Gluten free sourdough dinner rolls.
When you started this gluten free diet, did you ever think there was a such a thing out there?
I didn’t either.
But I was bound and determined to enjoy a gluten free sourdough dinner roll like everyone else. In fact my girls prefer when I make things with sourdough instead of yeast anyways.
The first thing you are going to need is a good active gluten-free sourdough starter. You will not use yeast in this recipe, so an active starter is crucial to get a good rise.
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Can I use a gluten free all purpose flour in this recipe?
If you did a quick search on Pinterest you could find all kinds of recipes for gluten free breads….. but there is one problem.
Most of them use an all purpose gluten free flour blend.
For years I kept trying these recipes, only to be disappointed with the results. I so badly wanted to make a good gluten free loaf of homemade bread for my family and it never turned out.
What was I doing wrong?
Turns out it was the flour. Making a good gluten free bread requires a specific ratio of grain to starch, plus the right amount of a binding agent to get the perfect texture and taste. If it’s not right you will wind up with a heavy, dense, gummy bread. Not at all what we are looking for in bread.
The problem with using an all purpose GF blend is they will never be the right ratio. I find that most have a lot more starch in them than what you are looking for and you may not get enough of a binding agent to keep your bread together.
To ensure great success and good results, it is always best to build your gf flours for your specific bread recipe and not use an all purpose gluten free flour. If you are looking for some good gluten free bread options I have 3 to share:
Gluten Free All Purpose Whole Grain Bread
Ingredients for the dinner rolls:
- 250g gluten free active sourdough starter
- 340g warm water
- 20g psyllium husk powder
- 340g white rice flour
- 230g tapioca starch or tapioca flour (They are the same thing)
- 2 TBSP honey
- 1 TBSP avocado oil or olive oil
- 2 eggs
- 2 tsp xanthan gum
- 2 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 2 TBSP apple cider vinegar
- melted butter for the top
How to make gluten free sourdough dinner rolls:
- First you will need to feed your gf sourdough starter at least 5-6 hours before you want to bake. I like to feed my starter first thing in the morning, let it sit on my warm counter until after lunch. Than I make up the sourdough dinner rolls dough and shape them. Let those sit on the counter to rise until an hour or 2 before dinner and then bake them.
- Your starter is ready to use in the recipe, when it has risen some and has lots of air pockets and bubbles. Gluten free starters won’t rise as much as regular starters. You are looking for it to have a lot of air pockets. See video below for further description on what you are looking for.
- With a digital kitchen scale and in the bowl of a stand mixer, add in active starter and warm water. Next, add in the psyllium husk powder and use a whisk to whisk it up right away so it doesn’t clump. The liquid will gel up. If you don’t have a stand mixer you can do this in a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer.
- Place your bowl back on the scale and measure out your dry ingredients and the rest of your wet ingredients. You will add everything to the bowl.
- Place a little bit of warm water in a measuring cup. This will be used just in case you need more liquid to make your dough come together. You don’t want to add extra flour, instead you want to add more liquid. This will ensure your ratio of grain to starch stays the same for the whole recipe.
- Turn your mixer on medium and let it mix for 2-3 minutes. Add in splashes of water as needed if all the flour isn’t mixing in. It should be a sticky dough ball at this point.
Shaping the dinner rolls:
- Once you dough is completely mixed together it is time to start shaping your rolls. This recipe will make 24 regular sized dinner rolls.
- Spray 2, 9×13 baking dishes with oil.
- On a lightly floured surface, of white rice flour, dump your dough out. I shape my dough into a long log and eye ball where to cut it to make 24 rolls. I use a dough cutter to do it. You can also measure each ball of dough in grams, to ensure your rolls are all even. I don’t hardly ever do it that way though.
- Spray or dip your hands in avocado oil or olive oil so the dough doesn’t stick. You will have to repeat this step as needed while shaping.
- Shape each ball of dough by rolling in between your hands in a smooth ball. The smoother you can get it the better your rolls will turn out.
- Place the gluten-free rolls into the oiled baking dish leaving about 1″ in between. This gives them room to rise and then rise some more when baking. Cover the baking dish with plastic wrap so that it is an airtight container. Let the dough rise in a warm place or on your kitchen counter for 3-5 hours.
- Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.
- Remove the plastic wrap and place gluten-free sourdough dinner rolls into the oven. Bake for 20-30 minutes or until the tops are golden brown.
- Pull the rolls out of the oven and immediately brush the tops of the rolls with melted butter. Serve warm.
FAQ:
Here are some frequently asked questions regarding these gluten free sourdough dinner rolls. Hopefully these will answer any questions that may arise while you are making these delicious rolls.
1. Can I use sourdough discard and not active starter?
I would not recommend using the discard in place of the active starter. You will not get a good rise on your dinner rolls.
If you choose to use just the discard and not active sourdough starter, I would add 2 tsp of active dry yeast. This will ensure that your gluten-free dinner rolls will rise. I prefer to feed my starter and let it get active, so I don’t need to add any commercial yeast.
2. Can I use a different grain flour in place of white rice flour?
I have tried this recipe in many different ways and the answer is yes you can!
One thing to remember is that each gluten free grain flour has a different taste and flavor. So your dinner rolls will be a different taste depending on what you use.
I have tried it with brown rice flour, sorghum flour, and millet flour. They all taste good, but we tend to like the white rice flour the best.
If you run out of tapioca starch no worries! This one is an easy one to replace. You can use arrowroot powder, potato starch, or cornstarch in place of tapioca starch and you will hardly notice the difference.
Again, I like using the flours in the above recipe the best, but you can substitute if desired!
3. My dinner rolls didn’t rise, what happened?
The most likely reason your dinner rolls didn’t rise is because the starter wasn’t active enough.
On your first time, this can be challenging because gluten free sourdough starters are so different then regular starters. Remember to always look for lots of air pockets. That’s how you know it is super active and ready.
Make sure to check out the video to see what my starter looks like up close, before I start baking.
Also note that if you had your starter in the fridge, it usually takes a couple feedings on the counter before it really wakes up. It is always the most active when I leave my starter on the counter and feed it every day.
4. Can I make these ahead of time and then reheat them?
As with all gluten free breads, they are always the best on the same day you want to eat them. If you want to bake them in the morning and then reheat before dinner that works perfect.
I always find if you reheat them before eating, it brings back their soft texture.
However, you can make them the day before and reheat, but I find they taste the best and have the best texture on the same day.
5. Is a digital scale necessary?
Yes, a digital scale is very necessary. I couldn’t even tell you what to measure in cups because I never do it.
Every kitchen temperature and humidity is different and the amount of flour you use will vary from day to day, depending on those factors. For this reason, it is always best to use a kitchen scale to get the best gluten free bread in both texture and taste.
6. Is a regular sourdough starter and bread gluten free?
There is such a misconception out there on this.
No, regular gluten sourdough bread and starter is not gluten free. Despite what you read on the internet, this is false information!
It is true that sourdough bread can be easier to digest for some people. This is because of fermented yeast that is used.
However, the fermentation process does not take away the gluten in regular wheat flour. Gluten is a protein in the wheat and it is still there, even in sourdough.
So if you have celiac disease, don’t be fooled. Regular sourdough bread is not gluten free, but the good news is I have a delicious gluten free sourdough bread so you don’t have to miss out!
7. Can I freeze them?
Yes you can! In fact if you are not going to eat these right away this is the recommended way to store them.
Putting gluten free bread in the fridge is the fastest way to dry your bread out and make it stale. But not when you freeze it!
Pop them in a freezer bag and into the freezer. When you are ready to eat these delicious gluten-free sourdough rolls, take them out and defrost them on the counter. Than pop them in the oven to warm up!
Happy baking everyone!
Gluten Free Sourdough Dinner Rolls
Soft and fluffy gluten free sourdough dinner rolls that the whole family will love.
Ingredients
- 250g gluten free active sourdough starter
- 340g warm water
- 20g psyllium husk powder
- 340g white rice flour
- 230g tapioca starch or tapioca flour (They are the same thing)
- 2 TBSP honey
- 1 TBSP avocado oil or olive oil
- 2 eggs
- 2 tsp xanthan gum
- 2 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 2 TBSP apple cider vinegar
- melted butter for the top
Instructions
- First you will need to feed your gf sourdough starter at least 5-6 hours before you want to bake. I like to feed my starter first thing in the morning, let it sit on my warm counter until after lunch. Than I make up the sourdough dinner rolls dough and shape them. Let those sit on the counter to rise until an hour or 2 before dinner and then bake them.
- Your starter is ready to use in the recipe when it ha risen some and has lots of air pockets and bubbles. Gluten free starters won't rise as much as regular starters. You are looking for it to have a lot of air pockets. See video below for further description on what you are looking for.
- Using a digital kitchen scale and in the bowl of a stand mixer, add in active starter and warm water. Next, add in the psyllium husk powder and use a whisk to whisk it up right away so it doesn't clump. The liquid will gel up. If you don't have a stand mixer you can do this in a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer.
- Place your bowl back on the scale and measure out your dry ingredients and the rest of your wet ingredients. You will add everything to the bowl.
- Place a little bit of warm water in a measuring cup. This will be used just in case you need more liquid to make your dough come together. You don't want to add extra flour, instead you want to add more liquid. This will ensure your ratio of grain to starch stays the same for the whole recipe.
- Turn your mixer on medium and let it mix for 2-3 minutes. Add in splashes of water as needed if all the flour isn't mixing in. It should be a sticky dough ball at this point.
- Once you dough is completely mixed together it is time to start shaping your rolls. This recipe will make 24 regular sized dinner rolls.
- Spray 2, 9x13 baking dishes with oil.
- On a lightly floured surface, of white rice flour, dump your dough out. I shape my dough into a long log and eye ball where to cut it to make 24 rolls. I use a dough cutter to do it. You can also measure each ball of dough to ensure your rolls are all even. I don't worry about that.
- Spray or dip your hands in avocado oil or olive oil so the dough doesn't stick. You will have to repeat this step as needed while shaping.
- Shape each ball of dough by rolling in between your hands in a smooth ball. The smoother you can get it the better your rolls will turn out.
- Place the gluten-free rolls into the oiled baking dish leaving about 1" in between. This gives them room to rise and then rise some more when baking. Cover the baking dish with plastic wrap so that it is an airtight container. Let the dough rise in a warm place or on your kitchen counter for 3-5 hours.
- Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.
- Remove the plastic wrap and place gluten-free sourdough dinner rolls into the oven. Bake for 20-30 minutes or until the tops are golden brown.
- Pull the rolls out of the oven and immediately brush the tops of the rolls with melted butter. Serve warm.
Britney
Hey! If we choose to make half rolls and a loaf of bread, does the cooking time for the loaf changes?
Stephanie
Yes, as your loaf will be smaller. I would start with about 10 minutes less time on the loaf and check it’s internal temperature. Unless you see it getting really golden brown even earlier. It will be a bit of a trial and error the first time!
Tanya S
I’m excited to try this recipe! I just want to double check that the psyllium husk you use is powdered and not whole. That’s what it looks like on the video, and obviously in the written recipe , but every other gf bread recipe I’ve seen specifically says to use whole, not powder, so I wanted to make sure. If so, since I only have whole psyllium, can I use it either in a different amount or by grinding it up into powder in a coffee grinder? Thanks!
Stephanie
Hi there! Yes it is powdered psyllium husk. I have never used whole so I can’t say for sure but if you are going to keep it whole I would use a tad more in the recipe. Otherwise grinding it into a powder with the coffee grinder is perfect and you can use the measurement I give!