Gluten-free Dinner Rolls that taste like grandma’s holiday rolls! We enjoy these gluten-free rolls at the holidays and year-round! Be sure to read through the post for my tips! I think you’ll be adding these gluten-free buns to your go-to list of gluten-free bread recipes!
After I had to give up gluten, I tried making my own dinner rolls at home, using my old favorite recipes, just substituting gluten-free flour, and each time they failed miserably.
Thankfully, just a few months after my celiac diagnosis and transition to cooking & eating gluten-free, my local gluten-free store brought in Rachel (former owner of Gluten Free Mama) for a baking class. I sat there amazed as she whipped up super easy gluten-free dinner rolls, then when I got to sample them, I couldn’t believe it.
They actually tasted like real homemade dinner rolls! These don’t taste like cardboard, crumble like sawdust, require a knife to saw through, or need to be toasted to be palatable. What a relief, right?! I knew I had to make these!
Look at that texture:
After learning how to make these from Rachel, and buying her fabulous cookbook, In the Kitchen with Gluten Free Mama (now out of print, but sometimes used copies show up on Amazon here), I started making these at home regularly. These really are my family’s favorite gluten-free dinner rolls, and you will find them on our table at every holiday meal and at least once a month at dinner throughout the year.
While Rachel’s original recipe is no longer available online; you’ll find my adapted gluten-free roll recipe below, used with her permission.
I’ve cut the amount of time that the gluten-free rolls need to rise by about half by using instant yeast.The instant yeast I use is SAF Instant Yeast. You can buy Saf Instant Yeast from Amazon and you might even find it at your local store. I love using this product to cut the rising time down in some of my yeast bread recipes. When using instant yeast, you do not proof the yeast in water. You add the instant yeast with your dry ingredients, and the water with the liquid ingredients. My directions in the recipe card below reflect this change.
If you haven’t worked with gluten-free yeast dough much yet, it is important to note that it is very different from regular yeast doughs. When making gluten-free yeast dough, the end result is typically a very wet, sticky dough. Do not be tempted to add extra flour! You will not be kneading the dough by hand at all. Your mixer does all the work mixing the dough well.
Once it is done mixing, then you use a large cookie scoop (about 2″ diameter) to scoop the dough in mounds in your baking pan. I recommend using a #16 scoop or a #20 scoop.
Another important thing to note is that your pans will actually help you shape your gluten-free dough. For example. if you were making regular dinner rolls, you could get by having the balls of dough spread out on a big baking sheet almost like cookies. If you did that with gluten-free dough, you would end up with very flat breads.
So here in this recipe, I definitely recommend you grab yourself a metal 9″ round cake or metal pie pan to bake your rolls in. I’ll talk more about your pans helping shape your dough when I share my french bread and hamburger bun recipes.
Here’s a pic that shows how the gluten-free rolls look at the different stages:
While some might like to brush their unbaked rolls with an egg wash, I prefer leaving them plain for baking, then after baking I brush on melted butter. Mmmm!
Here’s a look at the ingredients I use every time I make these gluten-free rolls:
Notes on Ingredients and Substitutions for these gluten-free dinner rolls:
While I recommend you use SAF Instant Yeast to cut the rising time, yes, you can use regular, active dry yeast in this recipe. Use the same amount of yeast called for, but go ahead and proof the yeast in the warm water with a bit of sugar. Then you are going to need to extend the rising time for the rolls by at least double what I have listed here.
I do not recommend using any flour blend with coconut flour in it! I tried this recipe with Gluten Free Mama’s Coconut Flour Blend as well, but alas I didn’t have good results. I wouldn’t recommend using any flour blend with coconut flour in it for this recipe. The problem is that coconut flour really absorbs the liquids in a recipe, and mine turned out like hockey pucks.
Yes, you can make this egg-free if you need to. I have tried GFM’s egg free option and it worked well & tasted great! Gluten Free Mama recommends this egg free option: ¼ cup water + 1 Tbsp. ground flaxseed. Simmer water and flaxseed over medium low heat for about 5 minutes until thickened. Stir frequently. Allow to cool. This is equal to one egg.
Yes, you can make this dairy-free if you need to. Substitute the 2 Tablespoons of butter for a good dairy-free margarine or Spectrum organic shortening, melted. You can also either not brush the finished rolls, or brush with a good tasting dairy-free margarine.
If you need to make other substitutions to make this recipe suitable for your diet, feel free to try them. I always recommend making only one new change at a time so that if things go wrong you can isolate the problem and refine from there. If you do make successful substitutions of any kind, please do come back and let us all know!
Which gluten-free flour blend should you use in these rolls?
I’ve tested many flour blends and the three that work best for these gluten-free rolls consistently are:
Gluten-free Mama’s Almond flour blend – used in the recipe as written. This one is harder to find lately under the new ownership (no longer in any of my local stores), and even Amazon keeps running out of it. When it is available on Amazon, you’ll find it here. This is not the same as almond flour. This is a gluten-free flour blend that includes some almond flour, which helps the rolls have a great texture.
Authentic Foods Multi-Blend Flour – It has xanthan gum already in it, but I recommend adding an additional 1/2 tsp. xanthan to the recipe. This is the flour blend that I’ve been using recently for these rolls and it works very well! I don’t notice any difference in results, and would highly recommend. I haven’t had any problems finding it in stock from Amazon here.
There are so many gluten-free flour blends out there, that I simply cannot test them all. I can’t say whether your homemade blend or your favorite store blend will work in this recipe. Using any other gluten-free flour blend means you are bringing in a different combination of flours & starches, and I can’t guarantee that will work well.
That said, please feel free to play with this and see if it works well with your favorite blend. I would recommend you be sure to measure your flour by weight, and be sure to use the same weight I have listed in the recipe.
Read through the reader comments below to see what flour blends have worked well for other readers! Also, if you are using a blend that already contains xanthan gum, try adding an additional 1/2 tsp when making this. Note that some people have had great success using their favorite flour blend, and just removing 1/2 cup of the flour and replacing it with 1/2 cup of real almond flour. This makes it similar to the original Gluten Free Mama’s almond flour blend that I use.
**UPDATE 4/2015. I tested these with Pamela’s artisan flour blend and they turned out okay. Not as fluffy as with GFM, but they worked. Cup4Cup also worked okay – again, not quite as good, but an okay choice for sure! Also tested with MANINIS Gluten Free Multi-Purpose Flour Mix and boy oh boy did that dough rise! Super big, then collapsed after baking! But they tasted great and had great texture, so I would recommend that one too.
Update: 11/2018: My friend Chrystal uses Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-free 1-to-1 Baking Flour and says it works well in these. She says to be sure to measure by weight, with a scale, just as I recommend! Several commenters have said that has worked well for them too.
Update 5/2019: I do not recommend Namaste Flour blend for these. I do not recommend Pillsbury for these. Flour Farm worked pretty good for these I’d give it a B+. My friend gfJules flour does not work well in my recipe as written. I made this with Authentic Foods Multi-Blend Flour and it worked very well! This would be one I would recommend for sure!
If you’re using your own flour blend, if it doesn’t have xanthan or guar gum in it, use the 1 1/2 tsp. xanthan that I call for. If your blend already has xanthan or guar gum in it, use just 1/2 tsp. additional xanthan gum. These rolls just need more xanthan than what the default amount is in most flour blends.
If you would like to use a different flour blend, please read through the reader comments below to see what flour blends have worked well for other readers! Make sure you measure the flour by weight!
Common mistakes that would cause your rolls not to turn out well:
Cutting out all of the sugar. I know some of you are avoiding sugar. I would not recommend cutting the sugar in these, but if you really think you need to, don’t cut down to less than 2 teaspoons. It is needed for helping activate the yeast.
Not checking the temperature of your hot water before adding. Use a thermometer like this one that I have to be sure it is 105-110 before adding. Too cold and it won’t activate the yeast, too hot and it can kill the yeast.
Not measuring the flour correctly or used a blend that just doesn’t work well in this. Please try again!
Not mixing for a full 3 minutes – don’t guess; use a timer. Also a medium speed means not slow but not so fast your mixer is shaking and scooting!
Using too much water to shape the rolls. I just wet my finger to smooth the rolls, actually less than in the video (sorry!).
Not letting them rise enough. I depend less on the time and more on the actual look of the rolls. If your rolls haven’t risen fully at 45 minutes make sure you have it in a somewhat warm place but not too hot. I use my oven’s proof setting which puts it at 100 degrees. Before I had an oven with a proof setting, I would turn my oven to the lowest setting, let it warm up, then turn it off and my oven thermometer showed it was 100 degrees, I would put the covered rolls in to rise. Some of you live in more humid climates, and your rolls will likely rise quicker, and even just on the counter.
Not using an oven thermometer to ensure the correct temperature of your oven. Many ovens are off by 25 degrees or so and you need to adjust accordingly. Or like my new oven, it beeps that it’s ready at the correct temperature about 5 minutes before it actually is. My oven thermometer showed me that!
Not testing the finished rolls with a thermometer. Check them at the 24-25 minute mark really quickly and pull out if done. If not done, continue baking and check every 2 minutes until the finished rolls measure 200 degrees in the center.
Okay, enough details, I hope! Are you ready to grab one and dig in yet?
What should you serve these gluten-free rolls with:
We honestly like these with any gluten-free meals, but I definitely like making them when we have soups, stews and casseroles like these:
I hope you and your family enjoy these gf dinner rolls as much as my family does!
If you make these and love them, please come back and give this recipe a 5 star rating in the recipe card! Feel free to comment with tips or to share any successful substitutions you made.
Gluten-free Dinner Rolls that taste like grandma’s holiday rolls! We enjoy these gluten-free rolls at the holidays and year-round!
Prep Time1 hour20 minutes
Cook Time25 minutes
Total Time1 hour45 minutes
Ingredients
2¾ cups (11½ oz.) very good quality gluten-free flour blend
1 1/2 tsp. xanthan gum
2 tsp. SAF instant yeast
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 cup warm water (105-110°)
2 Tbsp. butter, dairy-free margarine, or Spectrum shortening
1 egg (preferably room temp)
1 tsp. cider vinegar
Instructions
In the mixing bowl of your electric mixer, mix together flour, xanthan gum, instant yeast, sugar, and salt.
With mixer running on low speed, add in the hot water (be sure to test temperature with thermometer, melted butter (or substitute), egg, and cider vinegar.
Mix on medium speed 3 minutes.
Spray 8" or 9" round cake pan or pie plate with cooking spray. Using a 2" scoop or 1/3 cup measuring cup, scoop dough into 9 mounds in the pan. I place one mound in middle, then scoop 8 mounds of dough side by side all the way around the pan.
Dip your fingertips into warm water and use to smooth out the tops of the rolls, continuing to wet fingers as needed.
Cover with a dry towel and let rise in a warm place 45 minutes to 1 hour.
During the last few minutes that the rolls are rising, preheat the empty oven to 400°. (if you were rising your rolls in the oven, remove and place on counter during oven preheat).
Bake in 400° oven for 25-28 minutes. Tops should be golden brown and if you measure temperature of dough, it should measure 200°.
Brush rolls with additional 1/2-1 Tablespoon of melted butter.
Notes
Please see blog post for information on egg-free and dairy-free substitutions. If you would like to use a different flour blend, please read through the reader comments below to see what flour blends have worked well for other readers! Make sure you measure the flour by weight!
I've tested many flour blends and the two that work best for this are Gluten-free Mama's flour blend - used in the recipe above as written, or Authentic Foods Multi-Blend Flour works very well in this as well. It has xanthan gum already in it, but I recommend adding an additional 1/2 tsp. xanthan to it. This is what I used recently and it worked very well!
If you're using your own flour blend, if it doesn't have xanthan or guar gum in it, use the 1 1/2 tsp. xanthan that I call for. If your blend already has xanthan or guar gum in it, use just 1/2 tsp. additional xanthan gum. These rolls just need more than what the default amount is in most flour blends.
Pin these gluten-free buns to your gluten-free bread Pinterest board:
Old photo:
If you love these dinner rolls, make sure to try my new recipe for gluten-free garlic Parmesan rolls. They’re so good with Italian style meals. Take a look:
This recipe looks fabulous! Other than coconut flour and almond flour, what other gluten-free flours would you recommend? I hear ya on the coconut flour, and I don’t eat almonds or anything made from almonds. Thanks so much. Be blessed, ~Sharmie
Sharmie,
Go ahead and read through the comments from other readers on this post. They’ve listed several substitutions that have worked for them for an all-purpose flour or mixing together their own. I hope you’ll try them soon!
These rolls were out of this world! I made both regular and gluten free rolls for Thanksgiving, and the gf rolls were more popular than the regular (I had to pull out and hide a couple gf rolls for the person who actually NEEDED the gf so she would be sure to get some 🙂 )
Carol, this comment makes my day! So glad that your gluten-free rolls were so successful that you had to hide them from the gluten eaters! That’s just awesome! You are obviously a great baker! Thanks so much for leaving me a nice comment and rating the recipe 5 stars. I’m glad you’ll have this recipe as a keeper for future holidays!
I made these yesterday for Thanksgiving and they were delicious! I subbed King Arthur’s MP flour blend and proofed the yeast for 15 minutes. Other than that, everything else was the same. The taste was spot on! I only wish they were a tad fluffier but I’m sure I could get them that way with a little work!
YUM!
Cindy, I’m glad you liked them! If you want them a little fluffier, you might try ordering the almond flour blend from Gluten Free Mama that I recommended. Otherwise, rising a little longer next time might help. Glad you liked the taste though! Happy Baking!!
I just made a few batches with Jules AP flour blend, no other substitutions. The dough wasn’t as elastic as it looks in your pictures, but the end result was exactly what I was looking for. Thank you so much for this recipe! It will be a staple in my kitchen from now on.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Lisa,
I’m so glad that you tried these with what you had and they turned out to your liking! It is so nice to have a good recipe like this as a staple! Happy Baking to you! ~Michelle
Andrea,
If you can’t tolerate xanthan gum, you can also use guar gum or psyllium husk. Guar gum would be an equal substitute, you’ll have to search around for how to substitute psyllium husk as I’m not sure the substitution ratio right now.
These rolls will not turn out without one of these.
These were so delicious! And, I had so many bits of different flours around that I used a totally random combination. 1 cup Bob’s Red Mill GF AP blend, and for the remainder I used a blend of sorgum flour, potato starch, and almond flour. I also used coconut palm sugar instead of regular sugar, and a hand mixer for the whole deal. Again, DELICIOUS!
My daughter just made these and said they were too good to be gluten-free. She is so excited that she is making another batch. She used Cup 4 Cup flour blend and they turned out beautifully. Thank you!
Diane,
Thanks so much for your comment! I’m so glad your daughter made these and they turned out so well! Thanks for letting me know what flour blend you used that worked so well too!
Liz, I’m so impressed with you that you just jumped in with your random combination of flours and your substitutions. You go girl! Sometimes you just have to give things a try. I’m so glad that they turned out delicious! Have a happy Thanksgiving! Thanks so much for your comment! ~Michelle
These look fantastic! I’m going to make a test batch tonight with Better Batter AP GF flour and Spectrum shortening. If they turn out great I’ll surprise my Celiac sister with GF rolls on Thanksgiving day! Thanks for the recipe! I’ll follow up with a yea or nea on the flour subsitution.
Lauren,
You are so sweet to be working at these to surprise your celiac sister! She’ll love that! Please do come back to let me know how these turn out with that flour and the Spectrum shortening. Hopefully, it will all work wonderfully~
I do not have the flour blend – do you have a way to use existing products to make the blend? This sounds and looks to be just what I am looking for – thanksgiving is here again and this year I am GF.
Hoping furiously for help before thursday.
Thank you very much! Vicki
These rocked! I subbed Manini’s GF flour, omitted the xantham gum because it was already in the flour and I increased the yeast to 2.5 tsp (regular, not instant) because I knew I didn’t have extra time to let them rise. I need to cook them a couple minutes longer next time (I think I pulled them out at around 24 minutes because the tops were getting so dark), so mine were a little doughy. But, they rose beautifully!!!! And tasted great!
Lizze,
Thanks so much for the comment and including your successful substiutions! Maninis flour rocks too! That is what I use for the gluten-free bread in my bread machine that I make weekly. It was wise of you to make up a test batch of these before the holidays so you can make them again successfully with what you learned. I hope you have a delicious holiday season! ~Michelle
I want to make these with King Arthur GF flour (I’ll give it a go anyway) for my friend’s family that is coming for Thanksgiving. Should I bake these a day ahead or can I make the dough on Wednesday and put it in the fridge to halt the rising and bake them fresh on Thursday? I love hot rolls out of the oven and since they’ve gone GF they don’t often eat breads so I really want them to be a treat. I know I won’t have room in my kitchen to mix them up properly the day of though.
Megan,
I love the idea of making up the dough and putting in the fridge overnight, but I haven’t tried that with these. I’m totally going to, but it won’t be before Thanksgiving as I’m preparing to travel right now.
You could definitely make them the day before, cool, cover them and keep out on the counter at room temperature. Don’t put them in the fridge after baking. Then just before serving, you could pop them back in the oven to warm them up and they’d be delicious!
It is so sweet of you to make these for your friend! Some others have had success with using the King Arthur flour for these. They don’t come out quite the same as using the Gluten Free Mama’s Almond Flour blend, but if that’s what you’ve got, go with it. 🙂
Sandy,
I haven’t tried that at all. I think it is a great idea! If you have a chance, you should give it a try this week so you’ll know before Thanksgiving. Do let me know if you do!
I would definitely be interested to know if this worked. My mom has this delicious “sticky bun” recipe that uses frozen rolls that rise overnight then she bakes in the morning and I would love to be able to do this with the gluten free rolls too!
I’d be wary of doing these without the sugar. The 1/4 cup is already a really small amount considering that is distributed throughout the whole recipe. I do however think you could use coconut (palm) sugar in place of regular sugar here. Everything I’ve read is that coconut sugar is much better at not raising the glycemic level. I’m starting to use it more and more.
Honey is a great substitute. It is a monosaccharide so fully digests in the stomach unlike disaccharides such as agave, table sugar, maple syrup which goes into the small intestine and forms bacteria which is why gluten free doesn’t always help many unless they cut out the sugar. My bread never had a problem rising with honey .
Dee, I haven’t tried this for cinnamon roll yet, and am not sure that it would work well for that. It is a very WET dough, and you wouldn’t be able to roll it out for rolls. I’m working on perfecting another recipe for cinnamon rolls and will share it when I have it right!
In the meantime, I definitely recommend this recipe from The Baking Beauties. Her rolls are very good. https://www.faithfullyglutenfree.com/best-gluten-free-cinnamon-buns-or-rolls/
I can’t thank you enough for this recipe for Pull-Apart Dinner rolls. My 9 YO grandson was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes and shortly after with Celiac. To say the least we have had many changes in our lives in a short period of time. One of his favorite foods has always been Nana’s rolls. I have tried MANY recipes and none have even come close and then along came yours. THANK YOU !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! They are delicious and he was thrilled. It was more than just a recipe to me.
Kelly,
I haven’t and no one that has commented yet has either. However, that is a good flour blend and I wouldn’t hesitate to try it. Make sure to measure it by weight and match the weight amount called for in the recipe. Come back and let me know how it turns out. Others have been having success with a variety of blends.
~Michelle
@Kelly, I’ve recently made these a few times using King Arthur’s GF Measure for Measure Flour. Once I made it with just this mix, but the next time replaced 2.5 ounces with Bob Redmill’s Super Fine Almond Flour. The addition of the almond flour really kicked these up a notch! (though they are still delicious without it if you can’t have almonds)
Thanks @Michelle for an amazing recipe! I really enjoyed having fresh, hot rolls this Thanksgiving. 🙂
I am a totally inexperienced baker. That said, I used the active dry yeast and Bob’s Red Mills all purpose GF flour that I had on hand. I literally just pulled them out of the oven 5 minutes ago and devoured one piping hot. Delicious! Thank you, thank you, thank you for posting such a wonderful, easy-to-follow recipe. Thanksgiving is going to be awesome!
I just came here to post exactly what Kelly post about using the Red Mills flour! I don’t think I let them rise quite long enough, but other than that, they were delicious! My non-gluten free kids gobbled them down along with my gluten free kids! My gluten free kids were in Heaven today, getting to eat both dinner rolls AND stuffing!
Kristy,
So glad your kids all enjoyed these! I bet it was such a fun treat for your gluten-free kids to have dinner rolls and stuffing! Yay! You are a good mommy for working at creating this experience for them! Thanks for commenting. ~Michelle
Kelly,
I’m so glad that you made these and enjoyed them! Thanks so much for commenting with your substitutions so others will know that works. Hope you have a lovely Thanksgiving!
~Michelle
“Better than Mock Cup4Cup” flour blend, a blend recipe you can find on the internet works perfectly. Probably because it is very similar to GFM almond blend except uses milk powder instead of almond flour making it a dairy version rather than a vegan version. I used exactly 11.5 oz of the flour blend, 1 Tbs butter for flavor and 1 Tbs light olive oil for texture. (I live at high altitude and I cover my rolls at 10-15 minutes with foil to avoid burning the tops.) The rolls turned out exactly like the picture, tasted great, and my family said “don’t change a thing”. I did though, the second time I subbed half millet and half amaranth for the brown rice in my mock cup4cup blend. Millet is nutty like wheat and amaranth is buttery and moist and adding these two flours made the rolls taste even better. Gf oat flour for some or all of the brown rice enhances flavor as well. I’ve also found that 3 minutes in the electric mixer is critical for proper rise and texture.
Regina,
Thanks so much for stopping back by to comment, give tips and rate the recipe. Your tips are great and will be helpful to so many! So glad you have a favorite recipe, worked out perfectly for your altitude too! Enjoy!! ~Michelle
@Michelle Palin ~ My Gluten-free Kitchen, Thank you! I’m high altitude, so I will cover part way through to avoid darkening if needed. They are rising as I type. 😍
I can’t wait to try these rolls for Thanksgiving! We have just gone gluten free do to a wheat sensitivity! My son really misses baked goods! I am trying to learn how to bake gluten free! Would love any advise or help with this! Thanks for posting!Take care Erika
Erika,
I hope you can make these soon! This is a great recipe to start your gluten-free baking with. Just follow the directions, and you should do fine. Starting gluten-free baking can feel overwhelming, but it really is easy and you’ll adjust just fine. A good all-purpose gluten-free flour is the essential. Check out my recommendations page for info on that! Best wishes to you and your son! ~Michelle
Michelle,
Your recipe sounds wonderful. I’m wondering if I double the recipe, would it turn out? Have you done that? I’m expecting 15 for Thanksgiving and at least half of us are gluten-free.
Thanks so much,
Val
Val, I really think it would be fine to double the recipe and make two pans. I’d suggest making a batch or double-batch here this week or next week so that you aren’t trying out a brand new recipe on Thanksgiving Day.
If you find any problems or are hesitant to do the double-batch, since these are so easy you could totally just whip up two single batches back to back. They just take minutes to whip up and you’d know for sure they would turn out that way.
A couple tips if you decide to make these the day before Thanksgiving: don’t refrigerate them, and don’t microwave them to warm them back up. Both of those things really affect the texture. If you want to warm them back up, simply wrap in foil and put back in oven for a few minutes before serving.
and you might even find it at your local store. I love using this product to cut the rising time down in some of my yeast bread recipes. When using instant yeast, you do not proof the yeast in water. You add the instant yeast with your dry ingredients, and the water with the liquid ingredients. My directions in the recipe card below reflect this change.
and boy oh boy did that dough rise! Super big, then collapsed after baking! But they tasted great and had great texture, so I would recommend that one too.
This recipe looks fabulous! Other than coconut flour and almond flour, what other gluten-free flours would you recommend? I hear ya on the coconut flour, and I don’t eat almonds or anything made from almonds. Thanks so much. Be blessed, ~Sharmie
Sharmie,
Go ahead and read through the comments from other readers on this post. They’ve listed several substitutions that have worked for them for an all-purpose flour or mixing together their own. I hope you’ll try them soon!
These rolls were out of this world! I made both regular and gluten free rolls for Thanksgiving, and the gf rolls were more popular than the regular (I had to pull out and hide a couple gf rolls for the person who actually NEEDED the gf so she would be sure to get some 🙂 )
Carol, this comment makes my day! So glad that your gluten-free rolls were so successful that you had to hide them from the gluten eaters! That’s just awesome! You are obviously a great baker! Thanks so much for leaving me a nice comment and rating the recipe 5 stars. I’m glad you’ll have this recipe as a keeper for future holidays!
I made these yesterday for Thanksgiving and they were delicious! I subbed King Arthur’s MP flour blend and proofed the yeast for 15 minutes. Other than that, everything else was the same. The taste was spot on! I only wish they were a tad fluffier but I’m sure I could get them that way with a little work!
YUM!
Cindy, I’m glad you liked them! If you want them a little fluffier, you might try ordering the almond flour blend from Gluten Free Mama that I recommended. Otherwise, rising a little longer next time might help. Glad you liked the taste though! Happy Baking!!
I just made a few batches with Jules AP flour blend, no other substitutions. The dough wasn’t as elastic as it looks in your pictures, but the end result was exactly what I was looking for. Thank you so much for this recipe! It will be a staple in my kitchen from now on.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Lisa,
I’m so glad that you tried these with what you had and they turned out to your liking! It is so nice to have a good recipe like this as a staple! Happy Baking to you! ~Michelle
Can I make this without the xanthan gum? It upsets my stomach.
Andrea,
If you can’t tolerate xanthan gum, you can also use guar gum or psyllium husk. Guar gum would be an equal substitute, you’ll have to search around for how to substitute psyllium husk as I’m not sure the substitution ratio right now.
These rolls will not turn out without one of these.
These were so delicious! And, I had so many bits of different flours around that I used a totally random combination. 1 cup Bob’s Red Mill GF AP blend, and for the remainder I used a blend of sorgum flour, potato starch, and almond flour. I also used coconut palm sugar instead of regular sugar, and a hand mixer for the whole deal. Again, DELICIOUS!
My daughter just made these and said they were too good to be gluten-free. She is so excited that she is making another batch. She used Cup 4 Cup flour blend and they turned out beautifully. Thank you!
Diane,
Thanks so much for your comment! I’m so glad your daughter made these and they turned out so well! Thanks for letting me know what flour blend you used that worked so well too!
Liz, I’m so impressed with you that you just jumped in with your random combination of flours and your substitutions. You go girl! Sometimes you just have to give things a try. I’m so glad that they turned out delicious! Have a happy Thanksgiving! Thanks so much for your comment! ~Michelle
These look fantastic! I’m going to make a test batch tonight with Better Batter AP GF flour and Spectrum shortening. If they turn out great I’ll surprise my Celiac sister with GF rolls on Thanksgiving day! Thanks for the recipe! I’ll follow up with a yea or nea on the flour subsitution.
Lauren,
You are so sweet to be working at these to surprise your celiac sister! She’ll love that! Please do come back to let me know how these turn out with that flour and the Spectrum shortening. Hopefully, it will all work wonderfully~
I do not have the flour blend – do you have a way to use existing products to make the blend? This sounds and looks to be just what I am looking for – thanksgiving is here again and this year I am GF.
Hoping furiously for help before thursday.
Thank you very much! Vicki
Vicki,
Read through the other comments on here and you’ll see several other substitutions for making these from scratch or using other flour blends!
These rocked! I subbed Manini’s GF flour, omitted the xantham gum because it was already in the flour and I increased the yeast to 2.5 tsp (regular, not instant) because I knew I didn’t have extra time to let them rise. I need to cook them a couple minutes longer next time (I think I pulled them out at around 24 minutes because the tops were getting so dark), so mine were a little doughy. But, they rose beautifully!!!! And tasted great!
Lizze,
Thanks so much for the comment and including your successful substiutions! Maninis flour rocks too! That is what I use for the gluten-free bread in my bread machine that I make weekly. It was wise of you to make up a test batch of these before the holidays so you can make them again successfully with what you learned. I hope you have a delicious holiday season! ~Michelle
I want to make these with King Arthur GF flour (I’ll give it a go anyway) for my friend’s family that is coming for Thanksgiving. Should I bake these a day ahead or can I make the dough on Wednesday and put it in the fridge to halt the rising and bake them fresh on Thursday? I love hot rolls out of the oven and since they’ve gone GF they don’t often eat breads so I really want them to be a treat. I know I won’t have room in my kitchen to mix them up properly the day of though.
Megan,
I love the idea of making up the dough and putting in the fridge overnight, but I haven’t tried that with these. I’m totally going to, but it won’t be before Thanksgiving as I’m preparing to travel right now.
You could definitely make them the day before, cool, cover them and keep out on the counter at room temperature. Don’t put them in the fridge after baking. Then just before serving, you could pop them back in the oven to warm them up and they’d be delicious!
It is so sweet of you to make these for your friend! Some others have had success with using the King Arthur flour for these. They don’t come out quite the same as using the Gluten Free Mama’s Almond Flour blend, but if that’s what you’ve got, go with it. 🙂
Has anyone tried making this as a loaf of bread instead of rolls
Karie,
I haven’t tried it as a loaf yet. That would be a good experiment!
I make my bread-machine sandwich bread every week for our bread.
I made a loaf of bread with this recipe and it came out great.
Can you make these ahead and freeze them or do them like brown and serve and partially bake them; freeze then finish baking?
Sandy,
I haven’t tried that at all. I think it is a great idea! If you have a chance, you should give it a try this week so you’ll know before Thanksgiving. Do let me know if you do!
If you do this, let us know, please!?! Thank you!!!
I would definitely be interested to know if this worked. My mom has this delicious “sticky bun” recipe that uses frozen rolls that rise overnight then she bakes in the morning and I would love to be able to do this with the gluten free rolls too!
Can you do this recipe without the sugar? This will be my first time making rolls from scratch because my mother is diabetic and allergic to gluten.
I’d be wary of doing these without the sugar. The 1/4 cup is already a really small amount considering that is distributed throughout the whole recipe. I do however think you could use coconut (palm) sugar in place of regular sugar here. Everything I’ve read is that coconut sugar is much better at not raising the glycemic level. I’m starting to use it more and more.
Honey is a great substitute. It is a monosaccharide so fully digests in the stomach unlike disaccharides such as agave, table sugar, maple syrup which goes into the small intestine and forms bacteria which is why gluten free doesn’t always help many unless they cut out the sugar. My bread never had a problem rising with honey .
@Michelle Palin, You also might try monkfruit, which doesn’t mess with your glycemic index. I’ve used that successfully.
Iwondering if this would work for a cinnamon roll dough? I haven’t found a dough I like for them yet.
Dee, I haven’t tried this for cinnamon roll yet, and am not sure that it would work well for that. It is a very WET dough, and you wouldn’t be able to roll it out for rolls. I’m working on perfecting another recipe for cinnamon rolls and will share it when I have it right!
In the meantime, I definitely recommend this recipe from The Baking Beauties. Her rolls are very good. https://www.faithfullyglutenfree.com/best-gluten-free-cinnamon-buns-or-rolls/
I can’t thank you enough for this recipe for Pull-Apart Dinner rolls. My 9 YO grandson was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes and shortly after with Celiac. To say the least we have had many changes in our lives in a short period of time. One of his favorite foods has always been Nana’s rolls. I have tried MANY recipes and none have even come close and then along came yours. THANK YOU !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! They are delicious and he was thrilled. It was more than just a recipe to me.
Judi,
Your comment made my week! I am so glad that this recipe worked well for you and your grandson can once again have Nana’s rolls! ~Michelle
Have you tried it with King Arthur Flour? Results?
Kelly,
I haven’t and no one that has commented yet has either. However, that is a good flour blend and I wouldn’t hesitate to try it. Make sure to measure it by weight and match the weight amount called for in the recipe. Come back and let me know how it turns out. Others have been having success with a variety of blends.
~Michelle
@Kelly, I’ve recently made these a few times using King Arthur’s GF Measure for Measure Flour. Once I made it with just this mix, but the next time replaced 2.5 ounces with Bob Redmill’s Super Fine Almond Flour. The addition of the almond flour really kicked these up a notch! (though they are still delicious without it if you can’t have almonds)
Thanks @Michelle for an amazing recipe! I really enjoyed having fresh, hot rolls this Thanksgiving. 🙂
I am a totally inexperienced baker. That said, I used the active dry yeast and Bob’s Red Mills all purpose GF flour that I had on hand. I literally just pulled them out of the oven 5 minutes ago and devoured one piping hot. Delicious! Thank you, thank you, thank you for posting such a wonderful, easy-to-follow recipe. Thanksgiving is going to be awesome!
I just came here to post exactly what Kelly post about using the Red Mills flour! I don’t think I let them rise quite long enough, but other than that, they were delicious! My non-gluten free kids gobbled them down along with my gluten free kids! My gluten free kids were in Heaven today, getting to eat both dinner rolls AND stuffing!
Kristy,
So glad your kids all enjoyed these! I bet it was such a fun treat for your gluten-free kids to have dinner rolls and stuffing! Yay! You are a good mommy for working at creating this experience for them! Thanks for commenting. ~Michelle
Kelly,
I’m so glad that you made these and enjoyed them! Thanks so much for commenting with your substitutions so others will know that works. Hope you have a lovely Thanksgiving!
~Michelle
“Better than Mock Cup4Cup” flour blend, a blend recipe you can find on the internet works perfectly. Probably because it is very similar to GFM almond blend except uses milk powder instead of almond flour making it a dairy version rather than a vegan version. I used exactly 11.5 oz of the flour blend, 1 Tbs butter for flavor and 1 Tbs light olive oil for texture. (I live at high altitude and I cover my rolls at 10-15 minutes with foil to avoid burning the tops.) The rolls turned out exactly like the picture, tasted great, and my family said “don’t change a thing”. I did though, the second time I subbed half millet and half amaranth for the brown rice in my mock cup4cup blend. Millet is nutty like wheat and amaranth is buttery and moist and adding these two flours made the rolls taste even better. Gf oat flour for some or all of the brown rice enhances flavor as well. I’ve also found that 3 minutes in the electric mixer is critical for proper rise and texture.
Regina,
Thanks so much for stopping back by to comment, give tips and rate the recipe. Your tips are great and will be helpful to so many! So glad you have a favorite recipe, worked out perfectly for your altitude too! Enjoy!! ~Michelle
@Michelle Palin ~ My Gluten-free Kitchen, Thank you! I’m high altitude, so I will cover part way through to avoid darkening if needed. They are rising as I type. 😍
I can’t wait to try these rolls for Thanksgiving! We have just gone gluten free do to a wheat sensitivity! My son really misses baked goods! I am trying to learn how to bake gluten free! Would love any advise or help with this! Thanks for posting!Take care Erika
Erika,
I hope you can make these soon! This is a great recipe to start your gluten-free baking with. Just follow the directions, and you should do fine. Starting gluten-free baking can feel overwhelming, but it really is easy and you’ll adjust just fine. A good all-purpose gluten-free flour is the essential. Check out my recommendations page for info on that! Best wishes to you and your son! ~Michelle
Michelle,
Your recipe sounds wonderful. I’m wondering if I double the recipe, would it turn out? Have you done that? I’m expecting 15 for Thanksgiving and at least half of us are gluten-free.
Thanks so much,
Val
Val, I really think it would be fine to double the recipe and make two pans. I’d suggest making a batch or double-batch here this week or next week so that you aren’t trying out a brand new recipe on Thanksgiving Day.
If you find any problems or are hesitant to do the double-batch, since these are so easy you could totally just whip up two single batches back to back. They just take minutes to whip up and you’d know for sure they would turn out that way.
A couple tips if you decide to make these the day before Thanksgiving: don’t refrigerate them, and don’t microwave them to warm them back up. Both of those things really affect the texture. If you want to warm them back up, simply wrap in foil and put back in oven for a few minutes before serving.
Perfect tip, am planning to make the day before thanksgiving, but will want the, warm when I eat them.