Description
Classical French Pastry Reimagined Without Gluten, Dairy or Eggs
This four-week professional intensive is dedicated to the art and science of gluten-free vegan French pastry. It is designed for pastry chefs, vegan chefs, culinary professionals, entrepreneurs, teachers, and ambitious home bakers who want to master the foundations of French pâtisserie in a fully plant-based and gluten-free format.
French pastry is built on precision, texture, structure and balance. In this program, students learn how to recreate the great classics of French pastry without wheat flour, butter, milk, cream or eggs — while preserving elegance, pleasure, technical discipline and professional presentation.
This is not a simple collection of adapted recipes. It is a complete technical training in gluten-free vegan pastry: creams, sauces, tarts, entremets, laminated doughs, viennoiserie, petits fours, macarons and chocolate work.
Students will learn not only what to make, but why each recipe works: how to build structure without gluten, how to replace eggs intelligently, how to create stable creams and mousses, how to laminate gluten-free doughs, how to balance starches and nut flours, how to manage moisture, how to obtain clean slices and professional finishes, and how to create desserts that are beautiful, delicious and commercially viable.
Program Positioning
A Rare Professional Training in Gluten-Free Vegan French Pastry
This program brings together three highly sought-after skills:
French pastry technique
The discipline, precision and elegance of classical pâtisserie.
Vegan pastry expertise
The ability to replace dairy, eggs, gelatin and traditional fats with plant-based alternatives while maintaining flavor, texture and structure.
Gluten-free formulation
The technical understanding required to work without wheat flour, gluten elasticity or traditional dough behavior.
Together, these skills form a rare and valuable expertise for today’s pastry professionals.
As more clients request desserts that are plant-based, gluten-free, allergy-aware, lighter, more ethical or more inclusive, professionals need serious training that goes far beyond substitution. This program teaches students to think like pastry formulators, not merely recipe followers.
WEEK 1 — Foundations: Creams, Sauces, Tarts & Textures
Building the Essential Language of Gluten-Free Vegan Pastry
The first week is dedicated to the core preparations that appear throughout French pastry. Students learn how to make stable, flavorful and elegant creams and fillings without eggs, milk, cream or butter, and how to create gluten-free tart doughs that are crisp, tender, workable and professional.
This week is fundamental. Many failures in vegan and gluten-free pastry come from weak foundations: creams that are too starchy, tart shells that crumble, fillings that are unstable, textures that are heavy, or flavors that lack refinement. Week 1 teaches students how to build balance from the beginning.
Day 1 — Major Pastry Creams
Students begin with the essential creams of French pastry in gluten-free vegan form:
- Vanilla pastry cream
- Mousseline cream
- Diplomate cream
- Citrus curds
- Frangipane
- Chantilly-style cream
The focus is on texture, stability, mouthfeel and flavor. Students learn how to replace eggs without creating heaviness, how to avoid excessive starchiness, how to obtain a smooth and glossy finish, and how to adapt each cream for different uses: tarts, entremets, choux-style fillings, layered desserts and plated components.
Day 2 — Caramel, Dessert Sauces, Compotes & Decorations
This day explores the sauces and accompaniments that bring freshness, contrast and elegance to pastry:
- Fruit sauces
- Vanilla custard-style sauce
- Chocolate sauce
- Caramel sauce
- Fruit compotes
- Simple decorative elements
Students learn how to balance acidity, sweetness, thickness and shine. The day also introduces the role of sauces in professional presentation: not as afterthoughts, but as essential elements that complete a dessert.
Day 3 — Gluten-Free Tart Doughs, Shapes & First Fruit Tarts
Students learn the principles of gluten-free tart dough formulation:
- Choosing and combining flours and starches
- Balancing fat, moisture and structure
- Rolling and lining tart rings
- Preventing cracking, shrinking and crumbling
- Blind baking and finishing
The practical work includes fruit tarts, pastry cream tarts and lemon tarts. Students begin to understand how different fillings affect tart shell texture, moisture resistance and final presentation.
Day 4 — Fruit, Chocolate & Nut Tarts
This day builds on the previous work by exploring richer and more complex tart compositions:
- Seasonal fruit tarts
- Chocolate tarts
- Nut-based tarts
- Fruit and almond combinations
- Layered tart structures
Students learn how to combine textures: crisp shell, creamy filling, fruit freshness, chocolate intensity, nut richness and decorative finish. The emphasis is on creating tarts that are both elegant and commercially attractive.
Day 5 — Ganaches, Chocolate Mousse, Gelées, Glazes & Special Tarts
The final day of Week 1 introduces more advanced texture work:
- Vegan ganaches
- Chocolate mousses
- Fruit gelées
- Glazes
- Contemporary tart finishes
- Special composed tarts
Students learn how to create shine, clean slices, stable fillings and refined finishes. This day links the world of tarts to the world of entremets, preparing students for Week 2.
By the End of Week 1, Students Will Understand
- How to create stable vegan pastry creams without eggs or dairy
- How to avoid heavy, gummy or overly starchy textures
- How to formulate gluten-free tart doughs for professional use
- How to manage moisture between tart shells and fillings
- How to balance fruit, chocolate, nuts, acidity and sweetness
- How to create sauces, compotes and decorative elements
- How foundational preparations become the building blocks of advanced pastry
WEEK 2 — Classical Entremets
Structure, Layers, Mousses, Inserts & Professional Finishing
Week 2 is dedicated to the great French entremets and layered desserts. Students move from individual components to complete composed pastries, learning how to combine sponge cakes, creams, mousses, fruit inserts, syrups, textures and finishes.
In traditional pastry, entremets rely heavily on eggs, dairy cream, gelatin and wheat-based sponge cakes. In this gluten-free vegan edition, students learn how to rebuild these structures with plant-based and gluten-free techniques while preserving lightness, elegance and clean assembly.
The goal is not simply to imitate classics, but to understand their architecture.
Day 1 — Gluten-Free Vegan Génoise, Joconde & Fraisier Entremet
Students begin with two essential sponge structures:
- Génoise-style cake
- Joconde-style almond sponge
These bases are then used to create a classic Fraisier entremet. Students learn how to build a dessert with clean layers, stable cream, fresh fruit, proper moisture control and an elegant finish.
Technical focus:
- Creating light sponge structures without eggs or gluten
- Managing softness and flexibility
- Syrup soaking without collapse
- Building clean layers
- Working with fruit and cream in a professional entremet
Day 2 — Black Forest Cake
The Black Forest cake introduces chocolate sponge, cherries, cream, syrup and decoration. Students learn how to adapt a generous classic into a vegan and gluten-free version that remains light, moist and balanced.
Technical focus:
- Chocolate sponge without gluten or eggs
- Vegan whipped cream stability
- Cherry inserts and syrup balance
- Layering and masking
- Decorative chocolate work
Day 3 — Red Fruit Charlotte
The Charlotte is a beautiful exercise in structure, fruit, cream and presentation. Students work on the components needed for a red fruit Charlotte, including sponge or biscuit elements, fruit preparations, cream and assembly.
Technical focus:
- Creating a structured but delicate dessert
- Working with fruit acidity
- Stabilizing vegan creams and mousses
- Managing unmolding and presentation
- Creating a refined fruit-forward entremet
Day 4 — Two Traditional Opera Cakes
Opera cake is one of the most technical French entremets because it depends on precision, thin layers and balance. Students prepare two traditional-style Opera cakes in gluten-free vegan form, working with sponge, coffee, chocolate, cream and glaze.
Technical focus:
- Thin joconde-style layers
- Coffee syrup balance
- Vegan buttercream-style fillings
- Ganache layers
- Glazing and cutting
- Professional finishing and portioning
Day 5 — Individual French Entremets
The week concludes with individual entremets, allowing students to apply the week’s techniques in a boutique pastry format.
Students work on small, precise desserts with multiple components: sponge, mousse, insert, glaze, decoration and final presentation.
Technical focus:
- Individual molds and assembly
- Inserts and freezing
- Glazing and unmolding
- Portion control
- Boutique-style presentation
- Designing small pastries with balanced textures
By the End of Week 2, Students Will Understand
- How to create gluten-free vegan sponge cakes for entremets
- How to replace egg-based structures in layered desserts
- How to stabilize mousses and creams without dairy or gelatin
- How to build clean, precise layers
- How to work with inserts, syrups, glazes and finishes
- How to create classical French entremets in modern plant-based form
- How to adapt large entremets into individual professional pastries
WEEK 3 — Puff Pastry, Raised Puff Pastry & Basic Viennoiserie
The Technical Heart of the Program
Week 3 is devoted to one of the most demanding areas of gluten-free vegan pastry: laminated and fermented doughs.
Traditional puff pastry and viennoiserie depend on gluten elasticity, butter plasticity, fermentation control and precise handling. Removing gluten, dairy butter and eggs makes this work significantly more complex. This week teaches students how to approach laminated doughs with a technical and realistic understanding of what must be replaced, strengthened and controlled.
Students learn the difference between classic puff pastry, raised puff pastry and enriched yeast doughs, and how each behaves in a gluten-free vegan context.
This week is a rare opportunity to study gluten-free vegan lamination in depth.
Day 1 — Mille-Feuilles
Students begin with puff pastry through the iconic mille-feuille. The focus is on creating layers, crispness, lift and controlled baking.
Technical focus:
- Gluten-free puff pastry formulation
- Dough hydration and rest
- Vegan butter or fat block behavior
- Folding and turning
- Baking for lift and crispness
- Cutting and assembling mille-feuilles
- Cream filling and final decoration
Day 2 — King’s Galettes & Vol-au-Vent
This day explores puff pastry in two different forms: the festive King’s Galette and savory or elegant vol-au-vent cases.
Students learn how laminated dough behaves in filled, sealed and shaped applications.
Technical focus:
- Circular puff pastry shaping
- Frangipane-style fillings
- Sealing and scoring
- Controlling expansion in the oven
- Creating vol-au-vent shapes
- Using puff pastry for sweet and savory professional applications
Day 3 — Gluten-Free Vegan Croissants
Croissants are among the most challenging pastries to recreate without gluten, dairy or eggs. This day is dedicated to understanding laminated yeast dough: structure, elasticity, fat distribution, fermentation and baking.
Technical focus:
- Raised laminated dough formulation
- Creating extensibility without gluten
- Managing fermentation
- Vegan butter alternatives
- Rolling, folding and shaping
- Proofing without collapse
- Baking for crisp exterior and tender interior
- Evaluating lamination, crumb and flavor
Day 4 — Pains au Chocolat & Pains aux Raisins
Students continue their work with raised laminated dough by preparing two essential viennoiseries: pains au chocolat and pains aux raisins.
Technical focus:
- Shaping rectangular viennoiserie
- Chocolate placement and structure
- Pastry cream or filling for pains aux raisins
- Rolling and slicing
- Proofing and baking
- Finishing with glaze or syrup
- Comparing different viennoiserie shapes and textures
Day 5 — Risen Doughs: Babas, Beignets & Brioches
The week concludes with enriched yeast doughs that are not laminated but require structure, softness, fermentation and moisture control.
Students prepare:
- Babas
- Beignets
- Brioches
Technical focus:
- Gluten-free vegan enriched doughs
- Yeast fermentation without gluten structure
- Soft crumb development
- Frying and baking techniques
- Syrup soaking for babas
- Shaping and finishing brioche-style doughs
By the End of Week 3, Students Will Understand
- How gluten-free laminated dough differs from traditional wheat-based dough
- How to build structure, extensibility and lift without gluten
- How to manage vegan fat blocks for lamination
- How to control fermentation in gluten-free vegan doughs
- How to prepare puff pastry, raised puff pastry and enriched doughs
- How to make mille-feuilles, galettes, vol-au-vent, croissants, pains au chocolat, pains aux raisins, babas, beignets and brioches
- How to evaluate texture, layering, crumb, crispness and flavor professionally
WEEK 4 — Petits Fours, Regional Classics, Meringues, Macarons & Chocolate
Finishing the Pastry Repertoire
The final week completes the program with a rich selection of French pastries, regional specialties, meringue-based desserts, macarons and chocolate work.
This week allows students to broaden their repertoire while refining precision, presentation and finishing. The recipes are diverse, but the technical themes remain connected: structure, moisture, sweetness, texture, stability and elegance.
Students end the program with both confidence and range: small cakes, traditional desserts, delicate meringue work, macarons and chocolate bonbons.
Day 1 — Madeleines, Financiers, Cannelés & Pound Cakes
Students begin the week with small French cakes and travel cakes that require careful texture control.
Preparations include:
- Madeleines
- Financiers
- Cannelés
- Pound cakes
Technical focus:
- Creating tender gluten-free cake textures
- Replacing eggs in small cakes
- Working with nut flours and starches
- Managing moisture and shelf life
- Creating caramelized exteriors and soft interiors
- Understanding travel cakes for boutique and commercial use
Day 2 — Flan Pâtissier, Clafoutis, Far Breton & Teurgoule
This day explores comforting French classics and regional desserts, reimagined in gluten-free vegan form.
Preparations include:
- Flan pâtissier
- Clafoutis
- Far Breton
- Teurgoule
Technical focus:
- Custard-style textures without eggs or dairy
- Baked creams and starch setting
- Fruit and batter balance
- Regional flavor profiles
- Rustic desserts with refined execution
Day 3 — Meringues & Pavlova
Meringue work is essential in vegan pastry because it teaches aeration, stability, drying, sugar balance and humidity control.
Students prepare:
- Vegan meringues
- Pavlova
- Cream and fruit finishes
Technical focus:
- Plant-based foams
- Sugar structure and stability
- Drying and baking
- Crisp exterior and soft interior
- Humidity management
- Decorating with cream, fruit and sauces
Day 4 — Macarons
Macarons are one of the most sought-after and technically demanding pastries in vegan and gluten-free pastry. Students learn how to approach macarons with precision and patience.
Technical focus:
- Vegan macaron shells
- Almond flour and sugar balance
- Plant-based meringue behavior
- Macaronage technique
- Piping and resting
- Baking and shell development
- Fillings and maturation
- Evaluating feet, texture, shine and consistency
Day 5 — Chocolate Bonbons & Chocolate Museum Visit
The program concludes with chocolate bonbons and a professional visit to the chocolate museum.
Students are introduced to chocolate work, fillings, molding and finishing, while the museum visit offers historical, cultural and professional context.
Technical focus:
- Vegan chocolate fillings
- Ganaches and praliné-style centers
- Molding and finishing
- Texture and shelf-life considerations
- Understanding chocolate as part of the French pastry tradition
- Cultural and historical context through the museum visit
By the End of Week 4, Students Will Understand
- How to create small French cakes without gluten, eggs or dairy
- How to adapt custard-style regional desserts
- How to work with vegan meringues and pavlovas
- How to produce vegan gluten-free macarons
- How to approach chocolate bonbons and fillings
- How to refine presentation, finishing and consistency
- How to build a broad gluten-free vegan French pastry repertoire
What Students Will Master Technically
By the end of the four-week program, students will have studied and practiced:
Gluten-Free Formulation
- Flour and starch selection
- Nut flour balance
- Dough hydration
- Structure without gluten
- Crumbliness prevention
- Moisture management
- Texture correction
- Crispness, softness, elasticity and stability
Vegan Pastry Technique
- Egg replacement strategies
- Dairy-free creams
- Plant-based whipped textures
- Vegan butter and fat alternatives
- Gelatin-free setting
- Aeration without eggs
- Stable mousses and fillings
French Pastry Foundations
- Pastry creams
- Mousselines
- Diplomates
- Curds
- Frangipane
- Chantilly-style creams
- Sauces
- Compotes
- Tart doughs
- Ganaches
- Mousses
- Gelées
- Glazes
Entremets & Boutique Pastries
- Sponge cakes
- Joconde-style bases
- Inserts
- Syrups
- Layering
- Assembly
- Glazing
- Unmolding
- Clean slicing
- Individual entremets
Laminated & Fermented Doughs
- Puff pastry
- Raised puff pastry
- Croissants
- Pains au chocolat
- Pains aux raisins
- Babas
- Beignets
- Brioches
- Fermentation control
- Lamination analysis
Finishing & Presentation
- Decoration
- Texture contrast
- Plating and finishing
- Boutique pastry presentation
- Portioning
- Professional evaluation of final products
Why This Program Is Unique
1. It Combines Three Specializations Rarely Taught Together
Many programs teach French pastry. Some teach vegan pastry. Some address gluten-free baking. Very few teach all three together in a coherent professional curriculum.
This program is built specifically around the challenge of creating French pastry that is both vegan and gluten-free.
2. It Is Based on Technique, Not Just Recipes
Students learn the logic behind the recipes: structure, moisture, aeration, emulsification, setting, lamination, fermentation and finishing.
This allows them to adapt, troubleshoot and create their own pastries after the program.
3. It Respects the Elegance of French Pastry
The goal is not to make desserts that simply “work” without gluten or animal products. The goal is to create pastries that are refined, beautiful and pleasurable.
Taste, texture, aroma, appearance and mouthfeel remain central.
4. It Gives Students a Commercially Valuable Skill
Restaurants, hotels, cafés, caterers and pastry shops increasingly need desserts that can serve clients with different dietary needs. A professional who can produce excellent gluten-free vegan French pastry has a rare and useful skill.
5. It Is Taught from a Pioneer’s Perspective
This program comes from years of experience in vegan gastronomy, professional pastry teaching and the development of plant-based French pastry before it became fashionable.
The training is rooted in conviction, craft and real-world practice.
