Classic Cream Puffs with Vanilla Pastry Cream, Gluten Free

Instructions

1. 1

   Start the pastry cream

   Warm 1 1/2 cups of the milk in a medium saucepan over medium heat until you see steam and small bubbles at the edges. Meanwhile, whisk the remaining 1/2 cup milk with the sugar, cornstarch, egg yolks, and salt in a bowl until completely smooth with no lumps of starch hiding at the bottom.

2. 2

   Temper and thicken

   Pour the hot milk into the yolk mixture in a thin stream while whisking hard, then return everything to the saucepan. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly and scraping the corners, until it thickens into a pudding and bubbles lazily break the surface. Keep whisking through those bubbles for a full 60 seconds — this cooks out the starchy taste and deactivates an enzyme in the yolks that would otherwise thin the cream later.

3. 3

   Finish and chill

   Off the heat, whisk in the butter and vanilla. Push the cream through a fine-mesh sieve into a shallow bowl, press plastic wrap directly onto the surface so no skin forms, and refrigerate at least 3 hours or overnight. It needs to be thoroughly cold before it meets the puffs.

4. 4

   Whisk the dry ingredients

   Stir the gluten-free flour blend and xanthan gum together in a small bowl so the gum is evenly dispersed. If your blend already lists xanthan gum or guar gum on the label, skip the added gum entirely — doubling up makes the shells gummy and heavy.

5. 5

   Boil the liquid and butter

   Combine the water, milk, butter, sugar, and salt in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Let the butter melt completely before the liquid reaches a boil, then bring it to a true rolling boil.

6. 6

   Add the flour and dry the paste

   Off the heat, add the flour mixture all at once and stir hard until no dry streaks remain. Return the pan to medium heat and stir for 3 to 4 minutes — a touch longer than a wheat dough needs, since rice-based blends hold more water. The paste should form a cohesive ball and leave a thin film on the pan bottom.

7. 7

   Cool, then beat in the eggs

   Transfer the dough to a mixing bowl and beat on low for about 2 minutes to release steam, until it drops below 125°F. Add the beaten eggs in four additions, mixing until each is fully absorbed before the next. It will look curdled between additions and smooth out every time.

8. 8

   Check consistency, then rest

   The finished dough should hang from the paddle in a thick, glossy V that droops slowly. Hold back some of the last egg if it looks loose — gluten-free blends absorb less liquid than wheat flour, so you may not need every drop. Cover the bowl and rest the dough 25 minutes at room temperature. This lets the starches fully hydrate and noticeably improves the rise; the dough will stiffen slightly as it sits, which is exactly right.

9. 9

   Pipe the puffs

   Scrape the dough into a piping bag fitted with a 1/2-inch round tip and pipe 18 mounds about 1 1/2 inches wide and 1 inch tall onto parchment-lined sheets, spaced 2 inches apart. Smooth every peak with a wet fingertip — gluten-free dough is stickier, so keep a bowl of water next to you. Brush lightly with egg wash.

10. 10

    Bake

    Bake at 425°F for 15 minutes without opening the door, then lower to 350°F (177°C) and bake 25 to 30 minutes, until the shells are deep golden and the sides feel firm and crackly rather than springy. Gluten-free choux needs those extra few minutes; the walls are more fragile and will sink if any dampness remains inside.

11. 11

    Vent and dry

    Pierce each puff in the side to release steam, then leave them in the turned-off oven with the door propped open for 15 minutes — five minutes longer than the wheat version — to dry the interiors thoroughly. Cool completely on a wire rack.

12. 12

    Lighten the filling and fill

    Whip the cold heavy cream to soft peaks, whisk the chilled pastry cream smooth, and fold the two together. Pipe into each shell through the hole you made, dust with powdered sugar, and serve within a couple of hours — gluten-free shells soften faster than wheat ones once filled.

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Baker's Tips

• 1.

  Weigh the flour if you can. An over-scooped cup throws off the hydration more than any other variable in choux.

• 2.

  Beat the eggs together in a measuring cup first and add them gradually rather than one whole egg at a time. Eggs vary in size, and this gives you fine control over the final consistency.

• 3.

  Bake both trays separately on the center rack. Choux needs even, direct heat, and a tray on a lower rack will always come out squatter.

• 4.

  If your puffs deflate as they cool, they needed more oven time. Next round, add five minutes at 350°F and look for a deep walnut brown.

• 5.

  Unfilled shells can be refreshed in a 300°F oven for 5 minutes to bring back the crisp, which is handy if you baked them the day before.

• 6.

  For profiteroles, fill with ice cream instead and pour warm chocolate sauce over the top. Same shells, different dessert.