The Best Gluten-Free Won Ton Wrappers

Yield: Makes 60 3inch square wrappers

Unlike conventional wonton wrappers, which are sold ready made in large grocery stores in the refrigerated case, if we want gluten-free wonton wrappers, we have to make them ourselves. And since wonton wrappers are the foundation of everything from eggrolls and crab Rangoon to steamed dumplings and wonton soup, this is a gluten-free recipe to master right now. Like the gluten-free flour

tortillas above, they freeze beautifully, stacked without filling, or filled and shaped. You can even boil filled wontons in soup without defrosting them at all!

INGREDIENTS

1 3/4 cups (245 g) all purpose gluten-free flour (I use Better Batter), plus more for sprinkling

3/4 teaspoon xanthan gum (omit if your blend already contains it)

35 grams (about 1/4 cup) Expandex modified tapioca starch * (can be replaced, in this instance, with an equal amount of regular tapioca starch/flour)

3 eggs (180g, out of shell) at room temperature, beaten

4 to 6 tablespoons warm water (about 85°F)

DIRECTIONS

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or a large bowl with a wooden spoon), place the flour, xanthan gum and Expandex, and whisk to combine well with a separate handheld whisk. Create a well in the center of the dry ingredients, and add the eggs and 4 table spoons warm water, and mix to combine on medium speed for about 1 minute (or with the wooden spoon for at least 2 minutes). The dough should come together. If there are any crumbly bits, add the remaining warm water by the teaspoon until the dough holds together well when squeezed with your hands. Turn the mixer speed up to medium high, and beat until smooth, 3 to 4 minutes (or by hand with a wooden spoon for at least twice as long). The dough should be smooth and pliable. If it feels stiff, add a few more drops of water and mix in until pliable. It should be, at most, slightly sticky but mostly just smooth.

2. Transfer the dough to a piece of plastic wrap, wrap it tightly and allow it to sit at room temperature for about 10 minutes. The dough will absorb more water and any remaining stickiness should dissipate. Unwrap the dough, divide it in half and return half of it to the plastic wrap and wrap tightly to prevent it from drying out. Place the remaining half of the dough on a lightly floured surface, sprinkle lightly with more flour and roll into a rectangle about 1/4inch thick. Flip and shift the dough often to prevent it from sticking, sprinkling very lightly with more flour as necessary to allow movement. With a pizza wheel, pastry cutter or sharp knife, trim the edges of the rectangle to create even edges. Remove and gather the trimmings, and set them aside.

3. Applying even and sustained, but not aggressive, pressure roll out the rectangle until it is approximately 1/8 inch thick. Slice into 3inch squares. Alternatively, slice the 1/4inch thick rectangle into 1 1/2inch squares, and roll each square evenly in all directions until it doubles in

surface area and is 1/8inch thick. I often find this the quicker, easier way to get squares that are the proper thickness.

4. Use wonton wrappers in gluten-free eggrolls , gluten-free crab Rangoon , or wonton dumplings for soup. Stack any leftover wrappers, wrap first in waxed paper and then place in a freezer safe container, seal tightly and freeze until ready to use. Defrost by placing overnight in the refrigerator before using.

5. To make wonton soup, make a filling of 1 pound ground pork or beef + 3 tablespoons gluten-free soy sauce + 3 tablespoons rice vinegar + 1 tablespoon honey + 1 scallion, chopped. Then, place about 1 teaspoon of filling in the center of each skin, moisten all 4 edges of the skin with an egg wash (1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water), and close by joining two opposite corners of the skin,

pressing out any air and sealing tightly. Then, brush the top with more egg wash, and bring together both tips on the long side of the resulting triangle, overlapping them slightly and brushing with more egg wash to seal. To make the soup, boil the wontons about 10 at a time in 4 cups boiling chicken stock, seasoned with soy sauce and chopped scallions, for about 4 minutes per batch (or until the meat is cooked and the noodles are tender). Remove the wontons with a strainer, divide

among bowls, and wilt baby bok choy in the stock. Divide the soup among the bowls, and serve piping hot.

#wonton #glutenfree