Rough puff pastry is the shortcut method to a light flaky pastry in the fraction of the time it takes to prepare traditional puff pastry. Although you may not achieve the same height and puffiness, this gluten free rough puff pastry recipe will still deliver a beautiful buttery flaky pastry. You no longer have to pass on your favourite pastries at all those parties just because you have a gluten allergy. Bring on the Pork, Apple & Sage Sausage Rolls and Greek Spanakopita I say.
When ingredient shopping be careful not to confuse potato starch with potato flour, they are not the same thing. Potato starch is made from the dried starch component of potatoes and has no potato flavour. It creates a beautiful light fluffy texture in baked goods. Potato flour is a heavy cream flour made from whole potatoes and has a distinct potato flavour. I tend to bake exclusively with potato starch.
My golden rules for a perfect golden puff pastry are-
- All ingredients and utensils should be as cold as possible. Ensure your butter is very cold or even frozen. If you do freeze the butter ensure you cube it first otherwise you may lose some fingers. You need those!
- The initial dough should be rough looking like the picture above. Visible chunks of butter are a good thing in puff pastry. When the visible pieces of butter melt in a hot oven oven they help create a flaky texture so don’t overwork the butter into the pastry dough.
- Roll the dough as thinly as possible between two sheets of baking paper when ready to use to ensure your cooked pastry is crispy and not gluggy.
- Cook puff pastry at a high temperature of at least 200C to achieve maximum lift.
As you can see rough puff pastry is not as daunting as people think and the great news is your pastry skills definitely improve with every attempt. If your dough is too sticky at any point just add a little more flour and remember to always flour your rolling pin to avoid dough sticking to it.
Now it’s your turn my gluten free pastry bakers. Get rolling!
- 1 cup or 120g cornflour
- ¾ cup or 120g potato starch
- ½ cup or 70g sorghum flour
- 2 tsp xantham gum
- 1 tsp sea salt flakes
- 250g very cold butter, cubed
- 1 egg
- 1 - 2 tablespoons chilled water
- Put the cornflour, potato starch, sorghum flour, xantham gum and salt in a food processor and pulse to combine.
- Add the cold butter and egg and pulse until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
- Add a little water mix until the dough resembles rubble.
- Tip the rubble onto a sheet of baking paper and press together with your dusted hands into a rectangular shape. Place another baking sheet on top and roll out the dough, you still want to see butter streaks so don’t overwork the butter. Fold the top and bottom short edges to meet at the centre then fold pastry in half. Wrap pastry in cling wrap and rest in fridge for 30 min. Repeat the roll and fold 2 more times, if your dough is too sticky dust with some extra cornflour.
- When ready to use roll out pastry between two sheets of baking paper to produce a thin pastry sheet which will deliver a flakier texture.
- Put the cornflour, potato starch, sorghum flour, xantham gum and salt in Thermomix and combine 3 sec/speed 4.
- Add the cold butter and egg and mix 5 sec/speed 4 until mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
- With the motor running add chilled water and mix 5 sec/speed 3 until just combined.
- Tip the rubble onto a sheet of baking paper and press together with your dusted hands into a rectangular shape. Place another baking sheet on top and roll out the dough, you still want to see butter streaks so don’t overwork the butter. Fold the top and bottom short edges to meet at the centre then fold pastry in half. Wrap pastry in cling wrap and rest in fridge for 30 min. Repeat the roll and fold 2 more times, if your dough is too sticky dust with some extra cornflour.
- When ready to use roll out pastry between two sheets of baking paper to produce a thin pastry sheet which will deliver a flakier texture.
Thank you so much for this fabulous recipe. It’s a keeper:)
Thank you Hannah so glad you enjoyed my gluten free rough puff pastry recipe. Enjoy!!
I love this recipe. So easy and even my gluten eating boyfriend said it was amazing . A true test of deliciousness. The first time I didnt have corn flour and used GF custard powder and it worked well too as a sweet pastry for apple strudel. Thank you so much!!
Caroline I’m so glad you love my gluten free pastry recipe. Sounds like you have been quite creative with it, enjoy!
Hi Helen, this sounds easy enough, I haven’t had puff pastry in years! Any idea whether this would work with margarine (the block type)? We are also lactose intolerant round here… 🙂
I have not made it with margarine but it should still work. Enjoy!
Can we use this GF flour mixture for other kinds of
Pastries , breads and cakes??
Thank you
It is ideal for pastry due to the high cornflour content, I wouldn’t use it for cakes it would make them too brittle.
Go to my bread recipe for other gf flour blends. Thanks.
Thank you so much for this recipe it looks amazing! I can’t get hold of sorghum flour where I am, any recommendations for a substitute?
Hi Han,
You can use millet flour as a substitute for sorghum. If you can’t find millet try buckwheat flour. Hope this helps.
I am yet to try this recipe, but would like to know if i can freeze leftover pastry ?
Yes no problem just wrap tightly in cling wrap
Hi Helen,
I have Hashimotos.
I can’t have Corn or any grain product, so could I sub the Cornflour for Tapioca flour?
Also for your Shortcrust pastry could I also sub the Cornflour for Tapioca flour and what could i sub the Rice flour for as Rice is also a grain!
I have never made the pastry with tapioca as a substitute for cornflour but you could try it. If you can’t eat rice try almond meal as a replacement.
Hi Helen, I cannot have eggs. Can it be omitted?