Beyond Our Sky

Gluten-free Eclairs

These gluten-free eclairs feature a craquelin topping and are filled with a vanilla Chantilly cream and finished with chocolate.


This is a variation of this choux au craquelin blogpost I’ve done in the past, which was filled with a crème pâtissière and topped with a coffee infused cream. It took a while to develop a gluten-free choux pastry recipe that puffed up when baked and remains hollow on the inside. As usual, there are a few important recipe notes for the choux pastry:

  • The craquelin uses rice flour in place of normal flour. The dough may at first seem very dry, and you will need to use the warmth of your hands to gently knead the dough and bring it together. The craquelin topping is optional for this recipe, but it allows the choux pastry to bake more evenly and provides a nice crunch. If you do not want to make the craquelin, simply pipe the choux pastry and bake it.
  • The flours used for the choux pastry are white rice flour, glutinous rice flour (also known as sweet rice flour) and cornflour. I do not recommend making any substitutions, and the xanthan gum cannot be replaced.
  • After the flours are added to the milk and butter mixture, the choux pastry dough needs to be cooked on the stove. Since the gluten-free flours behave and absorb the liquid/fat differently to a normal flour, the butter may appear to be melting and releasing from the dough. Do not worry if this happens; it is perfectly fine.
  • The amount of eggs you add will vary depending on the size of your eggs, moisture of the choux dough, humidity and how well the dough absorbs the eggs. The mixture may curdle when the eggs are added one at a time, and needs to be mixed on high speed for at least one minute in between each addition.
  • This choux pastry will not turn out as smooth and glossy as a normal choux pastry, so do not worry if the dough seems too thick and is difficult to pipe . When piping the eclairs, I like to use scissors to sort snip to the dough and stop piping once I’ve reached the desire length. I like to brush the piped choux with any remaining egg to help shape the dough into a more uniform shape.

Then, some notes for the filling and serving:

  • I used a vanilla Chantilly cream to fill these eclairs, but you can use a vanilla crème pâtissière (recipe here) or even a coffee crème pâtissière (and recipe here) if you prefer.
  • These are best served immediately after they’re made, as the choux pastry becomes soggy and loses its crunch once refrigerated.

This choux pastry can also be used to make chouquettes, profiteroles, cream puffs and many more French desserts. I have detailed some variations at the end of this previous blogpost.

Whenever I make choux pastry, I always bake up some chouquettes. For chouquettes, simply transfer the choux pastry into a piping bag fitted with a round nozzle. Then, pipe small rounds that are about 2cm in diameter onto a lined baking tray, brush with egg wash and sprinkle generously with pearl sugar. Finally, bake them for about 20-25 minutes until golden brown. If you cannot find pearl sugar, I recommend using sugar cubes and crushing them using a mortar and pestle into small chunks.

 

Gluten-free Eclairs

Gluten-free Craquelin

  • 85g unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 100g brown sugar
  • 100g rice flour
  1. In a medium bowl, cream together the butter and brown sugar until smooth and pale in colour. Add the rice flour and fold until a soft dough forms. At first the mixture will appear very dry, but continue mixing and use your hands if necessary to knead until a dough forms.
  2. Place the dough between two pieces of baking paper, and roll the dough until it reaches 2mm thickness. Cut the dough into rectangles that will be the same size as your eclairs (mine were about 2.5cm x 9cm)
  3. Place the cut rectangles in the freezer for 1 hour or until ready to use (will be needed before the choux pastry is baked).

Gluten-free Choux Pastry

  • 40g white rice flour
  • 25g glutinous rice flour
  • 15g cornflour
  • 1/2 tsp xanthan gum
  • 60g water
  • 60g milk
  • 50g butter
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 2-3 eggs, room temperature
  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C. Line a baking tray with parchment paper.
  2. In a small bowl, combine the white rice flour, glutinous rice flour, cornflour and xanthan gum. Set aside.
  3. In a medium saucepan, combine the water, milk, butter, sugar and salt. Bring to the boil, then remove from the heat and immediately add the flour. Stir until there are no more streaks of flour and a dough begins to form. Place the saucepan back over medium-high heat, and cook for 1-2 minutes until the paste is pulling away from the sides of the pan.
  4. Transfer the dough into a stand mixer bowl fitted with a paddle attachment, then mix on medium-low speed for 3 minutes to cool down the dough and evaporate the steam/moisture. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing on high speed for at least one minute in between each addition. Depending on the consistency of your choux paste, you may not require all the eggs. So you are looking for a dough that is thick and still able to hold its shape when piped.
  5. Transfer the paste into a piping bag fitted with a french star tip. Pipe the choux into eclairs (9-10cm in length) onto the lined baking tray. Brush the choux with any remaining egg.
  6. Remove the craquelin from the freezer, and place a rectangle on top of each eclair and gently press down.
  7. Bake in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes. Then turn the oven off and allow the choux puffs to cool for 20 minutes with the door ajar. Set aside to cool completely on a wire rack.

Vanilla Chantilly Cream

  • 300ml heavy cream
  • 2 tbsp icing sugar
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste
  1. In a medium bowl, combine the cream, icing sugar and vanilla bean paste. Whip the cream to stiff peaks, and refrigerate until ready to assemble.

Assembly

  • 100g milk chocolate
  • 60g dark chocolate
  • 70g heavy cream
  1. In a heat-proof bowl, melt together the milk chocolate, dark chocolate and heavy cream. You can do this by microwaving on high at 30-second intervals, stirring well in between. This is basically a quick ganache (if it is too thick or seizes, simply add more heavy cream).
  2. Transfer the Chantilly cream into a piping bag fitted with a french star tip.
  3. Carefully cut the cooled eclairs in half, and pipe a generous amount of cream into the bottom half.
  4. Drizzle the melted chocolate onto the top half of the eclair, and sandwich the two halves together and gently press down.
  5. Serve and enjoy!