Those lovely golden cream puffs at the bakery are no longer a thing of the past these days for the gluten or grain sensitve person. There are now many options to make these beauties and enjoy their deliciousness and as a plus: these ones are completely grain free. Making these shells successfully lies in the technique- a boiled dough and a cooling oven making a “choux” pastry. Be sure to read the procedure so that you get to enjoy them in the form they should be.
Serve as a sweet dessert or savory “sandwich”. Ideas for filling these beauties:
- Bavarian cream
- Store bought pudding mix
- Top with whipped cream and chocolate sauce
- Chicken or tuna salad
- Rueben option with deli ham or pastrami, Thousand Island dressing, Swiss cheese, and sauerkraut
- Or similar to a French breakfast favorite of chocolate croissant: spread with Nutella or fill or dip with chocolate sauce.
- Simple and quick: spray whipped cream and topped with chocolate sauce
What is a “Choux” pastry?
A high moisture dough that relies on steam to rise the dough instead of a raising agent such as yeast or baking powder. Bake Starter has a great article on top tips to successful choux pastry technique. The dough is cooked on the stovetop to incorporate the ingredients before adding the eggs. After mixing in the eggs the dough is baked to make a nice crispy outer shell and softer inside.
Even though a puff pastry is a different beast altogether from a croissant, we treat them very similarly in our house. We use them for sandwiches or for a sweet dessert. You can choose to pull out some of the middle of a shell after baking to make room for the filling or you can just smack that filling in and not worry about it gooing out the sides.
Tips for successful cream puff shells
I use blanched almond flour from the local Costco. If you use a different almond flour, the results may differ since the grind of the almond meal may be a different fineness.
Don’t skip the stove top cooking of the dough before baking. This is the base of the entire recipe and makes a choux pastry dough which is double cooked. The stove top cooking of the water and flour causes the dough to cling together, gelatinize, and hold its shape with an unusually high moisture content. Baking the dough after adding in the eggs one at a time will steam the dough which creates the soft interior and crispy outside that is capable of holding its shape- the classic puff we all love.
A critical tip is to know your oven temperature. If you have inconsistent results, this could be where the culprit is if you are not having success. Also, after the puffs are done baking and are golden brown there is still a lot of steam and moisture content. This requires that you let them cool in the oven with the temperature off and the oven door ajar. This will allow more steam to escape and avoid a soggy puff after it cools. Do not slice until cool.
Once cooled, these puffs can be sliced open and filled with Bavarian cream, spray whipped cream, instant pudding, left plain or topped with chocolate sauce. They can even be used for savory chicken salad with a pineapple slice if you wish.
Avoid the temptation to open the oven door while baking or double stacking the baking sheets on both oven racks. Both don’t allow the air to circulate properly and you may end up with collapsed or undercooked puffs. If you do have collapsed puffs, they make great chicken salad sandwich bread.
Grain Free Cream Puff Shells
Course: DessertCuisine: FrenchDifficulty: Medium8
puffs20
minutes40
minutesVersatile grain free cream puff shells for sweet or savory filling.
Ingredients
3/4 C. Water
1 1/4 C. Almond flour
1 1/4 C. Tapioca starch
1/2 tsp. Xantham
1/4 tsp. Salt
1/2 tsp. Cream of tartar
1/4 tsp. Baking soda
4 eggs
2 Tbs. Butter (I have used olive oil in the past as well)
Directions
- Preheat oven to 425o F. Grease a cookie sheet and set aside.
- Mix all dry ingredients in a mixing bowl and set aside.
- Boil the water over medium heat and then add all dry ingredients, stirring vigorously. Dough will stick together as it heats.
- Remove from heat as soon as dough sticks togehter. Transfer to a stand mixer and add eggs one at a time, stirring vigorously between each one. Add the butter and stir. Dough will look liquidy but keep the paddle stirring and the dough will blend together and become cohesed together and become a sticky elastic dough. It reminds me of the flubber or slime we used to play with as a kid.
- Drop dough by large spoonfuls onto greased cookie sheet to make 8 shells. Leave room for them to have air circulation between each shell and allow them to rise properly.
- Bake for approx. 15 minutes until golden brown. Reduce heat to 3500 and cook for an additional 15 minutes. Turn off oven and let the shells cool in the oven with the door open for at least 10 minutes to dry out and let steam escape. Even though cook time is short, letting them cool in the oven is an important part of successful cream puff shells so don’t rush them out of the oven.
- Remove from oven. Cool complety then slice and fill with your choice of filling to serve or slice and freeze in gallon ziploc bags until ready to thaw, fill, and use at a later date. Do not slice until cool.
