Wait until you try these Gluten free pastries. If you love flaky pastry, and if you have missed a classic French pastry since going gluten free, you will want to dive right into this gluten free pastry recipe. You can fill the pastries with jam, pastry cream, Nutella, or any filling you like.
Jump To:
- Why this recipe is worth making:
- Ingredients you need:
- Pastry fillings ideas:
- How to make gluten free pastry:
- Gluten free dough rising tips:
- Reasons why your gluten free dough didn't rise:
- Recipe FAQ:
- More Delicious Gluten Free Dessert Recipes:
- Recipe
- Gluten free dough rising tips:
- Reasons why your gluten free dough didn't rise:
- Comments
Those three words just don't seem to go together at all. Flaky. Pastries. Gluten free.
I don't even know what initially inspired me to attempt to convert one of Martha Stewart's pastry recipes to a gluten free pastry recipe. Scanning through her baking handbook and I just saw this flaky Danish dough recipe.
Totally silly of me, but I stared....drooled...and grew more and more determined to make this pastry recipe work with gluten free flour. Making gluten free pastries is easy and the results are mouth-watering. These pastries are great for dessert, or any time of day!
If you love French desserts, here are two more delicious gluten free recipes to make your mouth water: Fool-Proof Gluten Free Apple Cake and Gluten Free French Apple Cakes.
Why this recipe is worth making:
Flaky pastry...mouthwatering flaky pastries that are gluten free. You can shape my pastry dough any way you like to make all sorts of delicious shapes, with lots of filling options.
This recipe takes time, but wouldn't getting all of those flaky layers worth it?
This is not a recipe for those in a hurry. Making this pastry dough has a lot of steps to get the flakiness into the dough. There are a lot of photographs of each step so you can see in detail how to make this recipe. I hope you can give this a try in your own kitchen.
Trust me it is worth it...and if you LOVE this gluten free pastry recipe, just wait until you try my Gluten Free Cheese Danish recipe!!
Ingredients you need:
- Gluten free flour blend - I have tested this recipe with Cup4Cup, Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1 GF blend, Better Batter, and Cup4Cup over the years. That doesn't mean others will not work, I just have not tested other flours. Some gluten free flour blends vary A LOT in how much rise you can get. I got the BEST rise from Cup4Cup and Better Batter flour blends.
- Xanthan gum - If your gluten free flour blend doesn’t contain xanthan gum or guar gum, please add 1 teaspoon.
- Yeast - I used regular packet yeast, not the rapid rise.
Pastry fillings ideas:
- Jams (I like jam better than jelly because jam has fruit pieces in it.) If you love jam in pastries, try my Gluten Free Kolache recipe!
- Nutella
- Chocolate chunks
- Cream cheese
How to make gluten free pastry:
Are you ready to see how to make this gluten free flaky pastry dough step by step?
Step 1: Proof your yeast in warm (NOT HOT) water. Make sure your water is no warmer than 110º F.
Step 2: Add the dry ingredients to a bowl and whisk to blend.
What gluten free flour is best to make gluten free pastries with?
I tested this recipe using Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1 Gluten Free Flour Blend, Authentic Foods Multiblend and King Arthur's Measure for Measure Gluten Free Blend. That doesn't mean others will not work, I just have not tested other flours.
Step 3: Add this frothy yeast mixture to the other wet ingredients in a small bowl and mix well.
Step 4: Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Mix until your mixture forms a dough. Cover the dough and set aside the dough to rise for 1 hour.
*Note if it is cold outside or in your house, I like to rise my dough in the oven. Preheat your oven to 200º F then turn it off. Add the covered bowl to the oven and allow your dough to rise there.
Step 5: After lots of rising, place the dough on wax paper or a mat. Roll the dough flat to about ¼ inch thickness.
Step 6: Add butter chunks to half the dough. You don't want your butter chunks too big. Mine are about 1-inch and thinly cut.
Step 7: Fold the dough up over the butter as I show in the photo above. The key is to cover the butter up and nestle the dough all around it.
Step 8: Roll the dough with the butter chunks to ¼ inch thickness again. (If you look closely, you can see the butter inside.)
We are going to repeat this process a lot. Each layer breaks up the butter into thin bits mixed into the dough. Think of the thin areas of butter creating pockets of flaky layers.
Step 9: Add more butter. You will then fold the dough over the butter again as shown above in Step 7. Refrigerate for 20-30 minutes.
Step 10-12: Repeat this process of rolling, adding butter, and folding, for a total of 3-4 more times. This process is lengthy and takes time but it is what gives the pastry its flaky layers. I promise it is worth it!
Then it goes back into the refrigerator to rise again.
Step 13: Cut the dough into the shape you want and add filling. This one has cream cheese and apricot preserves.
Step 14: Roll or fold and then brush egg wash over the dough. Allow to sit 10 minutes while the oven preheats to 350º F.
Step 15: Bake for 20 minutes, depending on the size of your pastries. Remove from the oven and allow cooling.
Optional....dust the gluten free pastries with powdered sugar.
Gluten free dough rising tips:
It is really hard to get gluten free dough to rise. I am not sure why but it can be hit or miss. Here are a few tips to help make the process a little easier:
- Allow the dough to rise overnight in a cool spot. Slower rising in cool temperatures can make your dough stronger and rise better.
- For this recipe, I have the yeast ferment in warm milk instead of water. The sugars in the milk feed the yeast as they start to grow and ferment. Make sure the temperature is no higher than 110º F.
- As I mentioned above, the weather can affect how your dough rises. Preheat your oven to 200º F then turn it off. Add the covered bowl to the oven and allow your dough to rise there.
Reasons why your gluten free dough didn't rise:
- Was your liquid too hot?
- Did you include a sugar (milk or sugar) to feed the yeast as they fermented?
- Did you let the dough rise long enough?
- Did you roll in a lot of butter layers?
- Did you use a light flour blend with Xanthan gum? (Some gluten free flour blends have almond flour and bean flours in them and this could affect the lightness of the dough...and flavor!)
Recipe FAQ:
Unfortunately, the secret to the flaky pastry is butter so I do not know a way to make this recipe dairy free.
This is not quite the same as regular gluten puff pastry. It is close in that you get lots of flaky layers, but it doesn't have that classic lightness to the buttery flakes.
These pastries will keep up to 4 days in an air-tight container, or up to 4 months in the freezer.
*This post was updated with more detailed recipe directions from my old 2/23/15 post.
More Delicious Gluten Free Dessert Recipes:
- These Gluten Free Cream Puffs are an incredible dessert!
- If you love peanut butter, these Gluten Free Cinnamon Rolls with a Peanut Butter Glaze are amazing!
- Melt in your mouth Gluten Free Vanilla Kipferl Cookies are very popular!
- Flaky Gluten Free Blueberry Scones are so easy!
Recipe
Flaky Gluten Free Pastries
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ cup gluten free flour blend * see note
- 2 ½ teaspoons dry yeast 1 packet
- ½ cup warm milk
- 2 tablespoons butter melted
- ¼ cup sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1 stick butter cold
Filling:
- Filling (chocolate, jam, fruit, etc are all fun options.)
- 1 egg for the egg wash
Instructions
- Proof your yeast in warm (NOT HOT) water. Make sure your water is no warmer than 110º F. Let it sit 5-8 minutes until bubbly. Add the rest of the wet ingredients to this frothy mixture and mix.
- Add the dry ingredients to a bowl and whisk to blend.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Mix until your mixture forms a dough. Cover the dough and set aside the dough to rise for 1 hour.
- Note if it is cold outside or in your house, I like to rise my dough in the oven. Preheat your oven to 200º F then turn it off. Add the covered bowl to the oven and allow your dough to rise there.
- After lots of rising, place the dough on wax paper or a mat. Roll the dough flat to about ¼ inch thickness.
- Add butter chunks to half the dough. You don't want your butter chunks too big. Mine are about 1-inch and thinly cut.
- Fold the dough up over the butter as I show in the photo above. The key is to cover the butter up and nestle the dough all around it.
- Roll the dough with the butter chunks to ¼ inch thickness again. (If you look closely, you can see the butter inside.)
- We are going to repeat this process a lot. Each layer breaks up the butter into thin bits mixed into the dough. Think of the thin areas of butter creating pockets of flaky layers.
- Repeat this process of rolling, adding butter, and folding, for a total of 3-4 more times. This process is lengthy and takes time but it is what gives the pastry its flaky layers. I promise it is worth it!
- Cut the dough into the shape you want and add filling. This one has cream cheese and apricot preserves.
- Roll or fold and then brush egg wash over the dough. Allow to sit 10 minutes while the oven preheats to 350º F.
- Bake for 20 minutes, depending on the size of your pastries. Remove from the oven and allow cooling.
Notes
- I have tested this recipe with Cup4Cup, Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1 GF blend, and Authentic Foods Multi Blend. That doesn't mean others will not work, I just have not tested other flours. Cup4Cup rose the best.
- If your gluten free flour blend doesn’t contain xanthan gum or guar gum, please add 1 teaspoon.
- These pastries will keep up to 4 days in an air-tight container, or up to 4 months in the freezer.
Gluten free dough rising tips:
It is really hard to get gluten free dough to rise. I am not sure why but it can be hit or miss. Here are a few tips to help make the process a little easier:- Allow the dough to rise overnight in a cool spot. Slower rising in cool temperatures can make your dough stronger and rise better.
- For this recipe, I have the yeast ferment in warm milk instead of water. The sugars in the milk feed the yeast as they start to grow and ferment. Make sure the temperature is no higher than 110º F.
- As I mentioned above, the weather can affect how your dough rises. Preheat your oven to 200º F then turn it off. Add the covered bowl to the oven and allow your dough to rise there.
Reasons why your gluten free dough didn't rise:
- Was your liquid too hot?
- Did you include a sugar (milk or sugar) to feed the yeast as they fermented?
- Did you let the dough rise long enough?
- Did you roll in a lot of butter layers?
- Did you use a light flour blend with Xanthan gum? (Some gluten free flour blends have almond flour and bean flours in them and this could affect the lightness of the dough...and flavor!)
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the actual nutritional information with the products and brands you are using with your preferred nutritional calculator.
If you love the recipes you find on my blog, I would love for you to sign up for my newsletter (and get my free gluten free holiday cookies baking tips!)
Chelsea
Hi Sandi, this looks amazing! One of the things I really miss the most having to be gluten free is serious yeasted flakey pastry like croissants etc. I was wondering if this dough could be frozen before shaping or baking, as back in my gluten days I use to be able to get frozen uncooked croissants and filled pastries that you could take out of the freezer, let thaw/rise for an hour or so, then bake fresh, and it was so nice to just have one or two pastries hot out of the oven for breakfast on a weekend. Either that or having the dough ready to make into whatever flavor/shape you want, without having to make the dough the same day. Have you tried anything like that before? Thanks a bunch!
Sandi Gaertner
Hi Chelsea, I would think that you can freeze the dough. I have not tried it, but my recipes typically freeze well.
Chelsea
Thanks Sandi!
Nia
OK thanks! I am making them today so I hope they turn out.
Nia
Hi I am a bit confused. It says you let them rise in the oven and then it says to let it rise in the fridge overnight? Another person posted to let it rise a second time in the fridge for 30. Can someone please clarify if the rise should be cool or warm and how much for first and second in a simple list like this:
first rise = 24 hours in the fridge or
first rise = 1 hour in a warm place ...?
Sandi Gaertner
I do the first rise on the counter, but you can also do it in the refrigerator overnight because it is easier. It really depends on how much time you have, and when you plan to bake them.
Karen McDonnell
Your recipe calls for 1/2 cup of milk. Is this for proofing the yeast or part of the "wet" ingredients? You state that you use milk instead of water to proof.
Sandi Gaertner
Hi Karen, I proof the 1/2 cup of milk and to that, after the yeast is bubbly, you add the rest of the wet ingredients to. I hope this helps.
Bets
Wondering if a yeast substitute would work. I try to stay away from yeast because it is just a form of fungus.
Sandi Gaertner
Hi Bets, I think you need yeast for the rise in order for the flaky layers to form.