This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
These gluten free breakfast puffs are just quick and easy pastry shells made from 5 simple pantry ingredients. Fill them with scrambled eggs and crisp bacon bits, or your favorite brunch ingredients!
What's special about these gluten free breakfast puffs
I am continually amazed by everything you can do with the right flour, salt, milk, butter and eggs. This recipe for breakfast puffs is based upon my recipe for gluten free cream puffs, as the pastries are made with a variation of French choux pastry.
This version of the pastry is thicker and a bit more stiff. That's what helps them keep their shape even when they're made in this larger size. The ingredients are largely the same; only the proportions are different.
Choux pastry is a cooked, smooth pastry dough that is the basis for everything from cream puffs and chocolate éclairs to crullers and gougères. It's deceptively simple, even though it's French and stuff.
The secret to a smooth choux pastry is to use the proper ingredients, measured precisely, and to blend it in a blender or food processor. Although I absolutely loathe cleaning my food processor, I tend to prefer it for thicker mixtures as they're more difficult to transfer from the blender.
When I use a blender (which is of course so much easier to clean—just blend some soapy water and voila!) for anything thicker than a smoothie, I know that I'm leaving ingredients behind. There's just no effective way of removing every last bit of dough from around the blades.
You certainly don't have to use a piping bag to form the mounds of dough. And you can make them larger (as you see below) or smaller (as you see above in the side-by-side raw and baked photos). I generally prefer to make them larger so they accommodate more filling.
I'm sure you hardly need me to tell you how to sauté bacon or make scrambled eggs for the filling. But I've included my method anyway below. Of course, you can serve these breakfast puffs with any savory filling at all for breakfast or brunch, or even with pot pie-style filling for dinner with a lightly dressed salad.
Gluten Free Breakfast Puffs
Equipment
- Blender
- Pastry bag with large plain piping tip
Ingredients
For the puffs
- 1 ⅔ cups (233 g) all purpose gluten free flour blend, (I used Better Batter; please click thru for full info on appropriate blends)
- 1 teaspoon xanthan gum, (omit if your blend already contains it)
- 5 tablespoons (45 g) cornstarch, replace with more Cup4Cup if that is your all purpose gluten free flour blend
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 ¼ cups (10 fluid ounces) milk , plus up to 1 tablespoon more as necessary
- 5 tablespoons (70 g) unsalted butter, chopped
- 5 (250 g (weighed ouf of shell)) eggs, at room temperature
For the filling
- 3 ounces bacon, diced
- 4 eggs (any size)
- ¼ cup (2 fluid ounces) milk, at room temperature
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon (14 g) unsalted butter
Instructions
Make the pastries.
- Preheat your oven to 375°F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with unbleached parchment paper and set aside. In a medium-size bowl, place the flour blend, xanthan gum, cornstarch, and kosher salt, and whisk to combine well, and set aside.
- Place the milk and butter in a medium-size, heavy-bottomed saucepan. Place the pan over medium heat until the butter is completely melted and the mixture begins to simmer. Remove the pan from the heat, add the flour mixture and stirring vigorously.
- The dough will be thick. Transfer it to the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade or a blender. Allow the dough to cool for at least 3 minutes, or until it is no longer hot to the touch.
- Add the eggs and process or blend until the mixture is smooth and uniform. If necessary, add up to one more tablespoon of milk at room temperature to allow the dough to be processed into a smooth mixture.
- Transfer the dough from the blender or food processor to a pastry bag fitted with a large, plain piping tip (about 1 inch in diameter).
- Pipe the dough onto the prepared baking sheet in large mounds, each either 3-inches wide (for smaller puffs) or 4-inches wide (for larger), about 2-inches apart.
- Smooth the tops of the pastry dough lightly with wet fingers. Bake the puffs in the center of the preheated oven for 18 to 22 minutes (less time for smaller puffs, more for larger), or until pale golden all over.
- Remove the baking sheet from the oven and, working quickly, with a sharp knife, cut a small slit on top of each puff to allow steam to escape.
- Return the pastries on the baking sheet to the oven, turn off the oven, and prop open the oven door slightly. Allow them to sit in the oven until dry (about 30 minutes).
Make the bacon and eggs.
- In a small skillet over medium-high heat, sauté the chopped bacon, stirring occasionally, until golden brown (about 3 minutes). Place the bacon pieces on a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Cool and discard the rendered bacon fat (or strain it and save it in a sealed container in the refrigerator for another use).
- In a small bowl, beat the eggs, milk and salt until very well combined. Place the butter in a medium-size nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.
- Once the butter is melted, pour in the egg mixture and stir gently. Once clumps begin to form, fold the eggs over on themselves with a silicone spatula until there is no more liquid egg in the pan. Transfer the scrambled eggs to a plate to finish cooking as they stand.
Assemble the breakfast puffs.
- Using a sharp knife, cut about a 2-inch hole (1 1/2-inches for smaller puffs) in the top of each pastry and press the soft inside to the sides to create room inside. Fill with scrambled eggs and bacon bits. Either cover with the cut tops or serve the tops alongside. Serve warm.
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Hi Nicole, I noticed in your book you recommend Bob’s Red Mill flours but that in your FAQ you say not to use the bean based ap flour. Have you tried their new Gluten Free 1 to 1 Flour that is rice based? I use that in a lot of my recipes but am wondering if you have used it in yours?
Hi, Katt, I have never recommended Bob’s Red Mill flour blends. The ingredients in Bob’s 1:1 flour are not identical to Better Batter, and most importantly, Bob’s uses a gritty rice flour that is of inconsistent quality, at best. It will not work in most of my recipes, particularly not in a choux pastry like this.
Other ‘stuffing’ ideas please.
Hi, these look great, just like to know it there is a substitute for the xanthan gum? thanks a lot
cecilia
Have you tried Guar Gum? I use the one from Bob’s Red Mill
My husband very kindly made these yesterday and there were okay. A little dense. But looking at the comments and again at the recipe I wonder if he made a mistake?
From recipe: 2 cups (280 g) gluten free cake flour (1 2/3 cup (235 g) all purpose gluten free flour + 5 tablespoons (45 g) cornstarch)
Should this have an ‘and’ instead of a ( before the 1 2/3 all purpose reference? So it should have included 3 2/3 flour total plus the cornstarch? I think he used 2 cups of APF (he wouldn’t let me help). The dough before the eggs looked quite solid so I imagine more flour would have made it very dry.
I was tempted to try it again with baking powder to lighten the dough but if it was wrong we’d better try that the right recipe first.
Nykke, the recipe is correct as written. If he used 2 cups of all purpose gluten free flour, then he did not make the recipe as written. 280 grams of “cake flour” comprises 1 2/3 cup (or 235 g) all purpose gluten free flour, plus 5 tablespoons (or 45 g) cornstarch. Using a full 2 cups of all purpose gluten free flour will yield a more dense result. Choux pastry in any form does not include baking powder. The rise comes from the eggs.
Ah, that makes sense. I am pretty sure he did it wrong then. It was the thought that counted. The taste was nice and the kids liked them with bacon and maple syrup (mr 5 doesn’t like eggs). I will have to try again.
May I ask what kind of cake flour and all purpose gf flour you choose when making these beauties?? I can’t wait to try them! Thanks Nicole and Happy Mothers Day!
“GF cake flour” is the combination of all-purpose flour and corn starch in the proportions she listed. She usually uses Better Batter or her own knock-off recipe.
Thank you, Kathi!!!
Thank you Kathi!
Are you kidding me right now????? I’m in love. These are fancy enough for dinner or brunch party!!!
I’ve been wanting to try choux. I’ve been working up to it and I keep looking at your recipe in quick and easy because the traditional method scares me a bit. Thank goodness for you and your awesome shortcuts!!
? Jennifer! Hope you have had the happiest of Mother’s Days.
do we add both cake flour and all purpose flour?
I CANNOT wait to try this!!!!!
Cake flour is made up of all purpose flour + cornstarch, Campbell. I have revised the language a bit to help, but the math should help.
A drizzle of hollandaise would make these *divine*!!!
Why didn’t I think of that, Becktilda!
Yummy! I’ve been wondering if eclairs and the like we’re possible. Thank you for your time and efforts.
Oh everything is possible, Wilc!
You are my HERO can’t WAIT to try this!!
This is just what the Doctor ordered. Something I’ve missed most. have you tried to freeze them for future use? would be great to pop them out of the freezer on a moments notice for quick chicken-a-la king or deserts.
I haven’t tried freezing them, Lee, no. But I think they’d do fine. Just be sure to cool them completely first, and wrap them very, very tightly and defrost, covered, at room temperature. If you want to refresh them in a toaster or oven, sprinkle with water first so they don’t dry out.