Gluten-Free Choux Pastry – French Elegance for All

What is choux pastry?

Choux pastry, also known as pâte à choux (pronounced “pat-ah-shoo”), is a versatile and classic French pastry dough with a rich history that can be traced back to 18th-century France. It’s one of the most popular French desserts in the world.

Choux pastry is often credited to the French chef Antoine Carême. The term “choux” means “cabbage” in French, referring to its resemblance to a small cabbage or puff when baked.

Choux pastry is unique because, when baked, it expands and becomes hollow inside, making it ideal for filling with a variety of sweet or savory ingredients. Sweet fillings include:

• whipped cream, pastry cream
• salted caramel cream
• chocolate or coffee ganache
• fruit compote such as strawberry, raspberry, or blueberry

Savory choux pastries can be filled with:

• cheese
• savory mousse
• seafood mixtures.

They can also be topped with powdered sugar, chocolate glaze, or fondant for added flavor and visual appeal.

Different types of choux pastries include:

• Sweet: Cream puffs (profiteroles), éclairs, craquelin, and choux pastry swans
• Savory: gougeres (cheese puffs) and beignets

easy recipe for choux pastries

I experimented with choux pastry yesterday. ‘Experiment’ sounds so much more positive than ‘disaster’, especially since gluten-free choux pastry was ambitious for my first attempt at making choux buns.

Choux pastry is unlike any other pastry, it is very hard to make. My first batch was a disaster. My gentle flour-beating or quick egg-beating might have caused the batter to turn out lumpy and unmanageable.

For the second time, the batter was much smoother but the buns did not rise properly. Whether it was the gluten-free flour, opening the oven too early, or both, half the buns collapsed into a heap. They resembled pancakes rather than buns.

Despite the collapse, it tasted close enough, so I whipped some cream and pieced together bits of pastry. A few buns held their shape, but most became a random assortment with cream. I mixed leftover cream with melted chocolate to create a ganache and generously spooned it over the pastries.

Despite the pastry’s sorry collapse, it was still light, airy, and sweet, and the cream added even more of a cloud-like feel. So, this is how to make choux pastry step by step, in my way. They are challenging but rewarding.

You can enjoy these treats with a variety of beverages, both hot and cold, alcoholic and non-alcoholic, such as apple cider, orange juice, tea, hot chocolate, a shot of espresso, or even wine.

Ingredients  

• 3 oz butter
• 7 oz water
• 2 tbsp caster sugar
• 4 oz gluten-free flour
• 3 medium eggs
• 150 ml cream
• 2 oz dark chocolate melted

Instructions 

1. Preheat the oven to 200^oC and grease a baking tray.
2. Heat the water, butter, and sugar in a pan until the butter melts. Then tip in all the flour whilst beating with one hand and then remove the pan from heat. Continue to beat – hard – until you have a ball of dough that pulls away from the sides of the pan. Allow the pan and dough to cool a little.
3. Beat the eggs in a separate dish in the meantime. Add a little of the egg at a time and beat until fully combined before adding the next bit. Continue until you have a smooth paste which just drops from the spoon.
4. Either spoon or pipe the pastry onto the tray and put it into the oven. Throw some water into the roasting tin before closing the oven; this will create more steam and will help the pastry to rise (in theory!)
5. Bake for 25 minutes until golden brown. Pierce or slice buns (depending on whether you want to keep them whole) and allow them to cool on a rack.
6. Whip the cream and fill the buns.
7. Make a chocolate ganache with melted dark chocolate and cream, or a chocolate sauce with sugar syrup and melted chocolate, and smother the buns.
8. If they are pretty, serve proudly and guard jealously. Otherwise, get stuck in!

Notes

– Tips when making choux pastry desserts:

• Accurate measurements: Ensure precise measurements, especially for flour and water, as small variations can affect the dough’s consistency.
• Let the dough cool for a few minutes to prevent the eggs from cooking prematurely. The dough should be smooth and glossy.
• The dough should be thick but pipeable. If it’s too stiff, the pastries may not puff up.
• Keep a consistent temperature during baking and avoid opening the oven door too soon to prevent collapse.

– If your pastry is too runny, don’t add raw flour. Instead, make a small eggless batch of dough on the stovetop and blend it into the runny mixture.

– To maintain crispness, cut the pastries in half or poke holes in the bottom to let moisture escape. Store in an airtight container in the fridge. If they become soggy, reheat in a preheated 175°C oven for 5 minutes to restore their crunch.

– Choux pastries taste best when fresh, so try to enjoy them right away!

Gluten-Free Choux Buns

A delightful twist on the classic French pastry

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Total Time 1 hour hr

Course Appetizer, Dessert

Cuisine French, Mediterranean

Servings 12

Calories 264 kcal

Ingredients

  

• 3 oz butter
• 7 oz water
• 2 tbsp caster sugar
• 4 oz gluten-free flour
• 3 medium eggs
• 150 ml cream
• 2 oz dark chocolate melted

Instructions

 

• Preheat the oven to 200^oC and grease a baking tray.
• Heat the water, butter, and sugar in a pan until the butter melts. Then tip in all the flour whilst beating with one hand and then remove the pan from heat. Continue to beat – hard – until you have a ball of dough that pulls away from the sides of the pan. Allow the pan and dough to cool a little.
• Beat the eggs in a separate dish in the meantime. Add a little of the egg at a time and beat until fully combined before adding the next bit. Continue until you have a smooth paste which just drops from the spoon.
  
• Either spoon or pipe the pastry onto the tray and put into the oven. Throw some water into the roasting tin before closing the oven; this will create more steam and will help the pastry to rise (in theory!)
• Bake for 25 minutes until golden-brown. Pierce or slice buns (depending on whether you want to keep them whole) and allow to cool on a rack.
• Whip the cream and fill the buns.
  
• Make a chocolate ganache with melted dark chocolate and cream, or a chocolate sauce with sugar syrup and melted chocolate, and smother the buns.
• If they are pretty, serve proudly and guard jealously. Otherwise, get stuck in!

Notes

– Tips when making choux pastry desserts:

• Accurate measurements: Ensure precise measurements of ingredients, especially flour and water. Slight variations can affect the dough’s consistency.
• Allow the dough to cool for a few minutes before adding eggs. This prevents the eggs from cooking prematurely when mixed in. The dough should be smooth and glossy.
• Dough consistency: It should be thick, but still pipeable. If it’s too stiff, the pastries may not puff up.
• Baking temperature: Maintain a consistent temperature during baking. Avoid opening the oven door too soon, as it can cause the pastries to collapse.

– What to do if your pastry is too runny? You probably add raw flour to the mixture. However, don’t do that. This method won’t yield the ideal pastry shells. Instead, create a small stovetop batch of dough, eggless, and then blend it into the runny pastry.

– To keep your choux pastries crispy, you can cut them in half or poke small holes in the bottom to let any extra moisture escape. Pop them in an airtight container in your fridge to store.

Now, when you take them out, they might feel a bit soggy. Don’t worry, though. You can easily bring back that satisfying crunch by putting them in a preheated 175°C oven for about 5 minutes.

But here’s the thing – these pastries are at their absolute best when they’re fresh, so try to enjoy them on the same day you make them. That way, you’ll savor the full, crispy experience!

Keyword baking, desserts, gluten free

If your choux buns keep failing, don’t worry! You can try again or transform them into different desserts:

• Crumble the buns for a trifle or parfait base, or blend them into a milkshake or ice cream.
• Repurpose as fritters or beignets by shaping small rounds or dropping spoonfuls into hot oil. Fry until golden, then dust with powdered sugar or glaze.
• Mix with milk, sugar, and eggs to make a custard or use as a pie crust for sweet or savory pies.

Have fun experimenting in the kitchen!

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