Beautiful, soft gluten free rolls that are ready in 40 minutes total because there's no rise!
If I hadn't written Gluten Free on a Shoestring Bakes Bread, I never in a million years would have dreamed that we could make gluten free yeast rolls that are ready, start to finish, in 40 minutes. Yeast-free rolls, sure, but yeasted? No. way. Except that now, of course, we can and I'm giddy at the possibilities.
So when you're just home from work and you realize you have some basic gluten free pantry ingredients, plus some ground beef and you'd make hamburgers but have nothing to serve them on … now you do.
Or when you want a simple dinner roll to go along with your weeknight dinner but you're short on time and haven't planned ahead … you can make that happen. Simple as that.
There is no first rise in the refrigerator or otherwise, and astonishingly there isn't even a second rise. There's just no rise at all. These rolls rely entirely on what is generally referred to as “oven spring,” where is where the yeast multiplies very rapidly once it hits the heat of the oven.
Other than adding a bit more yeast than normal and an egg for some more lift, we enrich the rolls with butter to make them easier to handle and enhance mouth feel, then shape the dough into rounds before flattening the rounds quite thin.
This allow the rolls to rise rapidly without changing shape too much in every direction, resulting in a much more uniform roll that you can use for sandwiches or as a burger bun, if you like.
Pressing the shaped rolls into rather flat disks also allows them to bake quite quickly. So there's no waiting for a rise, and no waiting for a long bake in the oven.
The only thing missing is any significant flavor from yeast development, but that's why we have our more traditional roll recipes. As they say, you can have it all—just not usually at the same time!
No Rise Gluten Free Yeast Rolls
Ingredients
3 1/2 cups (490 g) Gluten Free Bread Flour,* plus more for sprinkling
2 2/3 teaspoons (8 g) instant yeast
2 tablespoons (25 g) granulated sugar
1 teaspoon (6 g) kosher salt
1 cup (8 fluid ounces) warm water (about 95°F)
6 tablespoons (84 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 egg (50 g, weighed out of shell) at room temperature, beaten
Egg wash (1 egg at room temperature beaten with 1 tablespoon lukewarm water)
*BREAD FLOUR NOTES
- 1 cup (140 g) Gluten Free Bread Flour, as discussed more fully on pages 8 to 10 of GFOAS Bakes Bread, contains 100 grams Mock Better Batter all purpose gluten free flour (or Better Batter itself) + 25 grams whey protein isolate (I use NOW Foods brand) + 15 grams Expandex modified tapioca starch.
- For a calculator that helps you build the flour without math, please see my Gluten Free Flour page.
- If you would like to use Ultratex 3 in place of Expandex, please see #6 on my Resources page for instructions.
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with unbleached parchment paper and set it aside.
Make the dough. In the bowl of your stand mixer (or a large bowl with a handheld mixer with dough hooks), place the bread flour, yeast and granulated sugar, and use a handheld whisk to combine well. Add the salt and whisk to combine well. Add the water, butter and egg, and mix on low speed with the dough hook(s) until combined. Raise the mixer speed to medium and knead for about 5 minutes. The dough is a smooth, enriched dough, but it is very thick. Spray a silicone spatula lightly with cooking oil spray, and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to chill for 10 minutes to make the dough much easier to handle.
Shape the rolls. Remove the dough from the refrigerator, and transfer it to a surface lightly sprinkled with bread flour. Sprinkle the dough very lightly with more flour and turn it over on itself a few times until the dough is smoother. Using a bench scraper or sharp knife, divide the dough into 12 equal pieces. Shape the pieces into rounds of dough following the Directions for Shaping Small, Round Rolls, and place them on the prepared baking sheet about 2 inches apart from one another. With wet fingers in a circular motion on the top of each roll, press it into a disk about 1/2-inch thick. Brush the rolls generously with the egg wash, then slash the tops about 1/8-inch deep with a lame or sharp knife at a 45° angle.
Bake. Place the baking sheet in the center of the preheated oven and bake until the rolls are lightly golden brown all over and the internal temperature of the buns reaches about 185°F (about 20 minutes). Remove from the oven and allow to cool briefly before serving.
Adapted from Taste of Home.
Aliciaspinnet says
On another one of your recipes, I noticed that someone commented that they had had issues with using a different brand of whey protein to you – namely that the bread came out dry and dense. Looking at the ingredients of the NOW brand of whey protein that you use, I see it has lecithin in it, and I’ve heard of other people using that to keep gluten free bread moist. I’m just wondering whether you’ve trialled your bread recipes with different brands of whey powder and whether the lecithin might be making a difference.
I have to go buy more whey protein isolate so I can bake more bread :) so I’m just curious about which brand will be best to buy. I’m not sure if I can get NOW in Australia, but if I can then that’s the one I’ll get.
Aliciaspinnet says
Reporting back – I got a whey protein isolate that had been instantised using soy lecithin and made the English muffin bread with that. When I made it before using non instantised whey protein it was very very dry, but it’s so much better this time!
Char 1957 says
I am wondering if any one here uses the whey protein isolate and what brand they use and where do they buy it. I saw some in a health food store but it was in huge containers and Im not sure if it was gluten free
Karen M. says
Jus made these for dinner. The flavor was great, but be sure you cook long enough. My thermometer registered 200 and it still came out with some batter on it (and I do have a oven therm.). The inside was a little under done. I just split and toasted them and they were great! Thank you Nicole, I am very new to gf and have all your books and your blog, am learning so much from you.
Kristan says
Hi Nicole. These were amazing. Do you think you could replace the Whey Protein Isolates (they can be quite expensive) with Dry Buttermilk powder or a whole milk powder? Just curious what it might be like…..
Nicole Hunn says
Definitely don’t do that Kristan! Whey protein isolate is almost 100% protein, and milk powders of any kind are almost all carbs. Completely different.
Kristan says
Gotcha! Anything else that could be possibly substituted for the isolates or could you just possibly add more of one ingredient? I was just curious
Nicole Hunn says
This blend is the result of exhaustive testing, Kristan! Each ingredient has an essential role.
Kristan says
I hear ya Nicole. Thank you for your love of Gluten Free cooking. Not going to change anything but just trying to see if I can make them for my entire family with a few modifications that may not hit the pocket book so hard. I am considering investing in the large tub of Whey Protein Isolate. Thank you
Lynette Low Locatelli says
What if I cannot do dairy and egg…do you have some recommended substitutes?
Rita says
thanks Nicole for yr creative ideas…I am following your recipes…although I am not gluten free but intolerant to the yeast..due to candida ..that is excessive yeast in the system…do you a yeast free recipe I could try and I am afraid there would be no rise in the bread would it? thanks again
elky says
Hi Nicole, I’ve tried a few of recipes now (cottage cheese rolls, subway rolls, and these) and I keep getting results that are dense and dry. The dough never behaves like the stuff you’re shaping in the videos, it’s almost rubbery. Most of my flour is vitacost brand with the exceptions being bob’s red mill for the tapioca (already had it, gotta use it up) and ener-g for the potato flour, the pectin is pomona’s, the expandex is from modernist pantry and the whey isolate is the now brand stuff you recommended. Some of the problem has been me unable to get a decent seal with clingwrap, but these rolls were basically the same; dry and dense like a stale english scone, and like rocks the next day. I am using a scale for weighing out ingredients. Should I start adding extra fluid?
Nicole Hunn says
Are you weighing your water as well as your dry ingredients (see Bread FAQ #21: http://glutenfreeonashoestring.com/about/gluten-free-bread-troubleshooting-faqs/), elky? Do you live in a particularly dry climate? You might want to try adding more water, yes, and you really have to be completely sure that you are not incorporating much flour at all during shaping.
elky says
I haven’t weighed the water (and 2 of those recipes had milk and I can’t figure how to weigh that), but I do have a pyrex jug with fluid ounces on it. I’m in northern california in the bay area. And I’ve been really careful about adding flour, I do far far less than you do in the video, and the dough doesn’t really need it anyway by the time I get to the shaping part, which has also concerned me. It really looks and acts nothing like the dough in your video. The only other thing I didn’t mention is that I’ve had the xanthum gum more than a year (takes so long to go through that stuff!), maybe it’s time to freshen it up? But would it have this much of an effect?
Aliciaspinnet says
I had a similar problem, and part of it was that I had accidentally used potato starch instead of potato flour – sometimes the starch is labelled as potato starch flour.
elky says
Well the bread flour spreadsheet calculator says to use both, so I did. They are very different to look at so I’m sure I have them identified correctly. The flour is off-white and flows, and and the starch is very white and clumpy. I got vitacost brand starch and ener-g brand flour.
Jennifer S. says
Holy crap – wonderful and amazing!! you are magical!
Nicole Hunn says
Aw, shucks, thanks, Jennifer. :)
Melanie Carr says
I made these tonight and they are DELISH!!! I didn’t have enough xanthan gum and had NO whey protein so I subbed psyllium husk/gelatin and whole day dry milk powder and they were still SOOOO yummy! We separated into two parts to make the other half tomorrow but couldn’t wait!
The first batch I used the egg wash. Second batch brushed with maple syrup and oh man!!!
This, your hoagie rolls, bagels, and donut dough are going to be family regulars.
Nicole Hunn says
I’m glad you found a workaround that works for you, Melanie. I do have to say for the benefit of others that you cannot replace whey protein isolate in my bread flour blend with psyllium husk or gelatin, and that using psyllium husk requires a significant amount of extra liquid, and imparts a distinct taste to the end product. Again, I’m so glad it worked for you.
Melanie Carr says
Agreed! Making them the way you said makes them just perfect! But… It worked in a pinch (when you already started and the store is closed).
Rebekah Homutoff says
These look delicious! I love that they are quick but still bread. We love your drop biscuit recipe for a quick carb with meals like soup but these are definitely going to be made very soon. What do you think is the closest starch to replace tapioca? I know it has particular properties that make it great for GF baking, but I have tested as reacting to it and am finding it so difficult to avoid with GF baking. I have been able to tolerate your bread flour with the mock better batter and using ultratex 3 so there is a very small amount of the starch per cup. But for the bulk amount in flour blends, what would be closest to replace for baking?
Your blog has been a lifesaver with gf cooking this past year! My family of 6 normally doesn’t miss the gluten in my cooking and a good part of that is because of the knowledge that you share, so thank you!
blinkytoo says
It is gluten-free but is still carbo-rich. Is there any low carb way to bake? That would be amazing.
Nicole Hunn says
It’s bread, blinkytoo! Yes, it does have carbohydrates. For comparatively low carb recipes, try my Paleo recipes.
Emily Howe says
Can you use the mock Cup4Cup flour instead of the mock Better Batter flour? And can the 3% potato starch be replaced with corn starch or tapioca starch? Thanks!
Nicole Hunn says
Hi, Emily,
I’m afraid you must use the mock Better Batter (or Better Batter itself) to build the bread flour. I haven’t tried replacing potato starch with another starch, but it might work to use arrowroot. Free free to experiment!
Emily Howe says
So that probably means the small percentage of potato flour is necessary :( I’ve loved your recipes for the past couple years but now I have a potato allergy so it’s becoming difficult to find an all purpose flour without potatoes!! Thanks for you time in replying.