Gluten-free Pull-Apart Dinner Rolls {dairy-free option}
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.
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.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. If you’d like to use gfJules flour, go use gfJules rolls recipe here. 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:
crockpot gluten-free beef stew
gluten-free cheeseburger soup recipe
gluten-free chicken rice casserole
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 Recipe:
Gluten-free Pull-Apart Dinner Rolls
Gluten-free Dinner Rolls that taste like grandma’s holiday rolls! We enjoy these gluten-free rolls at the holidays and year-round!
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.
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:
Make sure you check out my gluten-free pull-apart cinnamon rolls recipe! Perfect for holiday brunch!
Also, at Easter time, you can make my gluten-free hot cross buns recipe too!
Happy Baking!!
I made these dinner rolls for Easter for a very special guest who can’t have gluten. They looked beautiful, but as I was pulling them apart I noticed they seemed a bit tough almost like they were chewy. My family made a few comments that they were chewy almost like rubbery. I followed the instructions, (other than letting them rise 1 hour & 15 minutes) & bought the special flour you recommended. Any idea what went wrong? On a good note, our special guest probably ate 5 of them slathered in butter! She didn’t seem to mind how we all thought they turned out, and said every time she can eat bread she loves it no matter what!
Just found this recipe and decided to give it a try so I could have some bread while everyone one else in our family devoured my husbands homemade loaf. I’m SO GLAD I did!! I followed a followers advice for a homemade flour blend using 2 cups brown rice flour instead of white, it’s what I had on hand. They just came out of the oven and I’ve already eaten two, lol! The hubs tried one and gave me a high five. Best GF rolls/bread we’ve had to date. Thrilled I found this recipe!!
I wanted to leave a review making this amazing recipe from Germany. They turned out so delicious. We moved from the US to Germany in 2020 and I was diagnosed with celiac disease a few months later. I used Schär brand universa flour and as I didn’t have any extra xantham gum, I used a gluten free sauce thickener that has tapioca starch in it. The result came it soft and delicious. The only change I would make is a lower heat setting, maybe 180C over the 200C.
Have you ever used milk instead of water in this recipe? Most yeast rolls I make use milk but I’ve never made GF rolls before. And what does the vinegar do for the recipe? Thank you for your time! Trying to make some yummy rolls for Easter dinner for our son’s GF, she’s worth all the trouble!
I live in the UK, but a friend of mine who lives in the US sent me this recipe a couple of years ago and it just occurred to me that I don’t think I’ve ever left a comment. I use these rolls for everything. I use them for sweet bread, I use them for savoury bread, I add cheese and spring onions to have them with stew, I add currants and dried fruit with spices at Easter for hot cross buns – these are single-handedly the best rolls I have ever made and, as someone who’s gluten free for medical reasons, I’m immensely grateful to you for it. Thanks so much!
Outstanding!! Used Bob’s one to one, kitchen scale. Added 1/2 tsp. zantham gum. Hand mixer with dough hook. After several not so good gf breads, this was a fantastic treat!
Hi. I just tried to make this and I used premium gold gluten free flour. I am really disappointed because I mixed the ingredients and my dough came out very dry and hard, like play dough or harder. Maybe I added too much xantan gum? I also didnt use a scale and I stuffed the flour into the cup, so that could have affected it. measuring is definitely extremely important.
These were so insanely good! We just stood over the pan eating them all 🤣. After reading comments and blog, I used 1/2 cup almond flour and then the remainder of the 11.5 ounces was king Arthur gf measure for measure flour. I added 1/2 tea xantham gum. So easy and so delicious. We will definitely make these again!
These were amazing gluten free rolls!!! They are way better than the ones from the Gluten Free Bakery near my home. I used 2.5 ounces of Bob’s Red Mill Finely Ground Almond Flour and 9 ounces of Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1 to 1 Baking Flour, since none of the options recommended were available to purchase. I did make them in the traditional manner of proofing regular yeast. I just let them rise until I was ready to bake them, which was about two hours. As suggested I added the 1/2 tsp. of Xanthan Gum even though it was included in my flour mix. I did reduce the sugar to two tablespoons. Next time I will try one tablespoon. I really don’t like sweet dinner rolls and even though I cut the sugar in half, it was still too sweet for me. However, everyone else who ate them did think they were wonderful as I made them. I did not have an 8-9 inch metal pan as recommended, so I used a 10″ ceramic type pan. I will look for a smaller pan when I make them again. They did turn out fine in the pan I used, but with a smaller pan the rolls would end up higher. I ended up cooking them for only 20 minutes as they were done at that point. Probably due to the fact they were flatter than if they had been in smaller pan. These are definitely make again rolls whenever we have gluten free guests for dinner. I am looking forward to trying the garlic parmesan rolls as well. Those sound truly yummy too. A big thank you to Michelle for creating this recipe and SHARING it. It is truly an excellent recipe. The directions made everything very clear.
These are great! I don’t know how to put up a picture. I wish I could!
I love this recipe! I’ve made it twice, with delicious results. I imagine it could also make a nice focaccia if the sugar is reduced.
I am refrigerating the dough so I can make it ahead of time. Should I put the dough in the fridge before forming them in the round pan or after they are formed?
Will this recipe work in a bread machine? Making for Christmas Day! Thank you.
My dough comes out more dry at home than when I do this anywhere else. More like a gluten dough consistency and it doesn’t bake right.
I’ve made this several times and they are FABULOUS! A few notes:
– The original Gluten Free Mama Almond Blend works great, but it’s near impossible to find, especially to just pick up at the last minute.
– Solution: I have been making it with 2 cups Cup4Cup and 3/4 cup Bob’s Red Mill Almond Flour, and 3/4 tsp. xanthan (splitting the difference since C4C has some). I also kept burning the outsides at the temp and time shown, so I found the sweet spot at 350 (325 if convection) for 25 minutes or so. (Sorry I don’t have weights; I know C4C is 140g per cup if that helps. I haven’t weighed the almond flour. I usually cook by weight but this was a quick fix!)
– Tonight I accidentally added two eggs, and it was still delicious! Maybe more like a brioche if I had added more sugar.
This will be a keeper, with modifications so it will be more accessible with what I have on hand. Thank you for the recipe!!
(I’m a professional chef and culinary instructor with a wheat allergy)
I tried these for Thanksgiving this year.
I didn’t have enough of Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 so after reading the recipe notes, I used about half Bob’s and half Almond Flour. I also didn’t have instant yeast, so I bloomed mine in the warm water with sugar for 5 minutes before adding to the batter. I proofed mine in the oven and they did just fine.
I also realized way too late that my only round pan had an apple pie in it. So I improvised and used my cast iron skillet. They cooked way faster and came out a bit on the dark side, all down to my cookware choice. I’d cook at least 3-4 minutes less next time.
However, these tasted absolutely amazing! My kids are not GF and even they were wanting more. Really great recipe!
I made these twice using the authentic blend gf flour. The first time I added the full xantham gum forgetting it was included. The flavor was good but they were very dense. The second time I used the suggested 1/2tsp xantham gum and my husband said they were gritty and not as good and still felt sense to me. Any suggestions??? What do I do wrong?
Tried these in hopes of something good for thanksgiving. Not perfect but for someone who has been craving yeast bread for years: they were amazing and I ate 3. Not the best when I’m also trying to loose weight. 😄 I don’t think they raised enough as they were still chewy. I didn’t have instant yeast. It’s kinda cold here so I raised them in my oven on the proof setting. First time I used it. I used Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1. I saw it worked well. I used about 3/4 sugar alcohols and about 1/4 sugar in the raw. Might need just a little bit more sugar for the yeast. Definitely trying it again. Might attempt it with a sour dough starter instead of yeast and see what I can get.