Gluten Free Pate a Choux Recipe

If there is one thing I want people to take away after visiting this site, it is that fabulous gluten-free food is not just possible, it can be an everyday reality.

I was making my gluten-free cream puffs with a friend, Ashley, the other day. Ashley is a trained pastry chef who actually worked for Wolfgang Puck at Spago. To say I was a little intimidated is an understatement. I am not a pastry chef. I never went to culinary school. I only took one semester of home-ec in high school and to be honest I don’t think I earned a very good grade. Everything I know about cooking and baking I have learned by trial and error; real life education, having to feed myself and my family. But does that make my knowledge any less valuable? I don’t think so and I guess neither does Ashley, as she told me that my cream puffs were the best she had tasted, gluten-free or not! And I have to agree. Something about the lack of gluten makes the pastry for cream puffs so light and ethereal.

Cooking and baking well (gluten-free or not) is all about learning a few basic recipes that can be mastered and used in a variety of ways.  Pate a choux is a baking basic, it is the base for cream puffs, éclairs and all sorts of other treats, sweet or savory.

Here is a step by step of how to do it.

Note that for the flour you can use a pastry quality gluten-free flour blend.

Dairy free? No problem, here is a  recipe for gluten and dairy free cream puffs. The basics for the dough are the same.

Get all the ingredients gathered up; flour, water, eggs, butter and salt.

Crack the eggs into a measuring cup or spouted pitcher.

Heat the water, butter and salt in a heavy saucepan until it comes to a simmer.

As soon as the butter and water mixture comes to a simmer, dump in the flour all at once.

Stir vigorously.

Keep stirring over the heat until the ingredients come together in a thick dough, it will take about a minute or two.

Put the dough into a mixer (or use a handheld mixer) and mix on medium speed for about 30 seconds until the dough cools a little.

Add the eggs, one at a time, making sure each egg is fully incorporated before adding the next.

Mix on medium-high speed until the mixture becomes a thick, sticky cohesive dough, two to three minutes after the last egg is added.

Like this.

Line baking sheets with silicone baking mats (preferred) or parchment paper.  You can pipe the dough into mounds or logs if you are good at piping.  I am not good at piping so I use ice cream scoops.  Select a size of ice cream scoop that fits your needs, big for individual desserts, smaller for bite sized.

Dip the ice cream scoop in water and scoop out the dough, spacing about 1 inch or so apart.

Bake in a pre-heated oven (425 degrees) for 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 and cook another 30 -35  depending on the size.  They should be risen and golden brown.  Turn off the oven and let them sit in the oven for another 20 minutes.  They should sound hollow when tapped on the bottom and feel light.

Pierce the side of each puff with a sharp knife to let any steam out.  Let cool on a wire rack.

Pate choux is such a versatile recipe, you can add finely grated cheese into the dough before baking for cheese puffs, split and fill with pastry cream for cream puffs, fill with ice cream and top with chocolate sauce for profiteroles.  They can also be served with some jam for breakfast or a savory filling for appetizers; the possibilities are almost endless.

4.86 from 7 votes

Print Recipe

Gluten Free Pate a Choux Recipe

Prep Time20 mins

Cook Time45 mins

Cool time20 mins

Total Time1 hr 25 mins

Course: Snack

Cuisine: French

Servings: 24 cream puffs

Calories: 61kcal

Author: Gluten Free & More

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 cup water
• ▢ 1 stick butter
• ▢ 1 pinch kosher or fine sea salt
• ▢ 1 cup pastry quality gluten-free flour
• ▢ 4 large eggs

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

• ▢
  Assemble ingredients before starting. Break the eggs into a liquid measuring cup or spouted pitcher. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper.
• ▢
  Place the water, butter and salt in a heavy saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a simmer. Add the flour all at once and stir with a wooden spoon until it forms a thick dough. Continue to cook while stirring for about 1 minute.
• ▢
  Dump the dough into the bowl of an electric mixer preferably fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on low speed for 30 seconds to cool the dough slightly. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. After all the eggs have been added continue to mix, increasing the speed to medium-high, until the dough is smooth, thick and shiny, about 2 or 3 minutes.
• ▢
  Pipe the dough onto the prepared baking sheets in mounds or logs or use an ice cream scoop to scoop out the batter, spacing about 1 inch apart. If piping, moisten a finger with water and res down the peaks so they don't burn.
• ▢
  Bake for 10 minutes, turn the oven temperature down to 350 and bake for another 30 - 35 minutes depending on the size, or until the dough has risen and is golden brown and the cream puff has a hollow sound when tapped on the bottom. Turn off the oven and leave the puffs in the oven for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and pierce the side of each puff with a sharp knife to let the steam escape. Let cool.

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Gluten Free Pate a Choux Recipe

Amount Per Serving

Calories 61 Calories from Fat 45

% Daily Value*

Fat 5g8%

Saturated Fat 3g15%

Cholesterol 37mg12%

Sodium 46mg2%

Potassium 10mg0%

Carbohydrates 4g1%

Fiber 1g4%

Sugar 1g1%

Protein 1g2%

Vitamin A 156IU3%

Calcium 9mg1%

Iron 1mg6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

I used my own Carol’s Gluten Free All Purpose Flour for this recipe. Learn more about my flour here:

The views and opinions expressed on this blog are purely the blog owner’s. This blog accepts free manufacturers’ samples and forms of cash advertising, sponsorship, paid insertions or other forms of compensation. Affiliate links may be included in this post.

Have you tried this recipe? Give it a star rating and let us know your thoughts in the Ratings & Reviews section below.