Beyond Our Sky

Gluten-free Paris-Brest

A gluten-free take on the classic French pastry, the Paris-Brest. This dessert involves several components, but it is well worth the effort for its the crisp choux and rich praline filling.

I actually created a version of a Paris-Brest many years ago that wasn’t gluten-free (find it here). Gluten-free choux pastry can be a little trickier to work with than the traditional dough, but with some care, it bakes up beautifully light and crisp. The craquelin topping is optional, though I highly recommend it – it adds a lovely crunch and helps the choux bake more evenly.

As usual, some baking notes for the craquelin and choux pastry:

  • The craquelin uses rice flour in place of normal flour. The dough may seem very dry at first, and you will need to use the warmth of your hands to gently knead the dough and bring it together.
  • I like to roll out the craquelin, cut out rounds, and then refrigerate the rolled sheets of dough. Once chilled, I remove the offcuts, then transfer the rounds to a container with sheets of baking paper in between each layer. From there, I freeze the rounds until ready to bake. This may seem like a bit of effort, but I find it’s the best way to manage the dough.
  • In the picture below, I actually added some chopped almonds into the craquelin. This is optional, and it actually didn’t make much difference to the texture. You can just sprinkle nuts on top instead.
  • The choux pastry won’t turn out as smooth and glossy as a normal choux pastry, so don’t worry if the dough seems too thick. Be patient when mixing, and make sure each egg is fully incorporated before adding the next.
  • It can also be difficult to pipe, as the piping tip does not lift cleanly from the pastry. I use scissors to snip the pastry off as a go.
  • You can pipe the Paris-Brest in any shape you like – I went for a flower shape, but a classic ring or even an éclair-style shape would work just as well. You can also make small individual pastries or a large one.

For the best texture, make sure your choux is baked until deeply golden and feels light and hollow when tapped underneath – this ensures it’s fully dried out inside. When cutting the choux in half, use a serrated knife. Some of the craquelin may flake off as it is a bit delicate.

For the filling, I used almonds, but you can use any nuts or even a mixture to create the praline paste. This is then added to a crème pâtissière, along with some butter, to transform it into a silky crème mousseline. Any of these components can be made ahead – the praline paste, crème pâtissière or final crème mousseline.

I scaled the filling recipe down since I had some leftover, but increased the quantites for the praline paste so more could be piped inside when assembling the Paris-Brest. I also don’t blanch my almonds, and it works out perfectly fine.

The filled Paris-Brest is best eaten the same day, as the choux will lose it’s crunch overtime. I’ve yet to experiment with making the choux pastry in advance and reheating it.

I hope you have a wonderful day, wherever you are, and don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions.

Gluten-free Paris-Brest

Makes six indivudal Paris-Brests. Crème mousseline recipe adapted minimally from Home Cooking Adventure. Please read the post above before getting started.

Ingredients

Craquelin

  • 85g unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 100g brown sugar
  • 100g white rice flour
  • 1/4 tsp xanthan gum

Choux Pastry

  • 40g white rice flour
  • 25g glutinous rice flour
  • 15g cornflour
  • 1/2 tsp xanthan gum
  • 60g water
  • 60g milk
  • 50g unsalted butter, cubed
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 2-3 eggs, room temperature
  • 60g almonds, roughly chopped

Praline Paste

  • 300g almonds
  • 180g caster sugar
  • 18g water

Crème Mousseline

  • 3 egg yolks
  • 60g caster sugar
  • 30g cornflour
  • 360g milk
  • 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
  • 10g unsalted butter, cold, cubed
  • 140g praline paste
  • 110g unsalted butter, room temperature and cut into 2cm cubes

Method

Craquelin

  1. In a medium bowl, cream together the butter and brown sugar until smooth and pale in colour. Add the white rice flour and xanthan gum, and mix until a soft dough forms. At first, it will appear very dry, but continue mixing and use your hands if necessary to knead until a soft dough forms.
  2. Place the dough between two pieces of baking paper, and roll until it reaches a 2mm thickness. Cut out rounds that will be slightly larger than the diameter of the piped choux pastry (I use a large piping nozzle for this). Transfer the sheets to the refrigerator to firm up.
  3. Once chilled, remove the offcuts, then transfer the rounds into a container with sheets of baking paper in between each layer. Freeze until ready to bake.

Choux Pastry

  1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Line a baking tray with parchment paper. Draw 6 x 5 cm circles onto the paper, leaving plenty of space between each. Flip the parchment over so the pencil marks are on the underside.
  2. In a small bowl, combine the white rice flour, glutinous rice flour, cornflour and xanthan gum. Set aside.
  3. In a large 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. You are looking for a dough that is thick and still able to hold its shape when piped. It won’t be super smooth and glossy like a normal choux pastry.
  5. Transfer the paste into a piping bag fitted with a plain, round nozzle (such as a Wilton 1A). Pipe the choux onto a lined baking tray, following the drawn circles a guide.
  6. Remove the craquelin from the freezer. Place the rounds on top of the piped choux pastry and gently press down. Sprinkle the choux with some chopped almonds.
  7. Bake in the preheated oven at for 30-40 minutes. This is a large range, but it really depends on your oven. Check them at 30 minutes, and if craquelin looks a bit dark but isn’t quite hollow – reduce the temperature to 160°C and bake for a further 10 minutes. When the choux is goldent brown and feels light, turn the oven off and allow to cool for 20 minutes with the door ajar. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool completely.

Praline Paste

  1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Roast the almonds for 8-10 minutes, stirring halfway through.
  2. In a medium saucepan, add the sugar and water. Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat, stiring occassionlly and brushing down any sugar on the sides of the pan with a wet pastry brush. Continue cooking until the caramel reaches a deep amber colour. Then add the nuts and mix to coat the nuts in the caramel.
  3. Pour the caramelised nuts onto a lined baking tray. Spread evenly, and allow to cool until hard.
  4. Break up the praline into a high-powered blender or food processor. Process the praline for approximately 10 minutes until it forms a liquid paste. Add 1-2 tbsp of a neutral oil if the mixture isn’t coming together. Set aside until ready to use.

Crème Mousseline

  1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar until pale in colour. Add the cornstarch, then mix until smooth and well incorporated. Set aside.
  2. In a medium saucepan, add the milk and vanilla bean paste. Over medium heat, bring the milk to a simmer or when small bubbles form around the edge of the pan.
  3. Temper the egg yolks, by gradually pouring the hot milk over the egg mixture.
  4. Once all the milk is added, return the mixture to the stove and place over medium-high heat. Whisk continuously until thickened, then mix for a further 2 minutes to fully activate the cornstarch.
  5. Remove from the heat, and add the cold butter. Mix until fully melted. Pour the pastry cream into a bowl, and cover with cling film ensuring it touches the surface so a skin doesn’t form. Refrigerate to cool completely.
  6. Once cooled, transfer the crème pâtissière into a standmixer bowl fitted with a whisk attachment. Beat the mixture to break up the pastry cream, then add the praline paste and mix until well combined. Make sure you scrape down the sides of the bowl.
  7. Add the room temperature butter, a little at a time, beating well in between each addition. Once all incorporated, it should be very shiny and creamy, then transfer into a piping bag fitted a plain, round nozzle (such as a Wilton 1A). Refrigerate until ready to assemble.

Assembly

  1. Carefully cut the choux pastry in half using a serrated knife. This is optional, but you can pipe a little praline paste onto the bottom half.
  2. Pipe the crème mousseline over the bottom half, then add more praline paste and sprinkle with chopped almonds. Finish by placing the remaining half of the choux on top, and dust with icing sugar.