These gluten free rolls are perfectly soft, fluffy and so easy to make! Ready in just one hour, they are the perfect addition to any meal and will be enjoyed by everyone, gluten-eaters included! Dairy free option included.
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Rolls. They are the perfect addition to any meal and are one of those comfort foods that we all love to enjoy. After we started eating gluten free 7 years ago, we set out to make gluten free rolls that really tasted good. They had to be soft and fluffy and have a buttery taste.
Our first few attempts at making gluten free rolls were…er…special. They might have resembled hockey pucks more than a roll and they also might have ended up in the trash.
We kept trying, making tweaks and adjustments over the years until finally we cracked the code. We developed our Gluten Free Crescent Rolls and used that recipe for YEARS! It’s a great recipe that we still make often and works great for recipes like cinnamon rolls, pigs-in-a-blanket, and even pizza.
Get our Gluten Free Crescent Roll Recipe Here!
But sometimes you just want a regular, tall and fluffy dinner roll. One that you can pull apart and slather with butter or make into a sandwich with leftover Thanksgiving turkey. Ya know?
So we decided that this year we wanted to develop a recipe and publish for gluten free rolls before the holidays hit, so that you can enjoy these rolls too if you’re looking for the same thing. And here it is. As a base, we used Grandma’s dinner roll recipe that has been made every Thanksgiving for as long as we can remember. They are the best rolls you’ll ever eat.
They’re absolutely perfect with a bowl of Kale and Quinoa Chili or served alongside these Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes and creamy Gluten Free Gravy.
Gluten Free Rolls are Quick and Easy to Make
We made a few tweaks to the original recipe so that we would still achieve all that fluffy and buttery goodness while using a gluten free flour. And they are GOOD. No funky taste, no grittiness, perfectly light and fluffy and buttery. The only difference, really, is that these rolls take only 1 hour to make.
With gluten free yeast breads and rolls, you don’t need a second rise. So mix up the dough, shape, rise, and bake. BAM. ready in an hour flat. Be sure to read the directions closely as we include tips and tricks to help make this recipe a success. Keep in mind that we live at an altitude of about 4,000 feet, so you might need to adjust water or flour amounts a smidge based on your altitude.
We hope that you enjoy these gluten free rolls for holidays and many other meals! If you’re making them for the holidays, they’re perfect smeared with this 15 Minute Cranberry Sauce with Cider and Orange from my friend Brianna at Flippin’ Delicious
MAKING THIS RECIPE??? snap a photo, and tag @LifeAfterWheat on social media – we love seeing what you make!
Gluten Free Rolls (dairy free option)
Ingredients
- 3 cups high quality gluten free flour (see notes)
- 1 T potato flakes (NOT potato flour)
- 1 T gluten free instant yeast, room temperature
- 3 T sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/3 cup powdered milk (optional, but highly suggested - omit if dairy free)
- 1/4 cup butter, softened (see notes for dairy free)
- 1 egg
- 1 1/2 cups water, just warmer than room temperature
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to the bowl of a stand mixer in order listed. Add the salt and sugar on opposite sides of the bowl.
- Mix on low until ingredients start to combine, then on medium for 3 minutes. The mixture will be thick to start and then soften after a minute or so. The dough should be sticky and softer than regular roll dough, more like a sticky cookie dough.
- If it is too dry (not sticky, easily handled, or crumbly), add a tablespoon or two of water.
- Likewise, if it is too wet (more like banana bread, not able to be formed or handled at all in the next step), add a tablespoon or two of flour.
- Because the dough is sticky, you'll want to coat your hands in oil so you can easily handle it. Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces and form into balls with oiled hands. You might need to re-apply oil a few times.
- Place the balls of dough in a 9X13" baking pan and cover the pan with plastic wrap or a light towel.
- Allow to rise in a warm location until nearly doubled in size. I heat the oven to 120 degrees, then turn it off before putting the rolls in to rise. You can also turn the oven on to 350 to preheat and set the pan of rolls on top of the stove. This rising period tends to be fairly quick with gluten free rolls, so watch them closely - checking after 15-20 minutes.
- When the rolls have almost doubled in size, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and bake for 17-20 minutes, until golden brown on top and done inside. If you omitted the dry milk powder, the rolls might not brown as much so check the inside if they aren't browned by 20 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and brush with melted butter. These rolls are best served warm but we put the leftovers in a Ziploc bag and they were still soft the next day.
- This recipe freezes well.
Notes
GLUTEN FREE FLOUR OPTIONS:
This recipe was tested with Better Batter flour. This is one of our favorite blends and works very well for all types of yeast breads and rolls.
Other blends that we have tried with different roll recipes in the past (so they should work well with this recipe also) include GF Jules and our homemade flour blend. If using our homemade blend, add an extra 1 tsp of xanthan gum.
FOR DAIRY FREE:
Melt is our favorite dairy free butter substitute. We like the taste and texture and recommend using the stick variety. If you have another butter substitute you like, feel free to use it:)
Recommended Products
-
Better Batter Gluten-Free Flour -
gfJules Gluten Free Flour - Voted #1 by GF Consumers 4.5 lb Bag, Pack of 1
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1 rollAmount Per Serving: Calories: 166 Total Fat: 6g Carbohydrates: 27g Fiber: 2g Sugar: 3g Protein: 4g
54 Comments
Jules Shepard
November 20, 2018 at 8:27 amThanks for the shout out! This is one of my favorite parts of Thanksgiving…or any day actually! Nothing better than a warm roll!
Connie
November 21, 2018 at 12:37 pmThese look amazing! A question for you about the milk powder. My son and I are both gluten and milk intolerant. Is there anything we should use to replace the milk powder?
thereislifeafterwheat@gmail.com
November 21, 2018 at 1:37 pmYou can just leave it out Connie. The rolls might not brown as much, so just be sure to check the inside to see if they’re done instead of relying on browning. Enjoy! -Celeste
Karla
November 29, 2018 at 4:43 pmWonder if powdered coconut milk would work
thereislifeafterwheat@gmail.com
November 29, 2018 at 10:18 pmI have wondered that, but haven’t tried it yet!
Renee Hargraves
November 21, 2018 at 1:56 pmThis recipe looks wonderful and I can’t wait to try them! It’s been 10 years since we’ve had delicious yeast rolls. You mention the recipe works well for freezing. At what point do you freeze the rolls, before or after baking?
thereislifeafterwheat@gmail.com
November 21, 2018 at 2:07 pmI often freeze the leftovers, haven’t tried freezing before baking 🙂 -Celeste
Candace
November 23, 2018 at 4:25 pmI can’t eat potatoes is there a substitute I can use or just omit?
thereislifeafterwheat@gmail.com
November 24, 2018 at 9:47 pmYou can just leave them out Candace 🙂 -Celeste
Kristen
November 24, 2018 at 1:59 pmCan’t wait to try these! Wondering if I could sub the powdered milk with powdered buttermilk in this recipe?
thereislifeafterwheat@gmail.com
November 24, 2018 at 9:46 pmButtermilk powder won’t work as a substitute, I recommend sticking to milk powder or leaving it out. -Celeste
Kelsey
November 24, 2018 at 5:46 pmThese look delicious! I can’t eat nightshades, do you know of a good substitute for potato flakes? Thanks!
thereislifeafterwheat@gmail.com
November 24, 2018 at 9:45 pmHi Kelsey, you can just leave out the potato flakes 🙂 Enjoy! -Celeste
Sithean
November 25, 2018 at 8:16 amWhere do you get the potato flakes from?
thereislifeafterwheat@gmail.com
November 26, 2018 at 6:35 amYou can find them in any store, they’re just instant mashed potatoes 🙂 Be sure they’re labelled gluten free though!
Julie Meadows
November 25, 2018 at 10:23 pmDo you know the total carbs for one roll prepared as directed? Thanks.
thereislifeafterwheat@gmail.com
November 26, 2018 at 6:32 am27 grams 🙂
Julie Meadows
November 25, 2018 at 10:25 pmWould almond or coconut flour work?
thereislifeafterwheat@gmail.com
November 26, 2018 at 6:32 amHi Julie! No, almond and coconut flour work very differently and wouldn’t work in this recipe.
Katy Jansen
November 26, 2018 at 10:32 amDo you grease your pan before cooking rolls?
thereislifeafterwheat@gmail.com
November 26, 2018 at 2:33 pmYes, I usually use butter but you could use cooking spray as well.
Natalie DeBartolo
November 26, 2018 at 12:25 pmWould need to omit the milk – but will get that buttery flavor from a vegan butter to spread on afterward YUM! Hubby is going to be so excited. Where do you find GF yeast….
thereislifeafterwheat@gmail.com
November 26, 2018 at 2:32 pmYay! Hope you both enjoy it! Most yeast is gluten free, just check the packaging.
Krista
December 1, 2018 at 2:21 pmI made these with Namaste GF Flour blend, and they were BY FAR the best GF rolls I have ever had! I have been GF for almost 15 years, and tried everything, so that’s really saying something! THANK YOU for this recipe!
thereislifeafterwheat@gmail.com
December 1, 2018 at 5:09 pmGlad to know this recipe works with Namaste, so happy you enjoyed them Krista! Thank you for the feedback 🙂 -Celeste
Meg
December 1, 2018 at 9:46 pmI followed the recipe exactly except with different gf flour! They rose wonderfully but did not cook to be as fluffy and soft as yours pictured! Thoughts on what might have gone wrong?
thereislifeafterwheat@gmail.com
December 4, 2018 at 8:09 amThe recipe will turn out differently depending on the gluten free flour you use because they all perform differently. What kind of flour did you use?
Meg
December 4, 2018 at 8:17 amI kinda wondered if the flour might be part of it! I used Krusteze gf flour cause it’s what I had the most of, but I’m gunna retry with Trader Joe’s or Bella’s!
Sharon
December 16, 2018 at 6:39 pmCan this be made dairy free as well? Do you know of a powdered milk that is dairy free and if so can it be used in this recipe?
thereislifeafterwheat@gmail.com
December 16, 2018 at 9:38 pmHi Sharon! You can omit the powdered milk and use your favorite dairy free butter. I want to try using powdered coconut milk but haven’t gotten to it yet 🙂 Enjoy! -Celeste
Mary
December 17, 2018 at 2:41 amWe don’t consume animal products. Do you think a flaxseed egg would work? This recipe looks really good. Thanks.
thereislifeafterwheat@gmail.com
December 17, 2018 at 11:01 amHi Mary! I haven’t tried it, but I think it would work. Let me know! -Celeste
Michele B
December 17, 2018 at 7:00 pmMy GF flour blend is similar to yours but does not contain Xanthum gum…how much should I add total? Thanks!
thereislifeafterwheat@gmail.com
December 17, 2018 at 11:22 pmI would try 2 1/4 tsp.
Kortney
December 18, 2018 at 9:07 amThose look so perfectly fluffy! Nothing like a fresh roll with slightly melted butter… drool!
thereislifeafterwheat@gmail.com
December 19, 2018 at 9:04 pmSo true Kortney! Thanks for stopping by 🙂 -Celeste
Jennifer
December 19, 2018 at 7:17 amSo glad I found this recipe. I used to make a boxed mix of dinner rolls that I loved (Pillsbury I think) and haven’t been able to find a good recipe since going gf nearly 2.5 yrs ago. I can’t wait to try these. I plan on making them this weekend and if they turn out as good as I think they will, they’ll become a staple in my home.
thereislifeafterwheat@gmail.com
December 19, 2018 at 9:04 pmSo glad you found the recipe Jennifer! I hope you enjoy them 🙂 -Celeste
Alisa Fleming
December 19, 2018 at 4:29 pmI am in awe of how tender these rolls look! I wonder how well coconut milk powder would work in place of the milk powder rather than omitting it for dairy free?
thereislifeafterwheat@gmail.com
December 19, 2018 at 9:03 pmI bought some coconut milk powder for this exact reason, I’m going to test it and see! Thanks Alisa 🙂 -Celeste
Flo
December 26, 2018 at 9:59 amMade these for Christmas Day dinner. THE BEST Gluten Free dinner rolls ever!
The search is finally over! Thank you so very much!
To others: I suggest to go ahead and use Better Batter or a mock Better Batter flour blend. These are totally worth it!
thereislifeafterwheat@gmail.com
December 26, 2018 at 7:03 pmThank you, SO glad you love them!! -Celeste
Keisha
December 28, 2018 at 9:05 amI’d love to make your dinner roll & bread recipes. Would they work with Bob’s RedMill GF baking flour? It’s one if the few I can purchase where we live.
thereislifeafterwheat@gmail.com
December 29, 2018 at 8:34 pmHi Keisha! I don’t love Bob’s Red Mill for yeast breads and rolls, I would recommend getting Better Batter or GF Jules from Amazon…you can find a link in the post if that’s easier 🙂 -Celeste
Claire
December 31, 2018 at 4:14 pmFinally a simple & delicious gluten free roll! I have tried to make several other gluten free bread recipes & had yet to find one I’d bother with making a second time. They were always too difficult, too crumbly or too hard. These were wonderful….soft & delicious just like I remember a “real” roll tasting. My celiac daughter asked if I could make them every week! Thank you.
thereislifeafterwheat@gmail.com
January 4, 2019 at 8:43 amI am so glad you and your daughter have found a recipe you love Claire! Have you tried my cinnamon roll recipe? You might like that as well 🙂
Valerie
January 2, 2019 at 3:55 pmHoly moly, I’m making this but have had to use a ton more flour so far (it’s been raining for 2 days so very moist environment). Pray for me. Lol!
thereislifeafterwheat@gmail.com
January 4, 2019 at 8:40 amHi Valerie! Keep in mind the dough is supposed to be VERY wet and sticky! How did they turn out?
Valerie
January 14, 2019 at 3:29 pmYou were right, and they were a bit dry, but not bad at all. I’m trying again today! I’m so excited to have found this recipe. This is the one thing my son misses the most.
thereislifeafterwheat@gmail.com
January 14, 2019 at 3:55 pmHope they are good and moist this time, enjoy! -Celeste
Cecy
January 14, 2019 at 8:15 pmDid anyone ever get a chance to try it with powdered coconut milk yet?
Betsi
January 17, 2019 at 1:52 pmI made these with powdered milk powder. The texture and fluffiness was great! We could taste the coconut slightly but if you don’t mind that it works very well.
thereislifeafterwheat@gmail.com
January 17, 2019 at 2:39 pmGlad to hear it works with powdered coconut milk too, thanks for letting us know! -Celeste
Heather Schneider
February 9, 2019 at 1:39 pmI cant believe how soft and fluffy these look! Will need to try very soon!