Ditch Your Puff Pastry For Gluten-Free Rice Paper Croissants
Another day, another inventive, surprisingly delicious recipe creation from TikTok. The social media site has churned out some, if not controversial, food creations in recent months and years — looking at your viral fluffy Cokes and bizarre-sounding pickles plus Dr. Pepper. And we're not even close to quitting trying out the creative concoctions dreamed up by internet foodies.
The latest and greatest to hit everyone's "for you" page is a gluten-free twist on your favorite, famously gluten-loaded, flaky, buttery treat: the croissant. Typically consisting of layers upon layers of delicate, airy pastry made with flour, the traditional croissant is not exactly friendly to those with dietary restrictions. But leave it to TikTok to turn tradition on its head with a gluten-free croissant made with layers of paper-thin rice sheets. Typically used in savory, Asian-inspired recipes like Vietnamese summer rolls or crispy dumplings, rice paper sheets have little flavor on their own, so they can take on the role of baked good quite effortlessly when dunked in batter and rolled up into the signature horn croissant shape. While they may not exactly pass for a traditional croissant, depending on who you ask — when the craving for light, flaky, buttery pastry hits, but you're off of gluten, this certainly gets the job done.
Working with rice paper is as easy as pre-made pastry
No need to bust out complex calculations or take the gamble of playing with various gluten-free flour alternatives which can be finicky and unpredictable in something relatively unforgiving like pastry. Using rice paper instead isn't the obvious solution, but it should be — as they present an alternative to flour and are as easy to work with. Think of rice paper sheets just like you would layers of pre-made puff pastry or phyllo dough — just minus the gluten.
Conventional croissants are famously labor-intensive to make (we'd rather grab a case of Costco's and make them pass as homemade), requiring kneading, rolling out, brushing on butter, etc. For this TikTok twist thought, you're essentially skipping the entire pastry part of making this pastry, and skipping over tricky gluten-free ingredients like xantham gum. Instead, you just need a mixture of eggs, milk, butter — key for really mimicking that croissant flavor – and perhaps some cinnamon. Then dip each sheet to coat in the liquid, position, layer slice, and roll up.
@twaydabae Rice paper is soooo versitile !!! #croissant #ricepapercroissant
Bake in the oven until golden crispy and flaky, and enjoy — without paying for it later — your totally gluten-free, flaky treat. Stick to the classic "croissant" or modify this recipe with sweet or savory versions, as cooks across TikTok have done with ham and cheese and other creative adaptations.