Soft & Chewy Dinner Rolls {GF, DF}

I bet when you read the title of this post you thought, “nah, there is no such thing as a soft and chewy roll that’s also gluten- and dairy-free.” My friend, you would be wrong. I’ve been doing a lot of experimenting with flour ratios and leavening agents (like eggs, yeast, baking powder, and baking soda) and I think I have finally come up with the perfect combination that yields soft, chewy, and oh-so-fluffy rolls.

My biggest breakthrough was discovering that increasing the amount of yeast helped with the rise significantly but did not make them taste like beer bread. I also increased the amount of xanthan gum to provide more elasticity, creating more chew.

I hope you like these rolls as much as I did. I may or may not have eaten two within 10 minutes of them coming out of the oven. I baked mine as separate rolls, but you could also do these pull-apart style in two 8-inch round baking pans, just increase the baking time by 8-10 minutes.

Ingredients

5 tsp active dry yeast
2 cups warm water
1 Tbsp sugar or honey
1 1/3 cup brown rice flour
1 1/4 cups white rice flour
3/4 cup potato starch
1/3 cup tapioca starch
2 + 3/4 tsp xanthan gum
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup olive oil
2 eggs
1 egg yolk (for egg wash)
1/2 tsp cold water

Directions

1. Grease 2 jelly roll pans or baking sheet (you can use parchment paper but the rolls won’t brown as well).
2. In a measuring cup or small glass bowl, stir yeast and sugar into warm water and allow to sit for 5-8 minutes until frothy.
3. In the bowl of a mixer (or you can use elbow grease too), stir together white rice flour, brown rice flour, potato starch, tapioca starch, xanthan gum, and salt.
4. Whisk together olive oil and 2 eggs (not the extra yolk).
5. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and pour in yeast and egg-oil mixture. Using a dough hook, mix on a low speed for 5 minutes, scraping down the sides and around the bottom until the mixture is incorporated. The dough should be sticky but not wet, add a few extra Tbsp of brown rice flour if your dough is wet.
6. Using a large (2 oz) cookie scoop (or very well oiled hands), portion the dough into 12-15 rolls, spaced about 2 inches apart on baking sheets. You want to do this pretty quickly because the dough will begin rising immediately.
7. If you like, oil your hands and smooth out the rolls (I don’t mind a rustic look so I don’t do this).
8. Cover the rolls with a thin towel and set aside to rise for 20-30 minutes or until the rolls double in size (my kitchen was very warm the last time I made these so they doubled in 20 minutes, just keep an eye on them so they don’t over-rise).
9. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees (if you have convection, use it!).
10. Whisk together the egg yolk and cold water. Remove the towels and using a pastry brush, VERY gently pat the rolls with the egg wash (actually brushing will deflate them).
11. Bake for 10-12 minutes until the rolls are a light golden brown and they sound hollow when you tap on the bottom.
12. Remove rolls to a wire rack and cool completely. Store in the fridge for up to 1 week and in the freezer for up to 3 months (toast a bit before eating for best results).