Cream Puffs (AR)

By IUPUI95

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup brown rice flour mix
• 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon xanthan gum
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces
• 1/2 cup fat-free milk
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 1 recipe of vanilla filling

Preparation

Step 1

1) Preheat oven to 400°F. Position rack in center of oven. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

2) Combine flour, sugar, xanthan gum, and salt in a small bowl and set aside.

3) Bring butter and milk to a boil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Try not to allow too much of the milk to evaporate. As soon as the milk mixture boils, remove saucepan from heat and add flour mixture all at once. Use a soup spoon, and stir vigorously to combine. The dough should come together in a tight ball.

4) Return saucepan to a medium heat and cook, stirring constantly, until dough has a smooth appearance and oil from the butter begins to glisten on the surface (about 1 minute). The bottom of the pan will be coated with a thin film of dough, and the temperature of the inside of the dough taken with an instant-read thermometer should be 140-150°F.

5) Transfer the dough to the large bowl of an electric mixer. Begin to beat dough at medium speed and add the vanilla and then the eggs one at a time; allow the first egg to be fully absorbed and the dough to become smooth and shiny before adding the second. After each addition, the dough will separate into slippery little lumps before coming back together. Beat until dough is very smooth in consistency and is a very pale yellow color, about 2-3 minutes.

6) Use a pastry bag with a 1/2" smooth, round opening at the tip. Fill the pastry bag with warm dough. Squeeze the dough onto the prepared baking sheet, making circular rounds 2" in diameter and 1" high at the highest point. Space the mounds 2" apart. Tap down any pointy dough tips that result from pulling away the pastry bag from each mound.

7) Put baking sheet on center rack in oven and bake about 25 minutes or until dough rises and puffs are double or triple in size and dough turns golden brown. Turn oven down to 300°F but do not open door. Bake another 8-10 minutes or until puffs are firm and crusty to the touch. Remove baking sheet from oven; turn oven off.

8) Quickly and carefully slice each puff in half horizontally with a thin, pointy knife; if desired, leave one side connected. Put the puffs back on the baking sheet with the two halves open. Put baking sheet back in oven with door ajar for about 10 minutes or until the interiors have dried out. Note: If the puffs are moist inside, they will shrink. Cool completely on a rack before filling and serving.

TO USE IMMEDIATELY:
Spoon desired filling into bottom half of the puff and cover with top half. Sift confectioners' sugar over top if desired.

TO USE WITHIN 24 HOURS:
Store in an airtight container at room temperature. Recrisp in preheated 350°F oven. Allow to cool completely on a rack and fill as above.

TO FREEZE FOR USE WITHIN 2 WEEKS:
Store in an airtight container and freeze for up to 2 weeks. Defrost, recrisp, cool and fill as above.