Gluten free choux pastry is one of those pastries that is almost impossible to find in a patisserie. In my relentless search for a yummy gluten free chocolate eclair or custard profiterole I visited almost every baker in town but was constantly met with the same blank stare or “too hard basket” look.
My desperate craving for an eclair prompted me to experiment with gluten free choux pastry recipes in the kitchen until I achieved a perfect choux texture. This gluten free choux pastry is so easy to whip up and such a versatile pastry to play with. Cream loves choux pastry, your relationship with this recipe will be a long term one!
Here are my five tips for making a light, airy, crispy gluten free choux pastry –
- Ensure your dough leaves the side of the pan or bowl when mixing in the flour to ensure the flour has absorbed the moisture from the butter mixture properly.
- Cooling the pastry before adding the eggs is an important step. Cooling helps the choux pastry stiffen and rise when baked to create a hollow centre.
- Beat the cooled pastry before adding the eggs to help release steam and bring the pastry to room temperature.
- Add eggs one at a time and ensure each egg is fully incorporated into the dough.
- Once your choux pastry has baked, pierce a small hole on the flat side with a toothpick to let the steam escape. Pop the choux puffs back in the oven for 15 minutes to dry out the shell further.
It is best to fill choux pastry just before serving to ensure the pastry maintains a crispy texture and does not absorb moisture from the filling. Not that your pastries will last that long anyway!
Have fun bakers.
- 200g water
- 100g butter, cubed
- Pinch of sea salt and sugar
- 75g or ⅔ cup sweet rice flour
- 50g or ⅓ cup sorghum flour
- 35g ⅓ cup cornflour
- 4 eggs
- Place water, butter, salt and sugar in a medium saucepan over high heat and stir until mixture boils.
- Reduce heat to low, add flour and thoroughly mix with a wooden spoon for 2 min until dough comes away from sides of pan. Transfer to an electric mixer bowl and sit for 30 min to cool pastry dough.
- Preheat oven to 200C.
- Beat pastry dough in mixing bowl on med speed for 30 sec to release steam. Slowly add eggs one at a time until well combined.
- Pipe mixture onto lined baking tray with 1 cm nozzle in 10cm strips for eclairs or in small rounds for profiteroles. Bake for 15 - 20 minutes until lightly golden.
- Once your choux pastry has baked, pierce a small hole on the flat side with a toothpick to let the steam escape. Pop the choux puffs back in the oven for 15 minutes to dry out the shell further.
- Place water, butter, salt and sugar in mixing bowl and cook 5 min/100C/speed 2.
- Add flour and mix 30 sec/speed 4 until dough comes away from sides of bowl. Sit pastry dough for 30 min in Thermomix to cool.
- Preheat oven to 200C.
- Mix pastry 30 sec/speed 5 to release steam. Add eggs to pastry one at a time with blades rotating on speed 5 until well combined.
- Pipe mixture onto lined baking tray with 1 cm nozzle in 10cm strips for eclairs or in small rounds for profiteroles. Bake for 15 - 20 minutes until lightly golden.
- Once your choux pastry has baked, pierce a small hole on the flat side with a toothpick to let the steam escape. Pop the choux puffs back in the oven for 15 minutes to dry out the shell further.
This looks and sounds delicious!!Thanks for sharing.
I would love to try this but can’t find sorghum flour where I live. I will order some online but wondered if you could recommend a substitute for it?
Hi Donna
You could replace the sorghum with more cornflour (substitute by weight not cup) but they will be a little more delicate. The sorghum helps give structure.
Will try this, having trouble making mine, have always used Plain Gluten Free flour “Doves”, but the last two times,they have not risen, not sure why, will try your recipe, they look delicious. It’s so hard when you are Colic, I do try to make my husbands diet as normal as possible.
Let me know how you go Margaret I hope you have great success. Happy Easter xxx
I tried this and it came out fantastic. I did have to bake it longer than the 20 minutes.. almost 50 minutes.
Hi Ivy
So glad my gluten free choux pastry recipe turned out great. My timings are based on fan forced, not sure what you used but if you need to bake it longer that is fine because ovens vary. As long as the pastry turns out and it sounds like it did. Enjoy!!
How long will the Choux pastry keep for unfilled?
Sonya it softens over time so I generally don’t keep it for more than a day.
They sound great. Can i freeze these to use later? And will they work with non sweet rice flour for a savoury bun? Thanks
Yes you can freeze. I have never used the recipe for a savoury bun with another flour but you could try.