Gluten Free Profiteroles

Fancy showing off at your next dinner party? You better make a light main course and skip the starters. This recipe creates the softest, lightest and everso moreish profiteroles which will leave your guests going back for seconds, thirds, forths… you get it.

I did a goldy locks when testing and retesting this recipe. They were too lumpy, too flat and too eggy. But finally, I perfected a choux pastry which creates a perfect vessel for cream and chocolate topping.

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FREE FROM

This recipe is naturally gluten, oat, nut and booze free. It can be easily made dairy free with a few simple ingredient swaps.

Gluten: Yes
Oats: Yes
Alcohol: Yes
Eggs: No
Dairy: No. Swap butter, cream and chocolate for non-dairy alternative 1:1.
Nuts: Yes

INGREDIENTS

  • Milk (or non-dairy alternative)
  • Unsalted butter (or non-dairy alternative)
  • Caster sugar
  • Gluten free plain flour: I use my favourite Freee From gluten free plain flour.
  • Xanthan gum
  • Salt
  • Eggs
  • Double cream (or non-dairy alternative)
  • Milk chocolate (or non-dairy alternative)
  • Icing sugar

EQUIPTMENT

  • Weighing scales: Remember baking is a science (particularly when it’s gluten free!), no skipping the accurate measurements.
  • Electric whisk: If you fancy a workout, a handheld whisk and a lot of elbow grease will work but an electric whisk will speed your efforts up and create a fluffy cream for your filling. 
Screenshot 2024-03-08 at 19.26.28

HOW TO MAKE INSTRUCTIONS

1. Place the butter in a saucepan, on a medium heat. Once the butter is 50% melted, add the water, milk, sugar and salt and simmer until the sugar has melted.

2. Add the xanthan gum to the gluten free plain flour and mix well with a whisk. Take the saucepan off the heat and sieve these dry ingredients into the melted mixture in the saucepan and mix well until a dough is formed and all flour is incorporated. Place your saucepan back over a low heat and continue to mix for a further two minutes to evaporate water out of the dough.

3. Transfer the dough to a cool glass or metal bowl, and spread the mixture out thinly to help cool.

4. Crack all three eggs into a jug and lightly whisk until in a pourable state. Once the dough is cooler to the touch, add a small amount of egg and whisk your dough. Repeat this until your dough is smooth, silky and pipeable.

5. Transfer the choux to a piping bag, with a circular nozzle placed in the bag ready to pipe. On a silicon sheet or baking paper, evenly pipe 15-18 profiteroles of approximately 7cm in diameter.

6. Place your tray in the oven for 35 minutes, resisting opening the oven until your timer goes (we need the steam to stay in the oven!). When ready, take the tray out of the oven and make a small hole in the bottom of each profiterole before placing it on a cooling rack (this will prevent your choux from deflating).

7. While your profiteroles cool, whisk the double cream and icing sugar until you can  form stiff peaks. Spoon the cream into a piping bag with a long thin nozzle, which you will place into the profiterole hole you created earlier. Keep squeezing in your cream until the choux feels taught or the cream begins to ooze out of the profiterole.

8. Microwave the milk chocolate in 30 second intervals until melted and add a tsp of sunflower oil to make your chocolate smooth and more spreadable. Place each profiterole into the bowl of chocolate to coat the top, placing back on the cooling rack to set.

TIPS & TRICKS

  • Don’t skip the weighing scales. Remember the overbaked chocolate cake and block of set fudge brownies we’re used to seeing? Too much flour or chocolate will create these poor bakes.
  • Use a watered finger to flatten down the choux peaks to avoid them catching in the oven.
  • The size of your eggs are very important in choux pastry. Remember to use large eggs, but don’t be afraid to add more egg if your dough look too thick.

STORAGE INSTRUCTIONS

If you are using this desert to woo your dinner party guests, then you can skip this section. However, the profiteroles will keep well in an airtight container for up to 3 days, kept in the fridge.

profiteroles image after equptment

Did you try this recipe? Don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave a comment below. Want more free from bakes? Join me on Instagram for more free from recipe ideas.

Screenshot 2024-03-08 at 19.26.28
Gluten Free Profiteroles
Author:Lucy May
Prep Time: 30 mins
Cook Time: 30 mins
Ready in: 60 mins
Serves: 15-18
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INGREDIENTS

  • 70 ml water
  • 70 ml milk (or non-dairy alternative)
  • 50g unsalted butter (or non-dairy alternative)
  • 1 tsp caster sugar
  • 90g gluten free plain flour
  • ¼ tsp xanthan gum
  • Pinch of salt
  • 3 large eggs
  • 250 ml double cream (or non-dairy alternative)
  • 150g milk chocolate (or non-dairy alternative)
  • 1 tbsp icing sugar

INSTRUCTIONS

Heat the oven to 180c fan.

Place the butter in a saucepan, on a medium heat. Once the butter is 50% melted, add the water, milk, sugar and salt and simmer until the sugar has melted.

Add the xanthan gum to the gluten free plain flour and mix well with a whisk. Take the saucepan off the heat and sieve these dry ingredients into the melted mixture in the saucepan and mix well until a dough is formed and all flour is incorporated.

Place your saucepan back over a low heat and continue to mix for a further two minutes to evaporate water out of the dough.

Transfer the dough to a cool glass or metal bowl, and spread the mixture out thinly to help cool.

Crack all three eggs into a jug and lightly whisk until in a pourable state.

Once the dough is cooler to the touch, add a small amount of egg and whisk your dough (it will resemble scrambled eggs for a while, this is ok!). Repeat this until your dough is smooth, silky and pipeable.

Transfer the choux to a piping bag, with a circular nozzle placed in the bag ready to pipe. On a silicon sheet or baking paper, evenly pipe 15-18 profiteroles of approximately 7cm in diameter.

Place your tray in the oven for 35 minutes, resisting opening the oven until your timer goes (we need the steam to stay in the oven!). When ready, take the tray out of the oven and make a small hole in the bottom of each profiterole before placing it on a cooling rack (this will prevent your choux from deflating).

While your profiteroles cool, whisk the double cream and icing sugar until you can  form stiff peaks. Spoon the cream into a piping bag with a long thin nozzle, which you will place into the profiterole hole you created earlier. Keep squeezing in your cream until the choux feels taught or the cream begins to ooze out of the profiterole.

Microwave the milk chocolate in 30 second intervals until melted and add a tsp of sunflower oil to make your chocolate smooth and more spreadable. Place each profiterole into the bowl of chocolate to coat the top, placing back on the cooling rack to set.

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ABOUT ME

In 2017 I joined the coeliac club and I knew that if I wanted to enjoy all the carby goodness I had been indulging in for 21 years, I needed to up my culinary game.

I created Lulu’s Free From to share recipes so, you too, can eat delicious food that doesn’t compromise on taste or texture and delivers on your dietary needs.