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Learn how to make Gluten Free Choux Pastry for Cream Puffs, Eclairs, Profiteroles, and more! The process is easier than you’d think with the most delicious results! Classic French pastries are in your future!
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Let me just start by saying, PLEASE don’t be intimidated by this gluten free Choux Pastry recipe! Choux Pastry sounds complicated, it looks like it should be complicated, but let me assure you – it’s actually a very easy recipe.
Choux Pastry is a recipe I’ve been putting off for years just because I was afraid it was too difficult. OMG I’ve been missing out!
It’s way easier than I ever would have though and the results are just outstanding. So delicious, so crisp, and I’ll be sharing variations and what to make with this base recipe for gluten free pastry all next month.
What You Need To Know About This Gluten Free Pâte à Choux Recipe:
Butter doesn’t always incorporate easily into gluten free flour; which is why I often bake with oil when making baked goods with a tender crumb. With this recipe, I find that the butter starts to weep from the Choux Pastry dough after the flour is mixed in.
Just be sure to add all the dough and any butter that wept from it to your mixing bowl. When you beat the dough at a higher speed, the butter will re-incorporate and it’ll work out just fine. So if your melted butter starts to separate, don’t panic. It’ll be ok!
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What is Choux Pastry?
Choux Pastry, or also lovingly referred to as “Choux Buns” are light and airy. They can be incorporated into sweet or savory dishes.
You’ve likely seen them used in profiteroles, éclairs, and choux puffs (like in this recipe).
Did you know that they can also be used in a savory context? Yep! Choux Pastries such as gougère, a large ring of choux flavored with Gruyère cheese is a huge hit.
Choux Pastry Ingredients
- Gluten Free Flour – I used my Nightshade Free Gluten Free Flour Blend in this recipe.
- Xanthan Gum – omit if your flour blend contains it.
- Unsalted Butter – I prefer using butter with at least 82% milk fat.
- Granulated Sugar – optional but adds a little flavor to an otherwise flavorless dough.
- Salt – fine sea salt is my preferred salt for baking and cooking.
- Water – I use all water for my Choux Pastry for a sturdier dough. You can use all milk or half milk + half water if you prefer. Using milk with produce a slightly more flavorful and richer pastry but the pastry will be a bit softer and won’t’ get quite as crisp.
- Eggs – Use large eggs for this recipe, which is the standard size egg I use in all my baking recipes.
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Equipment Needed
- Medium Sauce Pan
- Mixing Spoon – preferably wood or silicone
- Stand Mixer or Hand Mixer but astand mixeris preferred.
- Large Piping Bag+large round tip– or amedium scoopif you’d rather scoop and drop instead of pipe.
- 2Half Sheet Pans
How to Make Choux Pastry
Step 1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and line a half sheet pan with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
Step 2. In a small bowl, mix together your gluten free flour and xanthan gum and set aside.
Step 3. Add the salt, sugar, butter, and water to a medium sauce pan. Heat over medium-high heat and bring to a boil.
Step 4. Decrease the heat to low and add all of the flour into the hot liquid. Immediately stir it in the flour until it’s moistened and has absorbed all the liquid. The dough will start to form into a ball. Continue to cook over low heat for about a minute.
Step 5. Transfer the dough to the bowl of a stand mixer and let the dough cool, no more than 5 minutes. Then, use the paddle attachment to start beating the dough before adding the eggs. This will help re-incorporate the butter if it has separated a bit.
Step 6. With the mixer running on medium-low speed, add the first egg. Once the egg is beaten and incorporated, add the second egg. Repeat this step until all the eggs have been mixed into the dough. The dough will look curdled at first but with the addition of each egg, the dough will smooth out and come together. Scrape down the bowl as needed during this process.
Step 7. Once all the eggs are added, mix for 30 seconds to a minute. You want a smooth, glossy dough. Please note, gluten free choux pastry dough is thicker than traditional dough made with all purpose flour but should still be pipeable.Pip
Step 8. Transfer the dough into a piping bag fitted with a large round tip. Pipe into rounds about 1 1/2 inches wide (about 1 tablespoon of dough) or use a medium scoop to portion the dough. Space the rounds about 2 inches apart to allow for the pastry to puff while baking.
Step 9. Once you’ve piped your rounds, dip your fingers in a small bowl of water then smooth out the top of the pastries. This will prevent any points from burning. If you’re making eclairs, use this method to smooth out the ends/tips of the eclairs.
Step 10. Then sprinkle a very small amount of water over the pastry dough/baking sheet – you shouldn’t be leaving large puddles of water, just enough to mist the dough.
Step 11. Bake the Choux Pastry for 25-30 minutes at 400 degrees (longer if you’re baking lines for Eclairs). Then, remove from the oven and use a sharp knife to quickly poke a hole in the side of each pastry to help the steam release. Return the pastries to the oven, turn the oven off, and leave them in there for another 5-10 minutes. When done, the pastries should be dry in the center and hollow on the inside. You can leave them in the oven for an additional 30 minutes to an hour to completely dry them out, just make sure the oven is off.
Step 12. Remove the baked pastries from the oven and cool completely on a wire rack before filling.
Choux Pastry Video Tutorial
Tips for Making Choux Pastry
- Don’t worry if the butter separates from the dough. Once you start beating it in the mixer, it will re-incorporate.
- Make sure the sugar and salt are dissolved fully before allowing the water to come to a boil.
- Are there any clumps in your flour? Sift the gluten-free flour if needed.
- If your Choux Pastry comes out too bit dry, then try reducing the baking time 1-2 minutes on the next round.
- I have only made these with my Nightshade Free Flour Blend and haven’t experimented with other flours. If you use a different flour, baking times and results may vary.
Other Gluten Free Choux Recipes Coming Soon
- Cream Puffs (pictured above)
- Eclairs
- Profiteroles (pictured below)
- Churros
- French Crullers
- Gougeres
Fillings/Toppings:
- Homemeade Whipped Cream
- Pastry Cream recipe
- White Chocolate Ganache Whipped Cream
- Chocolate Ganache
- Ice Cream
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Gluten Free Choux Pastry (Pâte à Choux)
4.74 from 15 ratings
Learn how to make Gluten Free Choux Pastry for Cream Puffs, Eclairs, Profiteroles, and more! The process is easier than you’d think with the most delicious results! Classic French pastries are in your future!
Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes minutes
Total Time: 1 hour hour
Servings: 24 patries
By: Sharon Lachendro
Print Rate Pin
Ingredients
- 1 cup gluten free flour blend see notes
- 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 cup water
- 4 large eggs room temperature
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and line a half sheet pan with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
In a small bowl, mix together your gluten free flour and xanthan gum and set aside.
Add the salt, sugar, butter, and water to a medium sauce pan. Heat over medium-high heat and bring to a boil.
Decrease the heat to low and add all of the flour into the hot liquid. Immediately stir it in the flour until it's moistened and has absorbed all the liquid. The dough will start to form into a ball. Continue to cook over low heat for about a minute.
Transfer the dough to the bowl of a stand mixer and let the dough cool, no more than 5 minutes. Then, use the paddle attachment to start beating the dough before adding the eggs. This will help re-incorporate the butter if it has separated a bit.
With the mixer running on medium-low speed, add the first egg. Once the egg is beaten and incorporated, add the second egg. Repeat this step until all the eggs have been mixed into the dough. The dough will look curdled at first but with the addition of each egg, the dough will smooth out and come together. Scrape down the bowl as needed during this process.
Once all the eggs are added, mix for 30 seconds to a minute. You want a smooth, glossy dough. Please note, gluten free choux pastry dough is much thicker than traditional dough made with all purpose flour but should still be pipe-able.
Transfer the dough into a piping bag fitted with a large round tip. Pipe into rounds about 1 1/2 inches wide (about 1 tablespoon of dough) or use a medium scoop to portion the dough. Space the rounds about 2 inches apart to allow for the pastry to puff while baking. Use kitchen shears to help snip the end of the pastry, if desired.
Once you've piped your rounds, dip your fingers in a small bowl of water then smooth out the top of the pastries. You want the surface of the dough as smooth as possible. This will prevent any points from burning and will help form a nicely shaped pastry. If you're making eclairs, use this method to smooth out the ends/tips of the eclairs.
Then sprinkle a very small amount of water over the pastry dough/baking sheet - you shouldn't be leaving large puddles of water, just enough to mist the baking sheet.
Bake the Choux Pastry for 25-30 minutes at 400 degrees. Then, remove from the oven and use a sharp knife to quickly poke a hole in the side of each pastry to help the steam release. Return the pastries to the oven, turn the oven off, and leave them in there for another 5 minutes. When done, the pastries should be dry in the center and hollow on the inside. You can leave them in the oven for an additional 30 minutes to an hour to completely dry them out, just make sure the oven is off.
Remove the baked pastries from the oven and cool completely on a wire rack before filling.
Video
Notes
- Watch the VIDEO in the blog post for step-by-step visuals on how to make this pastry.
- The recipe yield varies based on the size and type of pastry you're making but this recipe makes enough for about 2 to 2 1/2 dozen round pastries or about 1 1/2 dozen eclairs. If you use a scoop instead of piping, you'll have closer to 1 1/2 dozen.
- I used my Nightshade Free Flour Blend. If you use a flour blend that contains xanthan gum, omit the amount called for in the recipe.
- The water sprinkled on the pastry dough will create steam in the oven to help the pastries rise and puff.
- Fill with whipped cream for cream puffs, ice cream for profiteroles, and pastry cream for Eclairs.
- Choux Pastry is best eaten the day it's baked but the unfilled pastries can be stored at room temperature in an air-tight container. To re-crisp the shells, bake them for 5 minutes at 350 degrees.
- Fill and chill before serving or serve immediately.
- To freeze the dough, shape and smooth the Choux Pastry into your desired shape (rounds or lines) on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone mat. Then freeze until the dough is frozen solid. Transfer to a freezer-safe bag and keep frozen for up to a month. Bake from frozen when ready to bake - do not thaw before baking.
- Baked and un-filled shells can also be frozen. Defrost at room temperature then re-crisp them in the oven at 350 degrees for 5 minutes.
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Nutrition Information
Serving: 1g | Calories: 52kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 10mg | Sodium: 27mg | Potassium: 1mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 117IU | Calcium: 5mg | Iron: 0.2mg
Disclaimers
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Nutrition Facts are estimated and aren't always accurate. Please consult a doctor or nutritionist if you have special dietary needs.
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Did you make this recipe? Leave a star rating and let me know in the comments! You can also leave a photo/comment on this pin for others to see.
