Dinner Rolls, looking for that buttery bite

Sunday afternoon was particularly rainy and for some reason, I wanted more bread. After my success with making Garlic Focaccia last week, I wanted a more neutral flavored bread that I can slather on my Strawberry Jam or globs of Nutella in the morning. From what I've been reading, sandwich bread seems complicated and not always successful. The problem lies in getting the right consistency in the middle of the loaf, not gummy but with a light crumb. Add with the fact that I don't have a bread loaf, I wanted to make use of the baking pan I have on-hand. What I used is a spring form pan, from my previous desire to bake a cheesecake (but it has never been used for cheesecake). It's the same pan I used to make my Garlic Focaccia last week, so I decided to use it again for this recipe

My understanding of dinner rolls are those tiny bread balls they usually serve at hotels while you're waiting for the wedding buffet to start. You spread butter on them and hope they keep your tummy sane while waiting for the eating to start. I told myself, maybe I can try making them. Small bread bites I can have for breakfast or snacking. Finally, I can start finishing my bottle of Nutella that has been sitting neglected since I started giving up gluten the past 6 weeks.

I increased the ratio of almond flour in the recipe to give it a certain richness and a boost of protein. It also lent itself well, bringing out the butteryness of the bread.

Pull Apart Dinner Rolls

makes 9 rolls

1 cup Rice Flour*

3/4 cup Almond Flour

1/2 cup Sweet Sorghum Flour*

1/4 cup Tapioca Starch*

1/4 cup Potato Starch*

1 1/2 teaspoon Xanthan Gum

1 teaspoon sea salt

2 teaspoons instant yeast

1/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup warm water

1/4 cup warm milk (preferably whole milk)

2 tablespoons melted butter plus 2 teaspoons more for brushing

1 egg, beaten

1 teaspoon cider vinegar

Grease a springform pan with melted butter or oil.

Mix and blend all the flours, xanthan gum, sugar, salt and yeast in a bowl.

Combine the water, milk, beaten egg and vinegar.

Slowly incorporate the wet mixture into the dry mixture until thoroughly blended.

Using a 1/3 cup measurement, scoop dough into 9 rounded mounds in pan.

I start from the center and place the other 8 around it.

Do the best you can to smooth out the balls with wet fingertips. This lends to a nicer appearance of the rolls.

Cover with a towel or clingfilm and leave to rise for 45 minutes. in a warm, draft free area of your kitchen.

While your rolls rise, you may turn on your oven to 375F.

Bake for 23-25 mins. Tops should be golden brown.

Take out from the oven and brush with more melted butter.

*Alternative - you can use any 2 cups of gluten free flour blends you are comfortable with. It is the almond flour here that is important to make the bread taste rich at the end.

The result? Buttery, light bread rolls perfect for butter or jam. You can also serve this along some creamy soup. A nice grating of cheese on top in the last 3 minutes of baking would make this bread stand out even more. I was craving for a burger and used these rolls as mini burger buns, which worked out pretty well too. My score: 9/10