Gluten Free Dairy Free Soft Dinner Rolls Recipe
Updated Nov 16, 2020, Published Nov 18, 2011
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For the last week and a half I have been working on a gluten free recipe for dinner rolls. And not just gluten free dinner rolls but SOFT gluten free dinner rolls.
You see for several years now I have prepared and served completely gluten-free Thanksgivings. Not a pie crust, cracker or bread product with a speck of gluten has graced my feasting table. My family, friends and I have been very happy – no complaints. My gluten free cornbread stuffing is fabulous (she says modestly), I’ve mastered gluten free pie crusts, and gravy and creamed spinach is wonderful gluten free and a breeze to make. But the one thing missing was dinner rolls. The bread basket was not empty, I have served cornbread and biscuits; all fine but not the yeasty, warm, SOFT dinner rolls I remember from way back when. I missed them. I know they are in no way the star of the show, in fact they are barely a supporting character but still, I missed them. But it was my own fault; I never took the time to figure it out – to get them right.
For the most part cooking gluten free is no more complicated than regular cooking but gluten free baking poses challenges. I find that when I take the time to understand a subject it is easier for me to conquer the challenges. And of course I like to pass along what I have learned along the way.
Gluten is sticky, it holds things together (remember mixing flour and water together as a kid and getting paste? That’s the gluten.) So we need to add sticky stuff to our flours to make up for the lack of “glue.” The sticky stuff comes in the form of starches (such as tapioca, corn or potato starch) and gums (xanthan and guar). I wanted traditional, soft dinner rolls so I stuck with rice flours instead of the heartier ones like Millet and Sorghum. All rice flours are not created equally; the gritty texture people associate with gluten free baked goods made with rice flour is due to the way it is milled. Whenever I use rice flours, I use Superfine or Asian rice flour. But don’t use Asian potato starch as it is usually made with sweet potatoes and that’s not what you want. I also made these with my own ALL PURPOSE, Pastry Quality Flour blend and they were fabulous. (If I do say so myself!)
Gluten is a protein molecule; it adds structure to baked goods – helps them stay put. When you add yeast to flours that don’t have protein this is especially a problem. Imagine that you tried to pump air into one of those big bouncy houses and there weren’t enough sides or walls in the bouncy house – it would fall down right? So we need to add protein to our dough to act as the structure. Eggs provide the perfect solution.
Just as with flours, not all eggs are created equally. I tested this recipe using generic supermarket eggs and eggs from Nature’s Yoke – egg producers who use only pastured eggs from small, local farms where the chickens are all free roaming – no horror house cages-and-eggs factories. All their hens are free of drugs and hormones and are fed vegetarian diets. Studies have shown that eggs from free-roaming chickens are higher in nutrition than eggs from caged hens. I think that anyone, including chickens, will produce better, higher quality products if they have happier lives! And since we are adding eggs to the this recipe, they should add flavor as well – the rolls made with eggs from Nature’s Yolk were not only better tasting, they had a better texture and a more beautiful brown color.
To make soft, yeasty, risen rolls we need, of course, to add yeast. Yeast must be “active” to work. If the yeast doesn’t foam up while “proofing” it isn’t active – get new stuff!
This roll recipe is dairy-free. I don’t personally have to be dairy-free but others in my family do. However, since I was testing I made a few batches with dairy products and guess what? It was unanimously agreed upon that the dairy free rolls tasted better. There wasn’t a huge difference and if you want to make your’s with dairy, go ahead. But I will tell you this – the rolls made with rice milk and Earth Balance were more tender and the flavor of the honey shone through better without the dairy masking the flavor.
As I explained with my gluten free French bread recipe, gluten free baked goods need a little extra help with structure. They should be risen, baked and cooled in muffin tins to get them that little extra help. I also made a few batches in cake pans – I scooped the batter into the cake pans with an ice cream scoop and let them rise, bake and cool in those. These were very soft and made “pull apart” rolls. I personally like the aesthetics of the individual rolls better but it is just an option. There was no difference in rising and cooking times.
If you, like me, don’t relish the idea of making your rolls while trying to cook an entire Thanksgiving meal I have good news! I made several batches ahead, I let them cool in the muffin pans, covered the pans with plastic wrap and then refrigerated for up to 2 days, reheated for a few minutes and they were just as fantastic! In fact they are even good cold so if you have left-overs, save them for gluten free turkey sandwiches the next day!
Click here to see my cooking demonstration of this recipe on Daytime TV!
Gluten Free Dairy Free Soft Dinner Rolls Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons dry active yeast
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 2 cups rice milk or milk, (warm but not hot)
- 1½ cups superfine or Asian White Rice Flour*
- ½ cup superfine or Asian Sweet Rice Flour, (also called glutinous rice flour)*
- ¾ cup potato starch, (not potato flour)*
- ½ cup tapioca starch*
- 3 teaspoons xanthan gum
- 1 ½ teaspoons kosher or fine sea salt
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 3 large eggs, divided
- ¼ cup butter or non-dairy butter substitute (Earth Balance recommended), (plus more for brushing the pans)
- ¼ cup honey
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
Instructions
- Combine the yeast, sugar and warmed milk in a small bowl and whisk to dissolve the sugar. Let sit for 6-8 minutes or until the mixture is foamy and has increased in volume.
- Combine the flours, starches (or all-purpose gluten free flour blend), xanthan gum, salt and baking powder in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Mix for 30 seconds on medium-low to combine and break up any lumps in the potato starch.
- Add the yeast mixture, 2 eggs, melted butter substitute (or butter), honey and vinegar. Mix on medium low until combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, turn the mixer on high and mix for 3 minutes. You should have a very thick, smooth batter.
- Brush 2 standard muffin pans with melted butter (or butter substitute) or spray with gluten free, non-stick cooking spray. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin pans, filling about ¾ full. Alternately, you can use a small (#60) ice cream scoop and place 3 scoops in each muffin tin (like a clover leaf). Cover with a clean kitchen towel and place in a warm, draft free place to rise. Let rise for 35 minutes or until the dough has almost doubled in size.
- Beat the remaining egg with 1 teaspoon of water very well with a fork. Gently brush the tops of each roll with the beaten egg.
- Bake for 17-18 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool in the pans for 15 minutes.
- The rolls can be made ahead – bake them, let them cool in the pans, wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 2 days. Warm for a few minutes in a 350 degree oven.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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These rolls were an absolute success at our Thanksgiving dinner! Our guests couldn’t believe they were gluten free and I couldn’t believe they were so easy to make. The rolls will now be a staple at our table.
Hi Carol, We just got your flour in the mail and I made these rolls…one word AMAZING !!!!!! My hubby and I have been GF & DF since April. Good Bread is one item we miss, not any longer thanks to you :) xo. We first caught you on our local Tampa TV show “Daytime”. We ordered you Desert book. Question for you..Can I half this recipe since it is just the two of us? It makes an ample amount of rolls and we cant eat them up before the suggested time frame. First we had them with Chilli for dinner, next we dipped in our over med eggs for breakfast, and egg sandwhices the next morning. Tomorrow I plan to take the remaining rolls and crumble up and bake on a cookie sheet with garlic and seasoning to make a breadcrumb that I can use for fish or shrimp. I dont want to waste a single morsel of these yummy rolls. Also, are you making any local apperances in Tampa Bay Area anytime soon, I would love to have you sign my book and or take a cooking class from you.
Oh thank you so much! I am happy you enjoyed the rolls. Yes, you can cut the recipe in half and you can also freeze the rolls. Just put in a zip lock, freeze and then you can warm briefly before serving. I am going to be doing some cooking classes at Publix Apron School – still working on the dates but can notify you when I know. It would be lovely to meet you!
Hi Carol, I was wondering if you’ve tried this recipe as a loaf of bread. I really like this receipe and my celiac bf LOVES this recipe. I would really like to make him bread for sandwiches since most store bought gluten-free is terrible. If it wouldn’t work can you suggest another?
Thanks!
I didn;t try this recipe as bread but I did with my french bread recipe – I baked it in a 9 by 5 inch loaf pan and it was great! Here’s the link – https://glutenfreeandmore.com/blog/2011/11/gluten-free-french-bread-recipe-easy-easy-easy.html
I made whole recipe and from that made 6 hamburger buns on one of those shallow muffin pans and put the rest of the batter in a bread pan. Both cooked up great. The bread took quite a bit longer, so I had to cover it so it wouldn’t brown too much on top. However, on the cooling, the loaf of bread collapsed in the middle. :( I think next time I will try it with mini loaf pans. But it’s still YUMMY!
Thanks for reporting back Tara – yes this recipe was formulated for baking in muffin tins, they add extra structure while baking and cooling. A mini loaf pan would probably work fine, just let it cool in the pan. Since I wanted soft rolls, it is a sort of more delicate dough.
We made french toast out of the deflated bread few day old bread and it was YUMMY! Nice and creamy inside!
mmmm, sounds delish! Thanks.
I’ve made this as a regular loaf and only had a little bit of problems with falling. I’ve actually made wheat bread before that fell MUCH easier and tasted nasty, so this usually works out much nicer, IMO. This recipe definitely tastes like “real” bread and slices up quite nicely.
Thanks Anne, glad you enjoyed it!
My sister recently found out that gluten triggers her migraines, so she has gone gluten-free. i’ve been trying recipes lately for her, but none of the bread/roll recipes have been as good as this one! They come out very fluffy and moist- she loves them! I also used soy milk instead of rice milk and it was delicious, thanks!
Thanks for letting me know Alicia – what a great sister you are!
Using a dark muffin pan and 17 minutes gave me burnt bottoms. I was SO disappoinged…. but then I tasted them. Soft and yummy on the inside. I can’t wait to make them again next weekend, but first I have to consume a few more of my mistakes. Thanks for the recipe. Its a keeper.
Hi Kevin – yep when you use a darker pan in baking often you will need to decrease the temp by 25 degrees and just cook a tad longer. The darkness conducts the heat better. I am happy you liked the tatse and with the teaking for dark pans, you should be golden! Thanks for reporting back!
I know it may sound kinda crazy but I don’t have an electric mixer, but we have just purchased a bread maker(!) My housemate have found that a gluten free diet is helping her and I am enjoying trying out new recipes. Can we mix it in the bread maker?
We are also avoiding adding refined sugar… would they work if I increased the honey quantity?
Thanks, appreciate your advice.
If you are wanting to make rolls, I would just do the mixing by hand – it is going to take a bit of elbow grease but its doable. If you want a loaf then I think the bread machine would work but I have not tried it. If there is a gluten free setting on your machine, use that if not just make sure it only does 1 rise. And yes, you can replace the sugar with more honey.
These were just fabulous. Even my bread loving gluten tolerant husband liked these!
Thanks for letting me know! I am married to a bread loving gluten tolerant husband myself and it passed his test too :)
This looks soooo good. Can it be made with egg-free version?? My son is allergic to egg and I’m still on the hunt for good Wheat free, dairy free and egg free dinner roll recipe.
You can alwways try egg substitute or mix 1 tablespoon of flax meal or chia seeds with 3 tablespoons of warm water, let it sit for 5 minutes and use that. I have not tried it but from what I know it should work. Please report back!
Thank you very much, will definitely let you know!! :))
Thank for this recipe. I made them last night and the look and texture of the rolls is perfect but I thought they tasted quite yeasty, I used the 2 TBSP listed in the recipe but it seemed like a lot. Should I reduce the yeast or is their something else I should do different.
If you don’t like the yeasty tatse you can reduce it to no less that 2 1/4 teaspoons, they should still rise well I believe. I wanted a really soft, yeasty roll so….
Hello,
Thanks for the brilliant recipe! We made it with egg substitute (orgran) and it worked out great, just add a little extra moisture or the batter is too thick.. Also makes a great pizza base and garlic bread (just add 2 cloves of fine grated garlic and a teaspoon of parsley to 1/2 the mixture and use the other half to make pizza bases, Voila pizza night!).
your
Thank you so much for letting me know this worked with egg substitute! So many people asked. What a great idea to use as pizza bases! Thank you so much for the idea!