Gluten Free Dinner Rolls

A week or two ago, I saw a link to a recipe for Gluten-Free Dinner Rolls on Shauna Ahern's Gluten-Free Girl Facebook page.  I printed it out and made them last Friday. 

I pretty much followed all the directions, making 7 rolls in my pie dish.  I don't like this photo, because the rolls all ran together, and there are shadows from taking a picture in my kitchen at night.  I wanted to dig right in, not fiddle around trying to find just the right picture spot, which is hard with my kitchen lights on. 

This grain free recipe calls for almond flour, arrowroot flour, potato starch, tapioca flour, and psyllium husk.  All the flours and starches are available from Bob's Red Mill at my local Publix (make sure they are certified gluten free), and I found the psyllium husk at The Fresh Market.  Yerba Prima Psyllium Whole Husks is also available on amazon.  Yep, it's being marketed as a colon cleanser!  :-)  You can read more about psyllium husk in Shauna Ahern's A Guide to Gluten-Free Baking. 

Here is what my dough looked like after I combined my wet and dry ingredients.  I used one packet of Fleischmann's Active Dry Yeast, which I proofed with honey and warm water on the warming zone of my stove top.  It's quite effective.  I warmed up my warming drawer for a couple of minutes on low heat while I put together the dough.  I turned it off at least 5 minutes before I put my dough in to rise. 

Ninety minutes later, my dough looked pretty good! 

Today, I used my Polish Pottery muffin pans to make the rolls. 

I decided to make ten, because the seven rolls I made last Friday were huge.  (Update -- I have also made 11 dinner rolls and cooked them for 17 minutes)

After 15 minutes in the oven, they were nicely browned and crusty on the outside. 

I ate two of these beauties for lunch with some salted butter.  They were so delicious! 

I much prefer the rolls I made in my muffin pans.  They cooked better, and I loved all the crunchy crusty parts along the top, bottom, and sides.  These rolls have the most wonderful yeasty taste and smell, just like my husband's grandmother's homemade bread.  Last Friday, I wrapped the leftovers in aluminum foil, and reheated them the next day in the microwave for about 10 seconds.  They were still ridiculously good.  Today, I am going to try freezing 4 of them.  I'll let you know how it goes. Update - these dinner rolls freeze very well.  I defrost them in the microwave, then warm them up in the oven.

You can check out Shauna Ahern's recipe for Gluten-Free Dinner Rolls here.  They are so easy to make and so incredibly delicious!  Not only are they gluten free and grain free, but Shauna gives tips to make them dairy and egg free as well.  

Ingredients - 1 C warm water, 1 packet of active dry yeast, 1 tsp honey, 200 grams almond flour, 100 grams arrowroot flour, 100 grams potato starch, 50 grams tapioca flour, 2 T psyllium husk, 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt, 8 T unsalted butter, 1 large egg (optional)

To make this recipe, you will need a kitchen scale.  I am so glad I bought one about a year ago.  It has become one of my favorite kitchen gadgets.  I now weigh my ingredients if a recipe includes grams, ounces, or pounds.  It saves me from having to clean up a bunch of measuring cups.  If you're a fan of Gluten Free on a Shoestring, Nicole includes weights for all of her newer recipes.  A handy tip - if you're measuring one cup of all-purpose gluten free flour, like Cup4Cup or Better Batter, it should weigh 140 grams.  I purchased my scale from amazon.  

November 29, 2013 Update

I knew I wanted to use this dough to make bread for panini.  I decided to experiment the day after Thanksgiving with my leftovers.  I made the dough like I always do, but after it rose, I divided it between two 8-inch pie plates.  I had sprayed them with cooking spray, and easily spread the dough out with my hands.  Before I placed them in the oven, I brushed the dough with egg.

Here's what my bread looked like after 15 minutes in the oven.  It was a little bit of a challenge to slice them in half, but my big bread knife came in handy. 

I was in panini heaven.  I cut each round into 3 wedges, then added leftover cranberry relish, cornbread stuffing, and turkey to my sandwich.  It was the best panini I have had since going gluten free.  This is definitely my favorite way to eat Thanksgiving leftovers.  I have family members who like to add gravy and mashed potatoes too.  My daughter Kate requested a Caprese panini next time, with fresh mozzarella, basil, tomatoes, olive oil, and kosher salt.  The possibilities are endless!

You can view all of my Thanksgiving recipes here.   

November 30, 2013 Update

For dinner, we made a Caprese panini with leftover bread.  Yesterday, I wrapped my second bread round in aluminum foil, and let it sit on the counter overnight.  Before cutting, I reheated it in the oven until it was warm to the touch.  I dressed my San Marzano tomatoes (seeds squeezed out and cut in half lengthwise) and fresh mozzarella with extra virgin olive oil and a little bit of white balsamic vinegar.  I layered the mozzarella, fresh basil, and tomatoes on my bread, then sprinkled them generously with kosher salt.  I think we will be having Caprese panini again very soon!  Everyone loved it, even my daughter Emma, who is not a big mozzarella fan.