Gluten Free Dinner Rolls
Updated: Feb 7
Everyone loves a good dinner roll slathered, and with this brilliant gluten free recipe you don't have to miss out anymore! These Gluten Free Dinner Rolls are unbelievably soft and fluffy inside with a deliciously crisp and chewy crust on the outside. Believe me when I say you can't tell they're gluten free!
There are two main types of bread in the world, in my view; bread that's wholesome, full of nutrition from whole grains and fibre, and bread that's soft, fluffy, absolutely delicious, but nutritionally... less than perfect.
This recipe is very much the latter. It has a little bit of whole grain and fibre, but I've found that when I want a bread that's white, wonderfully flavoured and as close as possible to wheat flour bread I get better results with a high ratio of starch in the recipe. It might not be the healthiest bread you've ever eaten, but my goodness. It'll definitely be one of the most delicious, and it'll only boost the flavour of whatever you stuff it with!
As someone who regularly eats ordinary wheat flour bread (I'm not the gluten free one in my family, but I am the baker), the first time I made this version of my Gluten Free Dinner Rolls I was floored, and trust me - I'm very picky. I'm always on the lookout for odd textures and strange aftertastes in gluten free bakes, bread especially, but these rolls don't have any. Nothing at all for me to complain about. The texture is perfect, and they taste exactly like normal white bread rolls!
As an added bonus these Gluten Free Dinner Rolls are egg free, and if you need them to be dairy free or vegan it's a matter or simply swapping the butter for a dairy free alternative. Great bread for everyone!
Here's how to make my Gluten Free Dinner Rolls:
Mixing the dough: the process for mixing this dough is hugely approachable. As always, we get the yeast and psyllium ready first, mixing them individually with some of the water and sugar and setting them aside while we measure everything else. This is a relatively soft dough, which helps to get that incredible fluffy texture, so I recommend using a stand mixer if you have one. If not, you can use a a rubber spatula to start mixing the dough and then go win with your hands to make sure it's really well mixed.
First Prove: I coat my doughs in oil to make sure they don't dry out during proving. We just need to drizzle about a tablespoon around and on top of the dough to coat. Cover with a damp towel or plastic wrap, then choose a warm spot if you have one, but regular old room temperature is fine too.
Shaping: you have two shaping options with these dinner rolls. If you're after something quick and easy go with the plain oval shaped rolls. If you want something a little bit fancier have a go at the knotted rolls - they're not as hard to do as they might appear!
Second Prove: The second proof is the more important for these Gluten Free Dinner Rolls. It does take a bit of practice to get to know when gluten free bread dough is ready to go in the oven, but I do have some pointers. You're looking for your bread dough to be full of little air bubbles and feeling pretty soft when it's ready to bake. I always take note of how my dough feels when I've just shaped it - it'll feel pretty dense. Then I just periodically give it a gentle prod during the second prove, and if it feels light and airy at the top, bottom and along the sides of the first and last rolls I shaped then they're ready to go!
Scoring: if you've opted for the simple oval shaped dinner rolls then I advise scoring them before baking to stop them from tearing open untidily. With a bread lame or sharp knife sprayed with water simply slash the dough all the way down the length to a depth of about 0.5 - 1cm. The water helps to stop the dough from sticking to the blade!
Baking: I find that preheating my oven a bit hotter to 250ºC and then reducing the temperature to 230ºC once the Dinner Rolls go in is the best way to get an even bake on all the rolls. Just make sure you remember to turn the oven down! I also bake these rolls with a dish of hot water in the bottom of the oven. This creates a steamy environment to help a lovely crisp, light crust form.
How to store Gluten Free Dinner Rolls:
Like all homemade bread, these dinner rolls will be most fantastic on the day they're made. However, any leftovers will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for a few days, or they freeze really well too. Refresh the rolls in a 180ºC oven until warm.
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