If you’re dying to make your favorite sweet dessert or savory dish with puff pastry, you have a few options to making this happen even if you follow a strict gluten-free diet. In this post, I’ll show you what brands manufacture gluten-free puff pastry and how to make your own gluten-free puff pastry from scratch. This post contains affiliate links. Please see my disclosures.
I love gluten-free puff pastry. It’s flaky and buttery and works so well in a plethora of savory and sweet recipes.
That said, gluten-free puff pastry is hard to find. I dare say it’s the unicorn of gluten-free baking. In Denver, where I live, I’ve all but given up on finding the pre-packaged puff pastry in a grocery store near me.
I once found Schar gluten-free puff pastry at Safeway. But that turned out to be a short lived find. The puff pastry was available for a few months, then seemingly vanished from store shelves overnight, never to be seen again.
Even the Whole Foods and Sprouts stores near me don’t carry gluten-free puff pastry.
In this article, I’m going to share with you:
- What brands offer gluten-free puff pastry and where to find it.
- How to make your own gluten-free puff pastry recipe, from scratch.
- What to make with puff pastry. I link to various recipes below.
Let’s get started!
Gluten-Free Puff Pastry Brands
Your local grocery store may carry one or more of these gluten-free puff pastry brands. Be sure to check the company’s store locator on each website (before making a trip) to inquire if they carry gluten-free puff pastry.
(1) Schar Gluten-Free Puff Pastry
Schar is one of the largest gluten-free brands in the world and very popular throughout Europe. The company makes a gluten-free puff pastry dough that I tried and loved, but unfortunately can no longer find in stores near me.
The puff pastry is gluten-, lactose- and wheat-free and is found in the frozen food aisle. I’ve used it to make gluten-free pigs in a blanket and a massive gluten-free chicken pot pie.
(2) GeeFree Puff Pastry Sheets
GeeFree also makes gluten-free puff pastry sheets. I haven’t had the opportunity to try it as the company has not expanded its distribution to Denver. Regardless, GeeFree puff pastry sheets are gluten- and dairy-free. They contain eggs.
(3) Katz’s Gluten-Free Multi-Purpose Dough
While not labeled “puff pastry,” Katz’s gluten-free multi-purpose dough looks like puff pastry dough and is recommended to be used to make many of the foods that require puff pastry. The dough is gluten-, dairy-, nut- and soy-free. It contains eggs.
I emailed Katz to inquire where I could find the gluten-free pastry dough. A company representative told me, “Most stores will not carry our multi-purpose dough.” She suggested that I ask the East Side Kosher Deli, a kosher grocery store in Denver, to order it for me.
What to Make with Puff Pastry
Puff pastry is a versatile dough that lends itself to making a variety of savory and sweet recipes. I admit, since I’ve been on the gluten-free “diet” for so long, I don’t know much about cooking or baking with puff pastry. It’s been a steep learning curve for me.
Regardless if you buy the dough or make it yourself (puff pastry recipe below), the dough is typically flakey, buttery, and savory. Most puff pastry doughs do not contain sugar, so they can be used for a variety of sweet and savory recipes.
Savory recipes made with gluten-free puff pastry might include:
- Empanadas
- Pigs in a Blanket
- Pot Pie
- Hot Pockets
- Pizza Pockets
- Spanakopita
- Knishes
- Baked Brie
- Crescent rolls
Sweet recipes made with gluten-free puff pastry might include:
- Turnovers
- Cannolis
- Danishes
- Pinwheels
- Tarts
There are so many options, and you can have fun playing with the dough and creating fun recipes with it.
How to Make Gluten-Free Puff Pastry
Because I haven’t been able to find store-bought gluten-free puff pastry, I decided to make my own. The only issue is I didn’t know where to start.
After combing the Internet to see what options were available, I landed on my friend Crystal’s blog. She is a fantastic baker and has a recipe for everything – check out her site.
Instead of recreating the wheel, I tried making her gluten-free puff pastry recipe and had huge success. You can view her recipe here or my version of her recipe is featured below with a printable recipe card.
I’ve made this puff pastry recipe many times and it works beautifully every time. It used to take me awhile to make it, now I whip it up so fast that I’m not sure I would buy store-bought puff pastry again, even if it was available.
I’ll walk you through how to make a quick and simple gluten-free puff pastry dough so you can enjoy this wonderful treat again.
Step #1: Prepare the Dough
To prepare your dough, whisk together white rice flour, potato starch, tapioca starch/flour, xanthan gum, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. You’ll need:
- 1 cup white rice flour
- ½ cup tapioca starch/flour
- ½ cup potato starch
- 1 teaspoon xanthan gum
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (two sticks) cold unsalted butter
- ½ cup cold water
- 1 egg, for an egg wash (reserve for brushing on top of assembled puff pastry)
Bob’s Red Mill makes all of the ingredients you’ll need, and you can find them on Amazon or at most local grocery stores nationwide.
Next, use your grater to shred two sticks of cold unsalted butter. Add the cold grated butter into the flour mixture and squish it around using your hands so the flour sticks to the butter pieces.
Now add the cold water and use your hands to knead everything together until well combined. Form the dough into a large dough ball, cover it with plastic wrap, and place it in your fridge for 2 hours to chill.
Step #2: Roll Out the Dough
Take the dough ball out of the fridge and allow it to sit at room temperature for 20-30 minutes until softened. You can knead the dough, by hand, to warm it up and make it more malleable and flexible. The dough it easier to knead when worked in two batches. If the dough cracks, it’s still too cold to work with so allow it to warm up further.
Add a large piece of parchment paper to your countertop and dust it with tapioca starch. Shape the dough ball into a rectangle and place it on the parchment paper and then dust the top with tapioca starch. Cover the dough with a second piece of large parchment paper and use your rolling pin to roll out the dough into a long, thin layer.
Fold each side of the rectangle into the center similar to folding a piece of paper to place into an envelope. Rotate the dough then roll it out into a large rectangle again. Add more tapioca starch to the top and bottom of the dough to prevent it from sticking to the parchment paper and repeat this process two additional times for a total of three roll outs until you have a large rectangle that is about 3/4″ thick.
Use a pizza cutter or knife to cut off the fray edges of the dough so you wind up with a tidy rectangle. Then cut the dough into 8 even rectangles. Because I work with half of the dough at a time, I cut the dough into four rectangles.
Step #3: Add Filling
At this time, you can add any filling you desire. If making it sweet, add a scoop of Nutella or other sweet filling to the center of each smaller rectangle.
If making it savory, add ingredients like sauce, cheese and pizza toppings to the center of each rectangle piece of dough.
As you can see, this gluten-free puff pastry dough is super versatile for both sweet and savory treats. Whatever you can dream up, this puff pastry recipe can handle!
Step #4: Bake
Once you’ve added your filling to the puff pastry, you’re ready to bake it. Do NOT bake the puff pastry before adding your filling(s).
I recommend brushing the top of your puff pastry creations with an egg wash to ensure it comes out flaky and golden brown. You can then put the pastry treats on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for about 18-20 minutes until lightly browned on top.
Here is what the puff pastry layers look like when baked in my homemade hot pockets. See those beautiful, flaky layers? That is because we folded and rolled out the dough several times before baking it.
Troubleshooting
Here are answers to some of the questions I’ve received about making gluten-free puff pastry from scratch:
Why do you roll out the dough several times? Traditional puff pastry has many layers to it, and those layers are formed when the dough is rolled out, folded, then rolled out again. This step is required for at least six times in baking with gluten, but in gluten-free baking, we do it a few times to get a few layers despite not having any gluten to develop.
Can you substitute dairy-free butter sticks? I haven’t tried making it dairy free. If you do, let me know.
Do I have to use the egg wash on top? The egg wash will help the puff pastry brown, but you can use something like coconut cream or omit altogether.
Is there a xanthan gum substitute? I haven’t tested it with any substitutes, but guar gum (same amount) and psyllium husk (3x amount) might work. Let me know if you try it.
Can I chill the dough overnight? Yes, you can chill the dough for awhile, just leave ample time for it to warm up before rolling it out. If it cracks when rolled, it needs more time to warm up. You can also work the dough in your hands to warm it up.
The dough sticks to the parchment paper when rolled out. What do I do? You’ll want to add rice flour or tapioca starch to the parchment paper (top and bottom) to prevent the dough from sticking. Add more flour or starch every time you fold the dough and roll it out again.
Can I use brown rice flour instead of white rice flour? I haven’t tried it with brown rice flour and do not recommend it.
Can I refrigerate or freeze the puff pastry sheets until needed? I recommend rolling out the dough right before using it. Store the ball of dough in your fridge, then roll it out right before you’re ready to make your recipe. I do not recommend freezing the dough. It will be hard to roll out. If you do freeze the dough, allow it to defrost in your fridge for 24 hours before handling.
Where can I find the original puff pastry recipe? Visit my friend Crystal’s blog.
Puff Pastry Recipes
You can use gluten-free puff pastry to make so many fun recipes. Here are a few to check out:
Gluten-Free Puff Pastry
Ingredients
- 1 cup white rice flour
- ½ cup tapioca starch
- ½ cup potato starch
- 1 tsp xanthan gum
- ¾ tsp baking soda
- ¾ tsp salt
- 1 cup two sticks cold unsalted butter shredded with a grater
- ½ cup cold water
- 1 egg (for egg wash; reserve to brush on top of puff pastry before baking)
Instructions
Step #1: Prepare the Dough
- To prepare your dough, whisk together white rice flour, potato starch, tapioca starch/flour, xanthan gum, baking soda and salt in a large bowl.
- Add the cold grated butter into the flour mixture and squish it around using your hands so the flour sticks to the butter pieces.
- Add the cold water and use your hands to knead everything together until well combined. Form the dough into a large dough ball, cover it with plastic wrap, and place it in your fridge for 2 hours to chill or overnight.
Step #2: Roll Out the Dough
- Take the dough ball out of the fridge and allow it to sit at room temperature for 20-30 minutes until softened. You can knead the dough, by hand, to warm it up and make it more malleable and flexible. The dough it easier to knead when worked in two batches. If the dough cracks, it's still too cold to work with so allow it to warm up further.
- Add a large piece of parchment paper to your countertop and dust it with tapioca starch. Shape the dough ball into a rectangle and place it on the parchment paper and then dust the top with tapioca starch. Cover the dough with a second piece of large parchment paper and use your rolling pin to roll out the dough into a long, thin layer.
- Fold each side of the rectangle into the center similar to folding a piece of paper to place into an envelope. Rotate the dough then roll it out into a large rectangle again. Add more tapioca starch to the top and bottom of the dough to prevent it from sticking to the parchment paper and repeat this process two additional times for a total of three roll outs until you have a large rectangle that is about 3/4″ thick.
Step #3: Add Filling(s)
- Use a pizza cutter or knife to cut off the fray edges of the dough so you wind up with a tidy rectangle. Then cut the dough into 8-10 even rectangles.
- At this time, you can add any filling you desire. If making it sweet, add a scoop of Nutella or other sweet filling to the center of each smaller rectangle. If making it savory, like a pizza pocket, add sauce, cheese and other pizza toppings to the center of each rectangle piece of dough.
- Fold over one edge of the puff pastry onto itself, then use a fork to gently press and seal the two edges together. Brush to top with egg wash and sprinkle sugar (for a sweet treat) or savory seasonings (for a savory pocket) on top.
Step #4: Bake
- Place your puff pastry creation on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and bake for 18-20 minutes in a 400º F oven until the top becomes slightly golden brown. Allow the pastry to cool slightly before handling or eating. The contents in the center may be hot.
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