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Gluten-free sourdough rolls on a kitchen towel in a bowl.

Gluten-Free Sourdough Rolls

Natasha Levai
These delicious gluten-free sourdough rolls are soft, fluffy, and moist just like the "regular" dinner rolls!
4.45 from 27 votes
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Rising/Proofing 3 hours 30 minutes
Total Time 4 hours 20 minutes
Course Bread, dinner
Cuisine American
Servings 9 rolls
Calories 212 kcal

Equipment

Ingredients
  

Wet Ingredients

  • 10 grams (5 tsp) psyllium husk 8 grams if using powder, for more info look at this  psyllium husk guide
  • 150 grams (⅗ cups) water room temperature
  • 20 grams (1½ tbsp) oil I used sunflower oil
  • 25 grams (2 tbsp) sugar maple syrup/honey
  • 90 grams (⅓ cup + 2 tbsp) milk warm, not hot
  • 200 grams gluten-free sourdough starter if you are using starter discard, add 7g of instant/active dry yeast or 20g of fresh yeasr
  • 1 egg room temperature

Dry Ingredients

  • 160 grams (1⅓ cups + 1 tbsp) tapioca starch arrowroot starch, potato starch, or cornstarch will work, too
  • 130 grams (1 cup) brown rice flour or millet flour
  • 25 grams (⅛ cup) lentil flour sorghum flour, GF oat flour, or white teff flour will work, too
  • 2 teaspoon xanthan gum
  • 2 tsp baking powder check the package to make sure it is GF
  • teaspoon salt

You Will Also Need

  • 1 egg for the egg wash
  • 20 grams butter for brushing the buns after baking

Instructions
 

  • Add psyllium husk, sugar, oil, milk, and water to a medium-sized bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside for a couple of minutes for psyllium gel to form.
  • Add dry ingredients to the bowl of a stand mixer (or a large mixing bowl) and whisk to combine. Once psyllium gel is ready, add it to the dry ingredients along with the egg and the sourdough starter.
    If you are using starter discard, add 7g of instant/active dry yeast or 20g of fresh yeast at this point.
    Knead the dough for 5 minutes with a stand or hand mixer and 10 minutes if you are mixing by hand. Kneading for a longer time allows the rolls to have an extra smooth surface without bumps!
  • Grease a medium-sized baking dish with butter, margarine, lard, or oil. Turn the dough onto the floured surface. The dough will be very sticky! Avoid the urge to add more flour. Rather, grease your hands with oil to prevent sticking. Keep greasing your hands if the dough starts sticking again!
  • Separate the dough into 9 balls. I recommend using a digital scale to make sure all rolls are about the same weight. Mine are around 95 grams per ball.
  • Finally, grease your hands with oil and shape each piece of the dough into a ball in between the palms of your hands. Place each ball into the greased baking dish, cover with a tea towel, and leave to rise for 3-3 ½ hours. The rolls won’t rise as much in this stage but they will puff up significantly during baking.
    If you are using starter discard with additional yeast, let the dough rise for 1 hour only.
  • 30 minutes before the rolls are done rising, start preheating the oven to 375F/190C. Once the rolls are ready (they will puff up a bit, not much), prepare the egg wash and brush the rolls with it to encourage browning. To make the egg wash just whisk 1 egg with a fork in a small bowl, then brush the rolls with it using a silicone or a baking brush. Don’t use the whole egg, use just enough to cover the entire surface of the dough.
  • Place a medium-sized dish with water on the bottom of the oven. The steam will encourage the oven spring (rising) and prevent the crust from forming. Your rolls will be very soft! Bake for 25 minutes, then remove the water and bake for additional 5 minutes. In these last 5 minutes, the rolls will brown more and finish baking. The internal temperature of baked-through rolls is 210F/100C. A toothpick should come out without raw dough sticking to it (a couple of crumbs is okay).
  • As soon as the rolls come out of the oven, generously brush them with melted butter while they are still hot. You can eat the rolls right away, no need to wait for them to cool!

Notes

How To Store

The rolls are best on the day of baking but they can be kept at room temperature for 2-3 days in a textile bread bag or a sealed container. You can keep the dinner rolls in the refrigerator for 4-5 days or freeze them for up to 3-5 months. To defrost, let them thaw at room temperature or warm them up in a microwave. If you are defrosting a few sourdough rolls at the same time, you can pop them into the oven at 375F/175C for 5-10 minutes or until ready. Brush with more butter for a better texture.

Expert Tips

– Use a digital kitchen scale for the best results. If you accidentally overpack or underpack the measuring cups (which is very easy to do, especially if you are in a hurry), you might end up with gummy or dense dinner rolls. A kitchen scale will also save you time (and dishes to wash!). If you are using measuring cups, make sure to fluff up the flour in the jar first, then spoon it into the cups without pressing the flour into them, and then brush off the extra flour by swiping a knife over the top of the cup.
– Use an oven thermometer to avoid underbaking or burning. A lot of ovens run hot or cold (mine does!), so a thermometer allows you to have consistent results!
 Use a mature sourdough starter. If your starter is weak, only bubbles a little, or is not mature, the rolls will still be delicious, they just won’t have as many air pockets. A mature sourdough starter is a starter at its peak activity that is still bubbling (it hasn’t fallen flat yet). If you prefer using starter discard, add 7g of active dry/instant yeast or 20g of fresh yeast.
– If you want more sourness to your rolls, leave them to ferment overnight in the refrigerator.
– Keep greasing your hands if the dough gets sticky. The only time you need to use extra flour is to flour the working surface. Otherwise, avoid the urge to add flour!

Nutrition

Serving: 1rollCalories: 212kcalCarbohydrates: 42gProtein: 3.6gFat: 3.7gSaturated Fat: 0.7gCholesterol: 19mgSodium: 411mgPotassium: 227mgFiber: 3.3gSugar: 4.2gCalcium: 71mgIron: 1mg
Keyword bread rolls, gluten-free rolls, Gluten-free sourdough discard recipes, gluten-free sourdough rolls, Gluten-free sourdough soft rolls
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