bit of elasticity to the dough, but it also works equally well without it.
I used lactose free full cream milk for the milk component of this recipe. However, you can use whichever variety works best for you. I would suggest a creamy plant based milk with as high of a fat content as possible, if you go the plant based route.
Although I haven’t tested a plant based butter here, I am confident it will work nicely. Choose a butter with roughly 80g fat per 100g, which is the same ratio as regular butter. I recommend a nut free butter here, although I have not tried Miyokos before so my inexperience might contribute to that suggestion.
Choose a fresh, finely milled white rice flour. Not only is it the right colour for a neutral looking choux pastry, it also tastes mild. Unlike other gluten free flours, white rice flour has a bland flavour when fresh. Perfect for choux. Make sure it truly is fresh and finely milled though – coarsely milled rice flour has a crunchy, sand-like texture which ruins a dessert. Stale rice flour has a musty smell and also contributes a strong taste.
I have not tested brown rice flour, buckwheat flour or any other gluten free flours in this recipe. You are welcome to experiment, but I can’t guarantee the results.
More gluten free dessert recipes
- Gluten free egg free sugar cookies
- Gluten free edible cookie dough
- Gluten free eggless cheesecake
- Gluten free vegan banana muffins
- Gluten free pistachio Tiramisu
Gluten free choux pastry
Ingredients
- 60 g fine white rice flour
- 10 g tapioca flour or an additional 10g fine white rice flour
- 80 ml (1/3 cup milk)* I used lactose free full fat milk
- 80 ml (1/3 cup water)*
- 50 g butter
- 125 g egg, whisked (from 3-4 large eggs) weighed once cracked (so without the shell)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 200C and line a baking tray with baking paper.
- Whisk together your flours and set them aside. Weigh out your eggs into a small jug and whisk them well.
- Combine the milk, water and butter in a small saucepan and place it over a medium heat. Allow the butter to melt. When the milk begins to bubble, add in the flour and whisk vigorously until everything is well combined. It won’t form a smooth paste like regular choux, but it will clump up and start to look like dry mashed potatoes. Grab a wooden spoon and continue mixing for up to 30 seconds to continue cooking off liquid.
- Remove the pan from the heat and allow to cool to a hand comfortable temperature so you don’t scramble the eggs in the next step.
- Add the egg a little at a time and stir really well until each batch of egg incorporates. It will look like the egg will never incorporate, but keep mixing and I promise it will. Repeat with the next bit of egg.
- The tricky thing with choux pastry is that the amount of egg needed generally differs from batch to batch. The dough should look like firm but silky mashed potatoes with added cream. It should be a little shiny and still firm enough that it will hold shape when you pipe it. If in doubt, don’t add more egg. Too much egg will result in flat disks of choux as opposed to air filled round puffs of choux. Some batches will require the whole 125g, some only 100g (or less!). This depends on everything from the different batches of flour to the humidity in your kitchen. It’s something you will learn with experience.
- When you’re happy, transfer your choux pastry into a piping bag or a ziploc bag with a tiny cut in a corner (which will be your piping nozzle).
- Pipe 7-8 rectangular logs (approximately 10cm x 3cm) or 10-11 golf ball sized puffs. I like to pipe a couple of layers upwards to give them a bit of height. They should hopefully be holding their shape – if not, you might have added a bit too much egg (but bake them anyway!)
- Bake at 200C for about 15-20 minutes or until they have puffed up and become golden.
- Turn the oven down to 150C and bake for an additional 10-20 minutes or until the choux are completely dry. You might like to lightly tent them with a piece of foil if they’ve turned sufficiently golden.
- Working quickly, use a skewer to poke one small air hole on the side of each choux. I use a bamboo skewer for this. This will prevent your pastries from collapsing as they cool. Allow them to cool completely on the tray.
Notes
- See the notes in the body of the post to ensure you make the best choux possible.
- You will need a scale for this recipe. Precision is important to ensure the best choux possible.
- I have no substitutions other than those listed in the body of the post.
No Comments