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. 

If you’re looking for a fun and easy variation, one reader said she adds spices and raisins, then tops with a thick cream cheese frosting to make hot cross buns. We think that’s a great idea! You can read the full comment from Suzy in the comment section below. 

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)

Yield: Makes : 12

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Additional Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

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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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

1. Add all ingredients to the bowl of a stand mixer in order listed. Add the salt and sugar on opposite sides of the bowl.
2. 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.
3. If it is too dry (not sticky, easily handled, or crumbly), add a tablespoon or two of water.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. Place the balls of dough in a 9X13" baking pan and cover the pan with plastic wrap or a light towel.
7. 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.
8. 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.
9. 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.
10. 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 roll
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 166 Total Fat: 6g Carbohydrates: 27g Fiber: 2g Sugar: 3g Protein: 4g