Choux Pastry Trial #1
I used a simple flour mixture consisting of white rice flour, brown rice flour, potato starch, and tapioca starch. My father in law uses a similar flour mix when he bakes gluten free. I modified the proportions of the mixture slightly and applied it to the Cordon Bleu recipe for crème puffs.
Method of Preparation: When I cooked my panada (the term for flour + water + salt + sugar) over the stove, it did not solidify into a ball the way it does with wheat flour. While mixing it around in the pot, it maintained a mushy and choppy consistency that almost mimicked mashed potatoes. I stirred it for about 4 minutes, until it became as compact as it was going to. Typically, a panada is not stirred for more than 3 minutes or it will over-cook.
I gradually added 6 eggs to the panada and mixed the dough together with a spatula. After the 6 eggs were mixed through, I added a few drops of full fat milk, since it was not as wet as it should have been. Afterwards, it finally resembled the consistency of real choux paste. I was doubtful that the finished product would be a success, but I was more hopeful than I was while I was mixing the lumpy panada around in the pot.
Method of Cookery: We baked the choux at 400 degrees farenheit in a large commercial rotating oven used for baking the store's breads, bagels, and cakes. After 20 minutes, I was pleasantly surprised to see that the choux was a golden brown colour and had puffed up beautifully. I let out the steam in the oven for the last five minutes and removed them to cool. The light brown colour and smooth surface of the choux puffs were identical to those that I made in class with wheat flour. I was anxious to taste one to see if they tasted as much like choux pastry as they looked.
Texture/Flavour: After I tasted the choux, my immediate uncontrolled reaction was to jump up and down with excitement and incredulity. They tasted EXACTLY like real choux puffs and had an identical consistency to those made with wheat flour with a crispy shell and hollow inside. I would never have believed that these were gluten free.
Method of Preparation: When I cooked my panada (the term for flour + water + salt + sugar) over the stove, it did not solidify into a ball the way it does with wheat flour. While mixing it around in the pot, it maintained a mushy and choppy consistency that almost mimicked mashed potatoes. I stirred it for about 4 minutes, until it became as compact as it was going to. Typically, a panada is not stirred for more than 3 minutes or it will over-cook.
I gradually added 6 eggs to the panada and mixed the dough together with a spatula. After the 6 eggs were mixed through, I added a few drops of full fat milk, since it was not as wet as it should have been. Afterwards, it finally resembled the consistency of real choux paste. I was doubtful that the finished product would be a success, but I was more hopeful than I was while I was mixing the lumpy panada around in the pot.
Method of Cookery: We baked the choux at 400 degrees farenheit in a large commercial rotating oven used for baking the store's breads, bagels, and cakes. After 20 minutes, I was pleasantly surprised to see that the choux was a golden brown colour and had puffed up beautifully. I let out the steam in the oven for the last five minutes and removed them to cool. The light brown colour and smooth surface of the choux puffs were identical to those that I made in class with wheat flour. I was anxious to taste one to see if they tasted as much like choux pastry as they looked.
Texture/Flavour: After I tasted the choux, my immediate uncontrolled reaction was to jump up and down with excitement and incredulity. They tasted EXACTLY like real choux puffs and had an identical consistency to those made with wheat flour with a crispy shell and hollow inside. I would never have believed that these were gluten free.
Choux Pastry Trial #2:
Method of Preparation/Cookery: I made a second batch of choux the same day adjusting my proportions slightly. I increased the brown rice flour and decreased the white rice flour. Since brown rice is more dense and absorbs more moisture, this panada only took 4 eggs plus a bit of milk. I mixed the dough with a spatula.
Method of Cookery- I baked the choux puffs at the same temperature in the same oven as Choux Trial #1.
Texture/Flavour: The choux puffed up nicely and produced a similar colour and flavour to the first. The noticeable differences were that the second batch had a bumpier surface and the consistency was slightly grittier. This difference in texture is because the brown rice flour is a less fine flour than the white rice. Choux trial #1 was definitely the winner of the two.
I filled both trials #1 and #2 with chocolate cream, custard, and chocolate peanut butter cream. I dipped the chocolate filled puffs in melted chocolate and the custard filled puffs in vanilla fondant. The happiest of all was my mother in law. For the first time since she was diagnosed with Celiac, she was able to enjoy delicious cream puffs.
Method of Cookery- I baked the choux puffs at the same temperature in the same oven as Choux Trial #1.
Texture/Flavour: The choux puffed up nicely and produced a similar colour and flavour to the first. The noticeable differences were that the second batch had a bumpier surface and the consistency was slightly grittier. This difference in texture is because the brown rice flour is a less fine flour than the white rice. Choux trial #1 was definitely the winner of the two.
I filled both trials #1 and #2 with chocolate cream, custard, and chocolate peanut butter cream. I dipped the chocolate filled puffs in melted chocolate and the custard filled puffs in vanilla fondant. The happiest of all was my mother in law. For the first time since she was diagnosed with Celiac, she was able to enjoy delicious cream puffs.
Choux Pastry Trial #3
In this flour mixture I used brown rice flour, white rice flour, sorghum flour, soy flour, potato starch, and corn starch. I wanted to experiment with sorghum flour because it is noted to have a neutral flavour and be a good replacement for an All Purpose/Bakers flour. Up until this point, I've only been using mixtures used with brown/white rice flours and starches. With each week of the challenge, I hope to incorporate new types of flours into my repertoires and have a more complex understand of how they work.
Method of preparation- I mixed the panada with the room temperature eggs by hand with a spatula.
Method of Cookery: I baked the choux at 200 degrees for 20 min in a domestic oven and left them in the oven with the door open slightly for an additional 5 min to let out the steam. You have to get more creative when you're baking at home!
Texture/Flavour: The choux buns puffed up but they were dense and the inside was doughy instead of hollow. The colour was darker than a traditional choux. The pastry had a strong buttery profile and a very bland taste, especially without any filling. It reminded me of the Passover soup croutons that only taste good when they absorb all the flavour from the chicken soup. My first assumption was that I didn’t add enough salt and sugar to the panada. The bottoms were slightly soggy, probably because there was too much spray on the pan when I piped them.
Feedback for Trial #3:
Chef Angel- “It’s really nice. I know it’s a bit doughy because its heavier flours.
Method of preparation- I mixed the panada with the room temperature eggs by hand with a spatula.
Method of Cookery: I baked the choux at 200 degrees for 20 min in a domestic oven and left them in the oven with the door open slightly for an additional 5 min to let out the steam. You have to get more creative when you're baking at home!
Texture/Flavour: The choux buns puffed up but they were dense and the inside was doughy instead of hollow. The colour was darker than a traditional choux. The pastry had a strong buttery profile and a very bland taste, especially without any filling. It reminded me of the Passover soup croutons that only taste good when they absorb all the flavour from the chicken soup. My first assumption was that I didn’t add enough salt and sugar to the panada. The bottoms were slightly soggy, probably because there was too much spray on the pan when I piped them.
Feedback for Trial #3:
Chef Angel- “It’s really nice. I know it’s a bit doughy because its heavier flours.
Conclusion for Trails #1 #2 and #3:
Conclusion for Trails #1 #2 and #3:Trials #1 and #2 were baked in a commercial oven and trial #3 was baked in my tiny domestic oven in my apartment, so the conditions were not as ideal.
I should have put a bit more salt in the water to bring out the flavour. I don’t need more sugar in the choux pasty because I’ll be putting sweet fillings inside but adding more salt would enhance the flavour.
The dense and doughy center could have been a function of the way my domestic oven bakes or how I let the steam out at the end. The colour was too dark and they were a little over-baked. Gluten free pastries generally bake more quickly than those with wheat flour. It is important to constantly check the product while it's in the oven because leaving it for just a minute too long could ruin the product. I may have had to open the oven 2 minutes earlier, lower the temperature a bit and let the steam out for 8-10 minutes instead of only 5 minutes. This would have given me a less well- done product and a better puff. I will try to dry out the choux by cooking it at a lower temperature for a longer time to make a hollow and less doughy center.
Instead of adding milk to the panada, I will add more egg on an as needed basis. Egg has leavening properties and milk is just used for flavour. The aeration of the egg whites will help the choux puff up and the yolks will bind the product.
I will decrease the amount of sorghum that I use in my flour mixture. Sorghum is a heavier non refined flour. It has a lot of bulk in it and stays in the stomach for a long time so it keeps you full. It's one of the stronger/heavier flours. The sorghum flour is probably very suitable for breads and quickbreads, but the choux pastry requires a slightly lighter flour mix. I will try to also increase the amount of rice flour. Rice flour has property of crisping up as well.
I should have put a bit more salt in the water to bring out the flavour. I don’t need more sugar in the choux pasty because I’ll be putting sweet fillings inside but adding more salt would enhance the flavour.
The dense and doughy center could have been a function of the way my domestic oven bakes or how I let the steam out at the end. The colour was too dark and they were a little over-baked. Gluten free pastries generally bake more quickly than those with wheat flour. It is important to constantly check the product while it's in the oven because leaving it for just a minute too long could ruin the product. I may have had to open the oven 2 minutes earlier, lower the temperature a bit and let the steam out for 8-10 minutes instead of only 5 minutes. This would have given me a less well- done product and a better puff. I will try to dry out the choux by cooking it at a lower temperature for a longer time to make a hollow and less doughy center.
Instead of adding milk to the panada, I will add more egg on an as needed basis. Egg has leavening properties and milk is just used for flavour. The aeration of the egg whites will help the choux puff up and the yolks will bind the product.
I will decrease the amount of sorghum that I use in my flour mixture. Sorghum is a heavier non refined flour. It has a lot of bulk in it and stays in the stomach for a long time so it keeps you full. It's one of the stronger/heavier flours. The sorghum flour is probably very suitable for breads and quickbreads, but the choux pastry requires a slightly lighter flour mix. I will try to also increase the amount of rice flour. Rice flour has property of crisping up as well.