I have a soapbox. I stand on it. I make pronouncements.
I think people, like my husband, who have heard these pronouncements many a time, may secretly roll their eyes when I make them. There's a good chance he thinks, “Again? You're doing this again?”
Yes. I'm doing this again. So sue me. And if you do, I'll meet you in court, and I'll win. ‘Cause I'm a lawyer and stuff. Don't be distracted by the details, one of which is that I don't practice law any more. I don't need to practice. I made perfect. And I'll bury you in court, the court of public opinion. Or something. But we have a movement. At the heart of the movement is this, our mission statement:
To level the playing field. To give gluten-free a seat at the table. To drive it, kicking and screaming if may be, into the mainstream.
You say we're weird, because we may have no gluten? What's that? You say we should just be satisfied with a burger-hold-the-bun? Happy with expensive packaged buns that disintegrate upon being pressed into service as a burger delivery system?
Hell no! We are not happy as second class citizens! This Fourth of July, do me a solid, and make yourself a bun. This recipe is a yeast-free version of the brioche bread that is in The Cookbook, and after some trial and error, I was able to make it into easy, ready-in-a-flash buns. They're light and tasty, and remind me of kaiser rolls, but with much, much less work up front. They're super sturdy, so they can be used for everything from an egg sandwich to a hamburger {here at my house, we've done both of those and everything in between, with swinging success}.
GF Burger Buns, so I don’t cry
Ingredients
2 1/2 cups (350 g) All Purpose Gluten Free Flour
1 3/4 teaspoons xanthan gum (omit if your blend already contains it)
1/2 cup (58 g) confectioner’s sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
5 tablespoons whey powder
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Finely grated zest of 1 medium-sized lemon (optional)
3/4 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
5 Â eggs (300 g, out of shell) at room temperature, beaten
1/2 cup (4 fluid ounces) milk, at room temperature
12 tablespoons (168g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 375°F. Line rimmed baking sheets with unbleached parchment paper and set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, place the flour, xanthan gum, sugar, baking powder, whey powder, cream of tartar, and salt and whisk to combine (with a separate, handheld whisk). Add the lemon zest and whisk to combine with the dry ingredients. Add the cider vinegar, eggs, milk, and unsalted butter, mixing well on low speed after each ingredient. Once the last ingredient is added, turn the mixer up to high speed for about 5 minutes or until the mixture is pale yellow in color and thickened. The batter will be smooth and thick, but not super thick — not pourable, but not dense.
Divide the dough into 10 to 12 parts with a spoon. With very, very wet hands, shape each portion of dough into a round and then flatten until about 3/4-inch to 1-inch thick. Place on prepared baking sheets, about 2 inches apart.Place in the center of the preheated oven and bake at 375°F for 15 minutes. Lower the temperature to 325°F, and bake for another 25 to 35 minutes or more, depending upon how brown you would like the outside. Rotate the baking sheet once during baking, and, when rotating, with a sharp knife or kitchen shears, cut a small slit in the top of each bun to allow some steam to escape.
They will puff during baking, but we don’t want them to puff up really high like popovers because they will just fall and be mushy inside. Baking them again after cutting a slit in the top of each bun will help them keep their shape after baking. Allow the buns to cool for at least 10 minutes, preferably longer, before slicing them in the center and serving.
Notes: For best results, do not replace the eggs in this recipe. Nondairy butter can be replaced with vegetable shortening with good – but not perfect – results. The buns come out of the oven a little puffier than they will end up, but it shouldn’t be too much unless you have attempted to pile the dough too thick before baking.
Christina says
Hi, Nicole,
Your snazzy new site looks great! I’m wondering if you would advise freezing these. It would be nice to have the buns on hand — ready to be nuked as my husband needs them. I’m the only cook and work long hours, so it wouldn’t necessarily be convenient to make these as needed. I hope it would work cause this seems like a great recipe and am planning to try it out next weekend:)
Nicole says
Hi, Christina,
I think they would be fine to freeze after they are baked (although definitely not before baking). I have not frozen them, but I have refrigerated them for a few days at a time, and they were fine. I would slice them after they are cool and before freezing them, and then, when you are ready to use one, just pop it in the toaster and toast from frozen on a light setting (rather than microwaving). Just be aware that, when you toast them, they may turn a bit black, but they will not taste burnt. Enjoy!
xoxo Nicole
Robin Astifan via Facebook says
So I made these tonight, and in my distraction, added 2 teaspoons of CREAM OF TARTAR by accident. (the perils of cooking while kids are talking to you!) They still turned out pretty well – can’t wait to try them again sans mistake!
Carolyn says
Hi Nicole,
Someone beat me to it. I too was having issues with my batter being to soupy and yes I used Pamelas baking in stead of AP flour. I did add at least another cup of flour to make it not so soupy but they turned out too flat and huge. Didnt stop me from having a sandwich anyway. The buns were wonderful. Better than anything I have every tried before. I also made the black beans. I’ve made all kinds of beans before from scratch, but wanted to let you know I loved your recipe. Thanks.
Carolyn
Nicole says
Hi, Carolyn,
I’m so sad that you had to learn about Pamela’s the hard way! I have told so very many people, in person and on the Web, about how Pamela’s baking mix is entirely distinct from an all-purpose GF flour, but I didn’t think to mention it again in this recipe, and I so wish I had! I could have saved you so much trouble. :( I actually added some language about it to the FAQs, but I know that won’t reach most people. I think I will start mentioning it in the “Notes” in my recipes, alongside my don’t-use-bean-flour-blends missive. Thank you for telling me that you enjoyed the black beans recipe! That is definitely a keeper. I eat those myself nearly every night!
Thank you for reaching out, Carolyn. It’s always good to hear from you.
xoxo Nicole
Carolyn says
Hi Nicole,
Actually I should have paid more attention to the fact that you say AP flour, but didn’t realize Pamela’s was that much diff. Lessons learned, the diff between Pamela’s and AP flour, that this recipe was super super easy to make, and even with Pamela’s it tasted wonderful, even though it technically flopped I made a really really good tasting bread and could shape into hot dog and hamburger buns (which can be used for other things this go around). And it made me a lot more comfortable with my abilities. So all in all, a good thing!.
Carolyn
Nicole says
Hi, Carolyn,
Kitchen confidence! You got yourself some of that. That’s perfect. I’m so glad that you think it’s super easy to make. That’s the confidence talking! Even something simple can seem hard when you don’t feel comfortable in the kitchen. I’m so glad that, all in all, it worked out nicely. Thanks for letting me know. :)
xoxo Nicole
kari says
First off, I can’t tell you how excited I was to find this recipe. We’ve been using Udi’s bagels for our burgers and it’s too expensive and it doesn’t quite work for obvious reasons. SO I tried to make these today. I used Pamela’s gluten free flour mix.(left out the Xanthan gum)..and I think I’ve done something wrong. The batter was so soupy I couldn’t “Form” it, so I scooped it. And then I made 8 of them instead of the 10 or 12…can you say “oops!”? I ended up with this 8 very large biscuit/buns that were only about a half inch high. I’m going to use them of course but I’ll have to use 2 of them; one for top and one for bottom. (Should I mention that I had to use a cookie cutter to cut them out of their HUGE shapes?) ACK. So first attempt fail. Any suggestions? I’ll try them again in a week. Maybe my flour mix is off. Dunno.
Nicole says
Hi, Kari,
Oh no! NOT Pamela’s baking mix! It’s a perfectly fine mix, but it is NOT an all-purpose gluten-free flour. Be careful only to use a baking blend that is meant to be used as an “all purpose.” Pamela’s baking mix contains baking powder and baking soda, salt and all sorts of other things in it. It is akin to Bisquick, and is only suitable for recipes that take into account what is already in it. It is really only useful for the recipes on the box/bag, since by reading the ingredients you have no way of knowing what proportions of anything like baking powder and baking soda are in it. Make sense? It will NOT work in any of my recipes that call for all-purpose gluten-free flour. There are 15 companies that make all-purpose GF flours. I use and recommend Better Batter (see the sidebar for a link), but there is also Jules’ all purpose (contains xanthan gum like Better Batter does), King Arthur multi-purpose and Gluten-Free Pantry all-purpose, to name a few. Do NOT use Bob’s Red Mill all-purpose, since it is a bean flour blend, which calls itself all-purpose, but really isn’t at all.
I hope that’s helpful!
xoxo Nicole
kari says
Nicole,
You are just wonderful. Now that I understand the difference between baking mix and all purpose flour…it all made so much more sense and worked so much better! I was able to form it and bake it properly. I even attempted to make a few Hot dog buns. They look beautiful and I can’t wait to eat them up! My son (8)and I thank you!
Nicole says
Hi, Kari,
I’m so glad you were able to attempt the recipe again with the proper flour! Believe me, you are far from the only person to mistake Pamela’s baking mix for an all-purpose gluten-free flour. I wish the product were more specific, since it does have an ambiguous name. Many people think of it as an all-purpose GF flour, and are upset with the results when they use it in that way. That’s wonderful that you made hot dog buns with this recipe, too. Buns for everyone!
You and your son are most welcome.
xoxo Nicole
Anneke says
Hey Nicole! Made the buns, made the burgers, ate the burgers on the buns — yum!! The troops agreed they were delicious, and we will be making them again. Thanks so much! Looking forward to the next blog from the soapbox! Anneke
Nicole says
Hi, Anneke,
I’m so glad the buns worked out well for you. And by now, you’re quite the experienced GF bread baker, so your standards should be nice and high by now. See you Wed. You’ll know it’s me ’cause of the soapbox. ;)
xoxo Nicole
Carolyn says
Can you tell me what the apple cider vinegar does and also the lemon (I know it said optional, but curious). Does it add a freshness or what? Can’t wait to try. Enjoy your 4th off. Oh, and thanks for always responding to the emails.
Carolyn
Nicole says
Hi, Carolyn,
The lemon is just zest, and it is optional because it is there for flavor, only. The cider vinegar is used in gluten-free baking as a stabilizer, to help the bread hold its rise. I hope that’s helpful!
Oh, and you’re welcome. It would be silly of me not to respond, although sometimes all that is necessary is for me to refer readers back to other comments that have already answered their question. But I try to always write back. :) Merry 4th.
xoxo Nicole
Cheryl says
I love your blog! It brightens my day. Keep up the good work.
(And thank you for the bun recipe.)
Have a safe and happy 4th of July.
Nicole says
Hi, Cheryl,
Thank you so much for the kind words. I really appreciate the encouragement. For real.
I hope you have a safe and happy 4th, as well. Stay cool!
xoxo Nicole
Peggy says
Happy 4th! Thanks—thanks—thanks for the hamburger bun recipe! I’ll be making it for myself for the 4th celebrations at my son’s house—will need to have extras because he always wants to try samples of my baking/cooking.
Nicole says
Hi, Peggy,
You’re so very welcome. BYOB (Bring Your Own Bun) party at Peggy’s son’s house! Maybe next time he could make you the burger, bun and all. :) Have a great 4th!
xoxo Nicole
Renee says
Love your soapbox! I’m tired of always being polite about being Gluten free. Thanks for the laughs. Renee
Nicole says
Hi, Renee,
Seriously! And, anyway, I teach my kids that it is not impolite to stand up for yourself. You can still be “nice,” & not apologize for yourself. Team Gluten Free!
xoxo Nicole
Velita says
Can I substitute something for the whey powder? I’m dairy free as well as gluten free and I am dieing to make these buns!
Nicole says
Hi, Velita,
If you scroll through the comments to this post, you’ll see a bunch of whey-powder-substitution suggestions. Take your pick! Enjoy. :)
xoxo Nicole
Dana P says
Is whey powder the same as whey protein concentrate? I hope so, because it’s all I can find! If not, I’ll try the powdered milk. Looking forward to making these for a 4th of July party–it’ll be nice not to have to eat my burger with a fork!
Nicole says
Hi, Dana,
Whey powder is not the same as whey protein concentrate, which is a dietary supplement that has extra things (usually sugar and other additives) added to it. I would avoid that, and try the powdered milk. Try to stick with a single ingredient substitute like powdered milk. Oh my god if you eat your hamburger with a fork I’LL CRY! Seriously. No more bunless burgers!
xoxo Nicole
Dana P says
Crap- that stuff was 13.39! I’ll take it back. :) Ok- I’ll try the dry milk— I PLAN on eating a BUNNED black and bleu burger at the cookout tonight!!! THANKS!
Dana P says
Hmmm . . .looked at the ingredients- it says “whey protein concentrate (milk) and soy lecithin.” No other ingredients. I’m still taking it back, because dry milk is a lot cheaper!!
Nicole says
Hi, Dana,
I hope you’re enjoying your ‘bunned burger’ right about now …
xoxo Nicole
Dana P says
I DID! It was delish! I ended up using whey powder. I found hemp powder at the store and bought it, but it looked too dark for this recipe. I plan on trying it in something, though. It was so nice to have a bunned burger– thank you thank you thank you!
Dana P says
I’m such a ding-a-ling (and it’s midnight here)—I used DRY MILK not whey powder!
Nicole says
Hi, Dana,
Don’t worry. I understood what you meant. I’m so glad the recipe turned out well for you. And that you had a ‘bunned burger,’ just like everyone else. :)
xoxo Nicole
Theresa says
YES! I’ve been looking for a good GF burger bun for ages! Thanks so much for posting the recipe! Just one question: is whey powder like milk powder? Or is there anything that would be a good substitute?
Nicole says
Hi, Theresa,
The search is over! Whey powder is just dehydrated pure whey. You should be able to use milk powder as a sub. Scroll through the comments for more substitute suggestions. Have fun!
xoxo Nicole
Ruthe says
My husband just brought in the mail and in his hands was my magazine ‘Living Without’ and there was your lovely article about breakfast foods. I told my husband, “See that shortcut on the desktop?, that is Nicole’s blog.” I make your flour tortillas and take them with us to our favorite Mexican restaurant. We’ve been going there for 15 years and they take very good care of me. I also made the cream cheese brownies the other day after my husband remarked how good they looked. That translates into “You’re going to make those, huh?, please!” We’ve been married 36 years. I’ve gotten good at translating. Nicole, as much as I love to read your blog and I do…please give yourself the day off. You deserve it kiddo. I am growing very fond of this blog.
Nicole says
Hi, Ruthe,
It’s so nice to hear from you! I remember your first comment the other day. :)
I know what you mean about having to translate what your husband says. If you take a look at the recipe for Lemon Poppyseed Muffins {http://glutenfreeonashoestring.com/lemon-poppyseed-muffin-love/}, you’ll see what I mean. Your husband is a lucky man that you’re willing to translate – and then bake for him!
Making your own tortillas and then bringing them to a Mexican restaurant is brilliant! I had never thought of that. Thanks for the great idea! I’m really glad the recipe for those tortillas is in the Living Without Mag article, so now I can post recipes for fajitas, burritos, you name it – and link to that recipe for the tortillas.
Thanks for approving my day off. Oh, and I’m fond of you, too. :)
xoxo Nicole
Stephanie B says
Hi Nichole, I just found your site last night! I’m loving all the great recipes and have your book on order through Amazon as I type! I’m ready to try this Bun recipe–I’m not afraid of yeast and I love baking but to have buns cooking while waiting for some yeasty blueberry brioche buns to raise would make me happy:) I just want to know is, are the whole eggs necessary? I have 4 large egg whites in the fridge from another project that only needed yolks. The yolks can’t be for the fat content with all that butter so??? What do you think? 1 whole extra large egg and 4 egg whites? May be add an extra 2 TBS of milk to make up for the moisture in the yolks? What do you think??
PS: As a sub for Whey powder you can always use “dry instant milk” powder it works really well when you can’t find whey but you can have dairy! :)
Nicole says
Hi, Stephanie,
Welcome to GF on a Shoestring! If you would prefer to use egg whites, rather than whole eggs, I would go with the recipe for Quick {Sandwich} Bread that is referenced in this post, since that calls for 4 egg whites. I wouldn’t modify this recipe that much before doing it as written at least once. Egg whites instead of whole eggs will produce a pretty different result, one that won’t be at all brioche-like. If you click through to the “Quick {Sandwich} Bread that can easily be made as buns” reference above, it will walk you through that recipe and method. The picture you see is a burger bun made with that recipe (although the original recipe was one I made as a loaf). I hope that’s helpful! Oh, and thanks for mentioning dry milk powder as a good whey sub in a pinch!
xoxo Nicole
Stephanie B says
Awesome, thanks! I will check out the bread recipe you mentioned. I do have enough whole eggs, so, I’m going to make the buns as written today– I appreciate your quick response too. Happy 4th of July and yes! Take the day off. You deserve time with the family and not the computer. :) Cheers!
Stephanie B says
Awesome, thanks! I will check out the bread recipe you mentioned. I do have enough whole eggs, so, I’m going to make the buns as written today– I appreciate your quick response too. Happy 4th of July and yes! Take the day off. You deserve time with the family and not the computer. :) Cheers!
Oh just to add– I just pulled my pans of buns from the oven . Oh goodness! They are lovely looking! I made 8 full sized buns for sandwiches or burgers. I added chopped raisins and dried mangoes to the last bit of dough, I brushed them with an egg wash and sprinkled with raw sugar and made some tea buns. I couldn’t stand it and I ate one right out of the oven with butter- WOW! Thanks for this awesome recipe!
Nicole says
Hey, again, Stephanie,
Sounds like you had a great success! You can’t beat a good success, straight out of the gate. Congratulations! It’s a bun. :)
xoxo Nicole
Meridith says
Hello, I wanted to let you know that the sourdough rolls came out perfect! I really love this recipe! Thank you.
Nicole says
Hi, Meridith,
That’s awesome! I’m so glad. Thank you for letting me know! I love a happy ending. :)
xoxo Nicole
Linda says
Love this, love you, Nicole! (Why is the oldie ‘Leader of the Pack’ running through my head right now?) You really do keep the momentum going. Lots of appreciation….Lin
Nicole says
Right back atcha, Linda. :) Boring is so … boring. I am not in favor of boring. I am all for momentum. Let’s keep it going!
xoxo Nicole
allison says
Congratulations on your article in Living Without! I read it yesterday and I can’t wait to try the tortillas. (Totally disappointed in pre-made ones that taste and act like cardboard.)
I love reading your blog, but you should definitely take Monday off. Happy 4th.
Allison
Nicole says
Hi, Allison,
I’m so glad you enjoyed the article in Living Without Mag! I’m excited that the recipe for Flour Tortillas from the book is out and about now, so I can use it in recipes on the blog and just link to it on the LWO site. Woohoo! Those tortillas are so useful, and they’re super quick to make so dinner can be on the table in a flash. Let me know how they work out!
Thanks for approving my day off. :)
xoxo Nicole
Yevette Dingman says
Ahh what a great read this morning! Thank you Nicole! :) I have a soapbox, I use it a bit around here. I have 4 girls and we all eat GF. My husband is just along for the ride! ;) I have yet to find a burger bun that I love, so this recipe is a must try! Thank you for a wonderful blog all around! ~Yevette
P.S. I think you should take July 4th off! You deserve it! Besides, you have to enjoy your scrumptious burger buns!
Nicole says
Hi, Yvette,
You’re so very welcome.
I’m really glad you use your soapbox. We have something to say! You and your girls must be a powerful force. Your husband probably doesn’t stand a chance!
I hope you’ll let me know how the bun recipe goes. Thanks for giving me the day off on Monday. :) I might just end up posting next Tuesday/Thursday instead of Monday-Wednesday-Friday. :) Thank you for posting!
xoxo Nicole
Michelle W. says
Is there a sub we can use for the whey powder? I’d really like to try these!
Nicole says
Hi, Michelle,
Definitely. If you check out the comments to the recipe for Quick {Sandwich} Bread on the blog {http://glutenfreeonashoestring.com/quick-sandwich-bread/#comments/}, you’ll find a lot of discussion about substitutes for whey powder in my yeast-free bread recipes. So far, I think the consensus is that these work well: soy powder, egg powder (even flavored), finely ground almond meal. The purpose of the whey protein is to boost the protein content, which helps replace for gluten. I hope that’s helpful!
xoxo Nicole
Michelle W. says
That sounds great, I think I can manage one of those, and will check out the other comments too! Thanks! Yay for buns, lol!!
Nicole says
Hi, again, Michelle,
I’m glad that one of those substitutions sounds like it would work for you. Just be sure you use something that has a very fine grain, no extra moisture, and a ton of protein, and you will be good to go! Yay for buns, indeed!
xoxo Nicole
Janet says
Just showed this to my 7 yr old son and he said “yum, can we make those today?” So guess what I’m making today, LOL.
Nicole says
Hi, Janet,
I didn’t realize you had a 7 year old son. My son (the celiac) is 7 also. He’s becoming quite the discerning foodie lately, too. Sounds like your son is, too. :) I hope you enjoy the rolls. Let me know how they turn out!
xoxo Nicole
Barbara Weber Wethman via Facebook says
You go girl!!! Love your passion!! I’ve been known to get on my “soapbox” too, lol. Sometimes ya just gotta stand up and be counted for!! Oh question…..I do not have whey powder…is there anything I can sub with?
Lisa Radoycis via Facebook says
These are wonderful!!! Nothing wrong with a good soapbox!
Sarah Dean says
Dry milk works alright to sub.
Nicole says
Thanks for confirming that, Sarah. I thought so.
xoxo Nicole
Mary Radig-Tanner via Facebook says
You crack me up and I love your cookbook! Thanks a million. :)
Sue Bush via Facebook says
…IF you can afford them. At $7.99 a four-pack for hamburger buns, I (and many others) have to do without.
Nicole says
Wow, Sue. 8 bucks for 4 buns? That is insane.
xoxo Nicole
Eloise Penney Parker via Facebook says
Also if you don’t want to make your own Rudi’s hamburger and hot dog buns are great.