Remember when these used to be called “Buns”? Good times.
I changed the name.
To Dinner Rolls/Buns.
Wanna know why?
Because I looked back at an old blog recipe for “GF Dinner Rolls,” & I blanched. I spooked. I winced. It wasn’t up to par. Not even close. These are way, way, better, & they’re super versatile. That’s why they used to be called “Clever Cornmeal Buns.” But who the heck knows what that is? No one but me knew what that was.
So they’re Dinner Rolls/Buns. They’re whatever you want them to be. They just want to pleeeeaaase you. Like they please my youngest child. Because of the type of person she is.
You know how there are some people in this world — you know who you are — for whom everything other than bread is just, well, a stop along the way? The way to bread?
I know one of those types of people. I know her well. She’s my youngest child, Ava. Goes by Avy. It’s a subtle nickname, but it’s all hers. In case you haven’t noticed, she’s not the only 5-year-old named Ava, so nicknames become important. In school, clearly, she’s “Ava H.” We knew this when she was born, but we went ahead with it anyway. She seemed like she could handle it, already — and we were right. She’s so accepting of the popularity of her name, in fact, that when she wrote my husband (name: Brian) a birthday card, she signed it like this:
Love,
Ava H.
She didn’t want us to get confused. Because, as she said, “Sometimes that happens, Dad.”
I bet you know where I’m going with this. Here’s where I’m going: Avy Loves Bread. And she’s cute as the dickens, so you’d want to give her some bread.
A sandwich? Delivery system for bread.
Quickbreads (including muffins of all types)? Yes, indeed.
Flour tortillas? Roll them around something, and she’s all over it. They count.
Rolls? A slam dunk, since they’re without the pretense of a filling like a sandwich.
So if you want to please Avy (and believe me everyone does, at least eventually), make her some bread.
Please note that these rolls/buns are super versatile. This recipe can be tied in a knot as a rosette (like you see above). They can be made into rounds, just as simple as you please. Like this:
Rounds are the easiest of all. You can make them into larger rounds, & you have a hamburger bun or a round sandwich roll. Small rounds – dinner rolls.
Are you afraid of yeast breads? Don’t be afraid! They’re really simple. Check out my post on how to get a rise out of your gluten-free breads HERE.
| Cornmeal Dinner Rolls/Buns |
- 1/2 cup (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter (nondairy sub okay), at room temperature
- 5 to 6 cups all-purpose gluten-free flour, divided
- 3 teaspoons xanthan gum (omit if using Better Batter)
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 4 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 2 extra-large eggs, lightly beaten
- 2 1/2 cups warm milk (about 100 degrees F) (nondairy milk okay)
- 1 1/2 cups cornmeal
- Line rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper and set them aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, blend the butter until light and fluffy. Add 4 cups of the flour, and the xanthan gum, sugar, kosher salt, cream of tartar, and yeast to the butter. Mix at low speed to allow the dry ingredients to begin to come together with the butter. Add the eggs and beat to combine. With the mixer still on low, add the milk in a slow, steady stream. Once the dough has started to come together, add the cornmeal and beat to combine. Now, turn the mixer up to at least half speed, and beat the living daylights out of it for about 5 or 6 minutes. Cover the mixture with a kitchen towel if necessary to avoid the escape of any bits of dough.
- Add enough of the remaining flour & mix enough to make the dough smooth, but still tacky to the touch. You should need at least another cup of flour, for a total of at leat 5 cups. Whatever you do, don’t leave any of the added flour unincorporated into the dough at this point. If you do it will make it very difficult to shape the dough.
- Turn the dough out onto a very lightly floured surface and divide it into about 24 pieces of relatively equal size. Shape the dough however you like: rounds, rosettes, etc. If you are going for sandwich rolls, you will want to divide the dough into fewer pieces. Add a sprinkle of flour to very sticky parts of the dough as you shape it, but sparingly.
- Arrange the rolls about 3/4-inch apart on the prepared baking sheets. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. Allow the dough to rise in a warm and moist, draft-free area for about 30 to 45 minutes, or until they’ve grown to about 150% of what they were. Ideally, the rolls will be side by side, nearly touching, once they have risen.
- Once the dough has finished rising, with very wet fingers, smooth out the holes on the surface (created by the yeast) for a uniform appearance. Then place the rolls in the center of the preheated oven, and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until lightly brown.
- Serve immediately, wrap in wax paper and store at room temperature for a few days (and then quickly microwave before eating to freshen them), or freeze in plastic bags for up to 3 months and defrost in the refrigerator.
I want to thank you all for bearing with me through the renovations around here. It was dusty and messy, but I think it was worth it.
Warm regards,
Nicole
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”up the blog”….LOVE it! There should soooo be a blog named “up the blog”! Oooor… “What the blog”, just thought of that. :)
Oh my goodness and it went out on twitter like that, too. I’m having a ‘day.’
Ooooo….and I just ordered a bunch of Better Batter flour…I’ve never used it before…this is gonna be the FIRST thing I make!!!
Hi, Jessica. I’ve been toying with the idea of specifying that my recipes work with almost every all-purpose gluten-free flour, not every, since the all-purpose bean flours don’t always work for yeast breads like this one. I’m really glad you’re going to be using Better Batter!
Shoestring: just smile. It made someones day, & maybe more. :) *hug*
I keep thinking of “up the butt, Bob,” H.R.H. So humiliating. ;)
I’m very picky that way…to me, the bean flours leave a funny taste in my mouth. I prefer the rice flours…but so much care has to be taken to make sure your bread isn’t “mealy” in texture when you use the rice flours…ugh…just glad for the new bisquick…batter batter…etc…it’s all becoming so much more affordable. And that means I can experiment with a little more.efficiency!
I used to use Bob’s Red Mill all-purpose (it’s readily available, and well priced), but I just couldn’t take the stink any longer. I don’t like to be prescriptive (who am I to tell people what to do?), but I hate the idea of people wasting ingredients because a recipe just didn’t really work well with their bean flours. As you know, I’m ALL about the affordability. The more “normal” gf becomes, the better we all feel, the less expensive, the greater the availability, the higher the rates of diagnosis. Wins, all around.
Raise your hand if u *despise* bean flour! <—-this girl! Jessica- TY! I didn't know the rice flour was the mealy culprit. Now I understand the playing w/ tapioca & potatoe flours in a baking mix. :)
H.R.H., generally in print (*verbally is another matter entirely*) I have to remain diplomatic. But it’s hard. Because I have strong opinions about the strong odors and tastes of bean flours. My biggest hope for GF is to help normalize it. Normal flours smell good. How’s that for diplomacy?
I think that sometimes the mealy factor comes from rice flours not being finely ground…other times, I think you’ve just got to let them sit and absorb the liquid you’re using to bake with…I’ve had success with waiting and allowing them to absorb…but seriously, it already takes enough time to make everything gluten free…I don’t have TIME to wait! I just want something that’s cost-effective and acts like regular flour. But there I go again…off to fantasy land…lol. Seriously though, they really are getting better at making flours taste and act more like regular flour.
Jessica wait until you use Better Batter. It has a VERY fine grain. It looks great, smells great, works like a champ. More power to the most industrious among us who are willing to experiment and grind and experiment more. I just ….. can’t. When I first started out GF, I did all sorts of blending experimenting mixing blending experimenting, and at least as much crying. Literal crying. I could cry just remembering it. I use Better Batter, I go on autopilot. I really, really like autopilot.
*OFF THE RECORD* Do u prefer Better Batter over say…. (random choice, lol, ;) ) Pamela’s? After much mixing & crying I threw in the towel & reached for the Pam which woks ideally for most recipies I’ve tried.
Shoestring: ”it *woks* ideally” maybe u should put that quote up the blog! :P
H.R.H. ON the record (up the blog), I prefer Better Batter over any other mix that I have tried. That, I say on the record in my book, actually. In no uncertain terms. I don’t find Pamela’s products, any of them really, to be consistent enough. And Better Batter’s all-purpose GF flour is truly all-purpose.
Ty, I am going to look for it & try it then. I had never even heard off it b4 u started touting it.
My pleasure. I don’t get any money from Better Batter, by the way. I just believe in the company, its owner, and its products. And I’m no easy sell. ;)
These look really good!
Hi, Pam,
Thanks! They’re really quite easy. You should give them a try!
Thank you for posting a comment. Now I feel all popular & stuff.
xo
Nicole
I am definitely one of those bread people!
You and my little one, Sarah!
xo
Nicole
So, I don’t really need 24 of these…do you think it would work if I halved the recipe?
Hi, Chris,
Absolutely. Just be sure to halve everything. You could always make the whole recipe, shape them, let them rise, then bake half and freeze half. Or just cut the recipe in half completely. Thanks for the question!
xo
Nicole
When you say “non-dairy milk is okay” in this recipe, could I substitute light coconut milk? I’m dying to make these but have to stay off dairy—at least for the moment. Thanks! Love your cookbook; are you planning to do a sequel?
Hi, Debbie,
I think light coconut milk would work just fine. I have never tried it with that particular type of milk, but the reason to use milk in the first place is to add liquid, some fat, and protein. Light coconut milk has all of those things, so it sounds like a good plan. I hope you’ll try it, and then let us know how it went, so others can learn from your experience (and by others, I mean me!).
Thank you for the kind words about the cookbook. I’m so glad you’re enjoying it. Funny you should ask about a sequel — I have a June 1 deadline to turn in a ‘sequel’ book proposal! Which means that I should be working on it right this moment. Except I’d rather just be chatting with you. :)
xoxo
Nicole
One more question. I found a recipe for “Mock Better Batter Blend” that uses PECTIN in the mix. Do you think I could substitute gelatin? I am planning on buying the Better Batter Flour on your recommendation but don’t have it yet. THANKS!
Hi, Debbie,
Oh, no. I’m afraid that I’m out of my depth here. I did some quick research for you, and it seems that pectin does behave quite differently than gelatin, so I wouldn’t do a 1 for 1. I might try adding some more xanthan gum, rather, since pectin (which occurs naturally in fruits) is used as a binding agent. Do you have access to another good all-purpose gluten-free flour in the meantime, like King Arthur multipurpose gluten-free flour? You’ll have to add xanthan gum to it, and it’s more $$, but it’s very similar to Better Batter. I’m worried about that Mock Better Batter mix, Debbie!
xoxo
Nicole
I mixed it up, with about 5 1/2 cups of flour; still has the texture of thick quick bread. Add more flour?
Hi, Debbie,
What sort of flour did you use? If you used a bean flour, like Bob’s Red Mill, it will not turn out the same at all. I have come to the inescapable conclusion that I HATE that stuff. It should be tacky, but smooth. Thick quick bread sounds bumpy, not smooth.
xoxo
Nicole
BTW, I used a flour mix that was NOT the “Mock”.
Okay, I ended up using 6 cups. The flour mix was from flours I bought from NutsOnline. Here’s what I did:
I placed the divided batter onto two Silpats I have and LIGHTLY dusted them with flour that I scooped with a tiny sieve and shook over the Silpats. I made 9 smaller rolls, 6 larger rolls and 4 small breadsticks. I dusted the top of them with the flour. The great thing about forming them on the Silpats is I could pick up a corner and “turn” a bun onto my large flexible spatula, then flip it back onto my parchment-lined pans—I only had to re-shape them a little. They are rising in my microwave with a stackable cooling rack in-between. Will report back how they turned out. Thanks for your help! Can’t wait for your next cookbook. :)
Hi, Debbie,
I feel like I can smell the buns rising in my own kitchen!
A stackable cooking rack in between the layers in the microwave while they rise — why didn’t I ever think of that? It’s nothing short of GENIUS! I love that. This is exactly why I love the whole comment thing. It’s a learning process for us all. Thanks for keeping me posted. Your rolls and breadsticks sound lovely. :)
xoxo
Nicole
OMG–these taste delicious, definitely the corn meal adds great flavor and texture. What cornmeal do you recommend? Now, they did not rise as much as they should have, but I think it’s because my coconut milk wasn’t warm enough. However, they taste wonderful and I’m having the breadsticks with some peach jam and a cup of fresh brewed coffee right now. THANK YOU!!!
Hi, Debbie,
I’m so glad you’re pleased with the results. There are 3 basic types of cornmeal: fine, medium, and coarse grains. Fine grain is more like corn flour. Medium is, well, medium grain – and that’s the kind that works best here. And coarse is like polenta cornmeal.
They probably would have risen more if you had waited a bit longer, but my guess is you were tired of waiting! Next time, try squirting them with warm water toward the end of the rise.
xoxo
Nicole
Update comment: I had a hamburger on a bun last night. It tasted good (although a little dry) but the bun broke apart/disintegrated as I ate my burger. :( Any suggestions?
Hi, Debbie,
When bread is crumbly, it is lacking in protein. I remember your making a lot of substitutions. It’s not really possible for me to guess at what was missing since you modified the recipe quite a bit, but I would say to try again once you get Better Batter, and try following the recipe as precisely as possible. Oh, and when GF bread doesn’t come out juuuust right, leftovers work best when sprayed with water and microwaved for a few moments.
xoxo
Nicole
Actually, the only REAL substitution was light coconut milk (since I’m dairy free right now), and maybe my eggs were not large enough. Next time I could use another egg if they’re too small—I get them free from a friend who raises chickens—but I’m wondering what else I could do re: the dairy substitute??? Would almond milk or rice milk work better?
Next I’m making your recipe for flour tortillas. Are they flexible enough to make a sandwich wrap? That’s one of the things I do’t like about store bought corn tortillas—they break!
Hi, Debbie,
I honestly don’t know! I’m sorry… Go more by the behavior of the dough (the look, feel, smell of it) rather than necessarily by the amounts. Do you have my cookbook? If so, I’d try the White Sandwich Bread recipe in there. You’ll learn a lot from that, I think. As far as a milk substitute, I generally like unsweetened almond milk (I like the consistency of it), & be sure to let the dough rise enough — keeping it moist.Good luck!
xoxo
Nicole
I do have your cookbook; I’m the one who asked you about the sequel. :) I will try the White Sandwich bread recipe WITH unsweetened almond milk. Do you microwave your milk; for how long? Oh, I read this and thought it interesting: “Research showed that adding salt to the yeast before it has had time to proof significantly impacts its ability to grow.” from a commenter in this Better Batter thread )http://betterbatter.org/pillsbury-cinnamon-roll-clone-vegan/comment-page-1#comment-754) I let the buns rise for 45 minutes yesterday but they barely rose; will definitely keep them moist also. Boy, this is sure a learning process!
I’m sorry, Debbie! It gets hard to keep everything straight in my wee little brain.
You can heat your milk in the microwave, but you run the risk of hot spots. Usually, I immerse it in a hot water bath. If you do use the microwave, just be sure to stir the milk well after you heat it, and if you suspect it is too hot, let it cool a bit. Too-cold milk will just mean that the bread takes longer to rise. Too-hot milk will kill the yeast.
And don’t worry too much about the salt. It can indeed kill yeast, but it’s easy to avoid by mixing the salt in with the other dry ingredients before adding the yeast. I don’t proof yeast. It’s easy to blame a failed yeast bread on the yeast not being live, but if the date is good, the yeast is good. Make the White Sandwich Bread in a loaf pan (it can be made as rolls, but start with a loaf). You just need some sweet success, and you’ll be more sure-footed. Don’t worry. I’m glad you’re hanging in there. It is a learning process, but once you get over the hump you’ll be fine. I can’t remember the last time I had a loaf of GF bread that didn’t rise, but when I first began many years ago, it happened all the time. :) Take heart.
xoxo
Nicole
Oh! Tomorrow is the last day to use code CELIACAWARE547A for a 15% discount at BetterBatter.com! Just ordered my flour with it. :)
Thanks for that reminder, Debbie. I think I’ll post that on Facebook. Thanks! Nice chatting with you. :)
xoxo
Nicole
Just checked the nutrition labels for light coconut milk and unsweetened almond milk (per cup):
Coconut – 140 calories, 14 g fat, <1 g protein; Almond – 40 calories, 3.5 g fat, 1 g protein
So, the coconut milk is richer and should work great. I copied all your tips into a document and will definitely incorporate them in the future. Thanks for sharing your knowledge!
Debbie xx
Hi, Debbie,
Wow. Coconut milk is a real powerhouse! No wonder all things coconut are experiencing a revival!
You’re welcome. :)
xoxo
Nicole
Beating the heck out of it as I type. Thought the kiddos might like a late afternoon snack. :) And need to bake some reg. bread to take to a Bible study tonight. I really do just love to bake! :) And the baby is having fun playing in my utensil drawer. Out go the whisks!
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