The smell of freshly baking rolls is wafting through the house. Who can resist that delectable smell? Warm rolls… fluffy rolls… the kind of rolls that are a little bit of soft heaven when you take a bite. I’ve been searching for these rolls ever since I went gluten free. Searching, recipe testing, and finally… my searching and recipe testing is complete.
Perfection.
The kind of perfection that sops up turkey gravy and those leftover bits of turkey and sweet potato and stuffing from your Thanksgiving Day plate.
Ahem. *Wipes the drool off my keyboard*
I’ve never looked forward to turkey leftovers as much as I am now, because these rolls mean amazing post-Thanksgiving turkey sandwiches.
The worst part about making these rolls is choosing the flavor: plain, garlic & rosemary, or onion. I love all 3, but I have to say I love the onion flavor best. They reminds me of onion bagels (just in flavor, not texture).
Before I get to the recipe, I just want to give you a few tips. This is the consistency you want your dough:
Note that the dough is a little wetter than what you would expect (more like a cookie dough batter), but thick enough to cling to the sides of the bowl and hold its shape when scooped onto a baking tray:
I used a whole cup of water in my dough, but temperature, altitude, and humidity all affect yeast dough. Start with 3/4 cup of water, and then work your way up tablespoon by tablespoon of additional hot water until the dough is the correct consistency.
Once you have the dough divided into 12 dinner rolls on your baking tray, wet your fingers and gently flatten them until they are about 3/4 – 1 inch thick:
They don’t have to be perfect. Inconsistencies in shape add character to your rolls!
Allow the rolls rise for about 30 minutes, and then pop them in the oven (middle rack) to bake. I wonder if you’ll even be able to wait until dinner to taste one?!
This recipe is linked to Slightly Indulgent Tuesday, Fat Tuesday, The Gluten-Free Homemaker, Allergy Free Wednesday, Waste Not Want Not Wednesday, Kids in the Kitchen, Pennywise Platter, Simple Lives Thursday, Keep It Real Thursday, Freaky Friday, Allergy Friendly Friday, and Fight Back Friday.
Gluten & Dairy Free Dinner Rolls (plain, garlic & rosemary, or onion)
Yields 12 rolls
Yeast Ingredients:
3/4 – 1 cup hot water, divided (between 105 – 115 degrees F)
1 tablespoon honey
2 teaspoons dry active yeast
Dry Ingredients:
1 cup sorghum flour
3/4 cup brown rice flour or millet flour
1/2 cup tapioca starch
1 3/4 teaspoons xanthan gum
1 – 1 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
Wet Ingredients:
2 eggs
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
For Garlic & Rosemary Rolls add:
1 teaspoon dried crushed rosemary
2 garlic cloves, minced
For Onion Rolls add:
2 tablespoons dehydrated onion flakes
1 teaspoon onion powder
- In a small mixing bowl, combine the honey and 3/4 cup hot water. Sprinkle in the yeast and give it a quick stir to combine. Allow to proof for 7 minutes (set a timer!) – NO more, NO less time. Make sure to have the other wet and dry ingredients mixed and ready to go when the 7 minutes are up!
- Using a heavy duty mixer with a paddle attachment, combine the dry ingredients. If you are making either the garlic & rosemary or onion flavors, make sure to include the dried rosemary and garlic, or the onion powder and dehydrated onion.
- In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, oil, and vinegar.
- When the yeast is done proofing, add the wet ingredients to the dry. Stir until it’s a little paste-like and then slowly add the yeast mixture. Using the mixer’s low speed setting, mix for about 30 seconds. Scrape the sides of the bowl and then mix on medium 2-3 minutes or until the dough is smooth (you may need to scrape the sides of the bowl a few more times). Add up to 1/4 cup of additional water to get the dough to the necessary consistency (as pictured and explained above), but start by adding 1 tablespoon at a time.
- Drop the dough using an ice cream scoop onto a parchment or silicone lined cookie sheet. There is just enough dough for 12 rolls, so divide the dough up equally between the 12.
- Wet your fingers and use them to shape the dough into circles or fix the imperfections (they don’t have to be perfect). Flatten each ball of dough so that it’s approximately 3/4 -1 inch thick (keep wetting your fingers as you go along so that the dough does not stick to them).
- Allow the rolls to rise in a warm spot for approximately 20 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees (F). When the oven is fully preheated, bake the rolls for approximately 17 – 19 minutes (so they have a rising time of about 30 minutes total before placed in the oven to bake). They will be nice and golden brown when finished baking.
- Remove the rolls from pan and allow them to cool on a wire rack. Cool for at least 15 – 20 minutes before serving.
Enjoy!
Megan
They look beautiful! I think I can smell them from here
Thanks, Danielle!
These look lovely, thank you!
You are so welcome, Kirstie!!
Hugs,
Megan
Megan, these rolls look stunning. Exactly what I need for e upcoming holiday season! Can’t wait to give them a whirl and play around with different flavor options.
Thank you! I can’t wait to hear how you like them!
Hugs,
Megan
These look like the dinner rolls I used to gobble up every Thanksgiving growing up. I can’t wait to make these when I am all settled in my new kitchen in a few weeks. Seriously Megan, these look scrumptious! Perfect with ghee or butter right on top!
Thank you, Laura! That is exactly what I was trying to re-create – the rolls of our childhood!
I hope your packing and moving is going smoothly. I’ve been thinking of you!
Hugs,
Megan
Thanks a lot for the recipe, I’ll definitely try this out tomorrow.
Megan,
What can I use to replace sorghum flour? More brown rice flour?
Thanks!
Hi Carolyn,
Megan
Yes, you can use brown rice flour to replace the sorghum flour, but make sure you at least use 2 different flours (like brown rice and millet). I don’t recommend using straight brown rice flour.
Thanks Megan!
Those rolls look divine, Megan! I’d probably like the onion flavor best, too.
xo,
Shirley
Thanks, Shirley!
xo
I think I’d have to vote for the garlic & rosemary. I hope I get time to make these before Thanksgiving!! Thanks for the recipe!
These look lovely! I’m stopping by from a link party . . . not sure which one actually
.
Beautiful!
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I just made these for my son who has to be casein free and I have to say they tasted great. Thank you for the recipe. Do you know if these can be frozen?
Hi Susan,
I’m glad you enjoyed them! I have not yet tried to freeze these rolls; however, I think they would freeze okay. I’m actually going to make a triple batch of these before Thanksgiving and freeze them, so I’ll be able to test it and report back. 
Megan
You are so welcome!
Great! Thanks Megan
These look wonderful! I love that they look so simple, too, without a ton of ingredients.
Thanks so much for sharing this on Waste Not Want Not Wednesday, it’s been pinned on my pinterest board and don’t forget to check back to see if you’ve been featured this week
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Megan,
You’re amazing when it comes to baked goods, really. These look so perfect.
These really made an impression on AFW last week – this was the most viewed recipe! Well done.
Hugs to you and hope you have a fabulous Thanksgiving.
Hugs,
–Amber
Amber,
You are so sweet – thank you!
Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family!
xoxo,
Megan
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This sounds great and especially with holiday dinners! I would love to have you share this on Thursday at Tasty Traditions: http://myculturedpalate.com/
Thank you! I’m sorry I missed the linky party this week – I will try for next week!
These were very, very good! Awesome taste and texture. Thank you for sharing a wonderful recipe. Also, as I was browsing your blog, I noticed that you referenced Psalm 73:26 in one of your blog entries. It was such a blessing and excellent reminder to me today–I too suffer from autoimmune disease. Thanks for your boldness and resolve to trust in the Lord.
Hi Lauren,
Thank you for your sweet comment! Psalm 73:26 is what I cling to, especially on really bad days. It’s my favorite verse!
Hugs,
Megan
PS – I’m very glad you enjoyed the rolls!
These are fantastic!! I have made them egg-free using chia seeds and water and they still turned out great. For hamburger buns I put the dough into a muffin top pan,smoothed out the dough to fill the well, and it worked well. Thank you for the recipe.
i see you use your own mixture of flours… have you ever tried a pre-mixed gluten free flour? i have cup4cup at home and also flour from Jules…
i wonder if i could use one of those?
Hi Mary,
I have not personally tried either of those flours, but I’m sure they will work just fine.
Megan
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These look awesome! And I just happen to have beef stew in the crockpot…