GLUTEN FREE DINNER ROLLS - WITH OAT, BUCKWHEAT, TEFF, OR HAZELNUTS

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I'm a curious person and love trying out new things. When "Cook's Illustrated", one of my favorite food magazines, published a gluten free cookbook, I bought it, out of curiosity, even though I have no problems with gluten.

I was especially interested in how the culinary geeks from "America's Test Kitchen" got to their good looking results. My own trials, though taste-wise acceptable, left a lot to be desired regarding their consistency.

My first gluten free bread - dense, greasy-looking crumb

When my lovely hairstylist asked me whether she could order some gluten free rolls for her Christmas menu, I jumped at the opportunity to try a recipe for dinner rolls from "The How Can It Be Gluten Free Cookbook".

The rolls get their necessary structural support from psyllium husk, a fiber supplement from the natural food aisle, more known for its beneficial effect on all kinds of digestive maladies.

The additional baking powder and lemon juice help with softening the crumb, making it less dense. The flours should be finely ground - I used Bob's Red Mill brand.

Crumb like an English biscuit

My first trial resulted in nice fluffy rolls with a consistency like English Biscuits - better than anything I had seen so far in gluten free breads.

But I was less enthusiastic, when I sampled the dinner rolls. They tasted bland and a bit doughy. With jam on top this was less noticeable, and, when toasted, they were okay.

Fluffy crumb - but too bland and doughy for my taste!

Danielle assured me, that she liked the gluten free rolls - but I couldn't stop thinking about them. I don't like selling something I'm not 100% satisfied with.

There was nothing to criticize about the structure of the dinner rolls - the test cooks with their scientific approach had really given their best.

But how could I achieve a better taste for my rolls without risking their fragile, gluten-less structure? Exchange a part of the rice flour, potato and tapioca starch for a gluten free flour with a more assertive taste?

Four different gluten-free flour mixtures

In my pastries, I often substitute a quarter of the white flour with whole grain - without any problem. I would to try the same with the dinner rolls.

To keep it simple, I decided to limit my trial to four likely candidates: oat, buckwheat, and teff, and one nut meal: hazelnut. Since I didn't want to feed my long-suffering husband with gluten free test rolls for weeks, I intended to use all four flours in one pull-apart cluster.

After some calculations, I prepared four flour mixtures (for two rolls each). Then I mixed these small dough amounts with a handheld mixer, one by one. Since there was no gluten structure to develop, longer kneading was not necessary.

Doughs with buckwheat, hazelnut, oat, and teff flour.

I was rather relieved when I was able to shape all of the doughs into rolls - the one with nut meal (my secret favorite!) was especially sticky -   (you need to roll them in your wet hands, like dumplings).

They rose as nicely as the ones from the original recipe, and showed the same fine pores when I cut them.

And the best of it - each of the four test candidates tasted good (even when eaten on its own!). To make a side-by-side comparison easier, I cut the cluster into slices, like a loaf, instead of breaking it in single rolls. 

From upper left: hazelnut, oat, teff. Lower row: teff, oat, buckwheat

GLUTEN FREE DINNER ROLLS WITH OAT, BUCKWHEAT, TEFF OR HAZELNUTS  (adapted from ATK's "The How Can It Be Gluten Free Cookbook")

(8 Rolls)

Ingredients:
315 g/1 1/3 cups warm water (110ºF/40ºC)
2 tsp lemon juice
2 large eggs

1 egg yolk (save egg white for glaze)
185 g/6.5 oz white rice flour (finely ground)
58 g/2 oz brown rice flour (finely ground)
100 g/3.5 oz oat, buckwheat, or teff flour, or finely ground hazelnuts
53 g/1.9 oz potato starch (not potato flour!)
23 g/0.8 oz tapioca starch or flour
49 g/1.7 oz non-fat dry milk powder
13 g/2 tbsp psyllium husk
20 g/2 tbsp sugar
7 g/2 1/4 tsp instant yeast
6 g/2 tsp baking powder
7 g/1 1/2 tsp salt
85 g/3 oz butter, cut in pieces, softened

1 egg white, mixed with a pinch of salt and 1 tsp water, for brushing
rolled oats, seeds, or chopped nuts, for topping

*) If you want to make a gluten-free cluster with all of the 4 different kinds of flours (like my test batch) scroll down for the recipe.


Spray a 23-cm/9-inch round cake pan with oil spray (a springform pan works fine, too).

In a liquid measuring bowl, whisk warm water, lemon juice and egg plus yolk together.

Mix together all liquid ingredients

In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with paddle, on low speed, mix together gluten-free flours, potato starch, tapioca, milk powder, psyllium, sugar, yeast, baking powder, and salt, until combined.

Slowly add water mixture, mixing until dough comes together, about 1 minute, scraping bowl down as needed. Add butter, increase speed to medium, and beat for about 6 minutes, until all ingredients are well blended (dough will be sticky!)

My four test roll pairs

Transfer dough to a lightly oiled work surface. Divide it into 8 approximately equal pieces. With wet hands, roll each piece in your palms as if you would shape a dumpling. Place one roll in the center of the pan, and arrange the other seven around it.

Mist rolls with oil spray, cover loosely with plastic wrap, and proof for about 1 hour at room temperature (they should double in volume). 

Preheat oven to  375ºF/190ºC (steaming not necessary).

The rolls have doubled in volume

With glaze and topping ready for the oven (here the simple version)

Brush rolls with egg glaze, and sprinkle with the topping of your choice.

Bake rolls for about 40 - 50 minutes (rotating pan 180 degrees after half the baking time, for even browning), until they are golden brown.

Freshly baked dinner rolls - these could be a bit more browned

Allow rolls to cool for 10 minutes in the pan on a wire rack, then invert pan onto rack. Let them cool for 10-15, and serve warm.

We also liked them toasted (especially the ones with hazelnuts were delicious!)

They keep (wrapped) at room temperature for 3 days, and, also, freeze well (wrap in plastic and place in a freezer bag).

BreadStorm user (also of the free version) can download the formula here:

GLUTEN-FREE MULTI-COLOR DINNER ROLLS  (8 Rolls)

Place dry ingredients, except for the 100 g oat, buckwheat, teff or hazelnut flour, in a medium bowl. Using a whisk, stir together until well combined. Distribute the flour mixture evenly over 4 small bowls ((105 g/3.7 oz each)

Add 25 g/0.9 oz of either oat, buckwheat, teff or ground hazelnuts into each bowl, and whisk to combine.

Pour about 98 g/3.4 oz of the liquid ingredients into each of the small bowls. With handheld mixer, mix each dough, one by one, until well blended.

Place 21 g/0.7 oz of the butter pieces into each of the bowls. Again, mix each dough, one by one, until well blended.

With wet hands, shape 2 rolls from each dough. Arrange rolls in prepared pan, placing one in the center.

Otherwise, follow the steps in recipe above.

Somes Sound, Mount Desert Island, in February

Barbara Elisi from Bread & Companatico wrote a really interesting series about gluten sensitivity that gave me some new insights: Am I Gluten-Sensitive? - My Troubled Wheat Love Affair.
 

DAN LEPARD'S ALEHOUSE ROLLS

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When I was a student, I traveled with my best friend, Andrea, through England, Cornwall and Wales. We didn't have a fixed itinerary, we just followed our nose to places we had read or heard about.

We didn't stay in hotels (only once, and that was as dusty as it was expensive), we preferred B&Bs, always looking for interesting old buildings. We slept in grand manor houses, rustic inns, cozy farm houses, and even a water mill from the sixteenth century.

Old Water Mill Inn & Pub, England 1971

People always complain about the English food - I never had a really bad experience, I would always find something I liked, as long as it started with "apple" and ended with "pie"!

We often ate in pubs, having sandwiches with cheddar and chutney, and I was delighted to try the different beers.

With all these fond memories in mind - no wonder I wanted to try master baker Dan Lepard's Alehouse Rolls. You will find it in his book "Short and Sweet", or here.

I had just bought Newcastle Brown Ale at the Bangor commissary, and thought this was very appropriate for British rolls.

The dough is made with a hot beer soaker - ale and oats are brought to a boil, with butter and honey added to the hot liquid - and the rolled oats are toasted.

It also has some whole grain flour, to make the rolls even heartier (and give health conscious bakers a better conscience!)

Hot soaker with ale, oats, butter and hone

Dan Lepard has a nice, minimalistic approach to working the dough, he handles it gently, kneads it very briefly, and allows it to develop while resting (autolyse).

As a psychotherapist this method appeals to me a lot: give the patient dough the means and time to develop, without pushing and hectoring - and it will grow just fine!

At different times I had to add varying amounts of water to the final dough, the consistency should be soft and somewhat sticky.

Instead of letting the dough rest for a final 30 minutes on the counter, I did what I usually do - and put it to sleep overnight in the fridge.

This cold fermentation of the dough fits much better in my schedule than doing it all on one day. Though I like baking in the morning, I don't want to get up in the wee hours, so I prepare everything the day before, and only have the shaping and baking left to do.

Having to choose between large sandwich rolls (à 235 g a piece) or smaller dinner rolls, I opted for the more petite version - 12 rolls à 92 g.

The recipe suggests rolling the rolls first over wet kitchen paper towels and then in oat flakes. I didn't read the instructions thoroughly, and, therefore, dunked only the tops in the oat meal.

Alehouse Rolls - ready for baking

Whereas the giant sandwich rolls have to bake for 20 minutes at 210º C/410º F, and then some more at reduced heat, my little rolls were golden brown after 26 minutes (without reducing the heat.)

They tasted just as good as they looked, a semi-soft crust with a little crunch, and a hearty, somewhat nutty flavor.

I have made these rolls with rye flour and brown ale, whole wheat and stout, as well as spelt flour and a rather hoppy ale. All versions tasted excellent, spicy and slightly sweetish.


ALEHOUSE ROLLS  (adapted from Dan Lepard)
(12 Rolls)

75 g rolled oats
440 ml ale or stout
25 g butter
25 g honey
450 g bread flour
100 g rye, whole wheat, or spelt flour
6 g instant yeast
8 g salt
20 g cold water, or more, as needed (I used up to 80 g)
rolled oats, for topping

DAY 1
Toast oats in oven at 400ºF/200ºC for ca. 7-10 minutes, stirring in between, until they turn a rich golden brown (or toast them in a dry skillet on the stove top.)

In a saucepan, bring beer and toasted oats to a boil over medium heat. Remove pan from the heat, add butter and honey, stir until melted, cover, and let cool for ca. 30 minutes.

Mix flours, yeast and salt together in large bowl. Add lukewarm oat mixture and stir with your fingers, adding a little cold water if needed to make a soft, somewhat sticky dough (hand mixing gives you a better feeling for how much extra water you should add). Cover bowl and leave for 10 minutes.

Transfer dough to lightly oiled work surface, and, with oiled hands, gently knead it for 10 seconds. Scoop dough back into bowl, cover, then repeat the light knead 2 x more at 10-minute intervals. Place dough in oiled container, cover and refrigerate it overnight. (At this point I divide the dough into 2 portions).

Alehouse Roll dough after bulk rise - ready to be shaped

DAY 2
Transfer dough to lightly floured work surface. Divide it into 12 pieces. Shape into rolls.

Place sheet of wet paper kitchen towel on one dinner plate, and rolled oats on another, then roll each roll first across wet paper and then through oats. Place on parchment lined or perforated baking sheet, cover, and let rise for 45 - 60 minutes, or until they have grown by 1 1/2 times their original size.

Preheat oven to 210°C/410°F. (Steam optional.)

Bake the rolls for 12 minutes, rotate, (remove steam pan if using) and continue baking for another 13 minutes, until golden brown.

Post updated 9/6/14 to include formula and BreadStorm downloadable file.

As tasty as they look - freshly baked Alehouse Rolls.

POPPY SEED DINNER ROLLS

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A great fan of crusty breads, I'm normally no friend of dinner rolls. I had them sometimes in restaurants, soft, bland and usually so pale that they seemed almost under-baked.

I could never really understand why anybody would prefer to eat these fluff balls with their dinner instead of a nice crispy baguette.

But, fortunately, my baking friend Hanaâ prompted me (again) to overcome my bias against seemingly weird American predilections - with the Buttery Pull-Apart Dinner Rolls from Abigail Dodge's "The Weekend Baker".

What I like about the book are its practical make-ahead instructions. Being convinced that even enriched doughs benefit from long fermentation, I followed Abby Dodge's suggestion (option 1), mixing the dough in the evening, and letting it rise slowly in the refrigerator overnight.

I made some changes to the original recipe. In my experience 5 g instant yeast (instead of 7 g) is sufficient for this amount of flour - the dough, even a rich one, will rise well.

Since I like substituting some whole grain for white flour, I also replaced 68 g of the all-purpose flour with whole wheat (adding 16 g water to the dough to make up for the whole grain addition). The amount of sugar in the recipe seemed rather high, so I reduced it by half (to 35 g).

I opted for the poppy seed version, adding 2 tablespoons instead of the measly one. And I mixed all the seeds into the dough, instead of sprinkling them on top of the shaped rolls - I knew from  experience that those seeds would fall right off after baking, if there is no egg wash to make them stick.

As with the other recipes I made from "The Weekend Baker", this one turned out really nice. The rolls were very flavorful, slightly sweet, with a nice crunch from the poppy seeds - and they looked very pretty, too.

And if you can't eat them all? No problem, they freeze really well, first wrapped in plastic foil, and then placed in a freezer bag.

This is my version of Abigail Dodge's Buttery Pull-Apart Dinner Rolls - the original recipe you can find here 


POPPY SEED DINNER ROLLS  (16)

8 fl oz half and half
16 g/0.5 oz water
85 g/6 tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into 6 pieces
400 g/14 oz all-purpose flour
68 g/2.5 oz whole wheat flour
5 g instant yeast 
35 g/1.25 oz sugar
1 tsp. sea salt
3 large egg yolks
2 tbsp. poppy seeds
28 g/2 tbsp. melted butter, for glazing

DAY 1
In small saucepan, over medium heat, melt butter in the half-and-half, stirring constantly, until mixture registers ca. 125º F/52° C (instant-read thermometer.)

In bowl of stand mixer, stir together flours, yeast, sugar, salt and poppy seed until well blended. 

With dough hook, on medium-low speed, slowly pour warm liquid into flour mixture. Add egg yolks and water. Mix until all flour is hydrated.

Increase speed to medium-high, and knead for ca. 5 minutes. Dough should be very smooth, and clear bottom of bowl.

Place dough ball into lightly oiled container with lid, turning it around to coat. Cover, and let dough rise 1 1/2 times its original size, then refrigerate overnight.

DAY 2
Lightly grease a 9 x13" (23 x-33 cm) Pyrex baking dish. Transfer dough to (unfloured) work surface. Divide dough into 16 equal pieces (using a scale), covering them with plastic wrap.

To shape rolls: take one dough piece (or two, with both hands), place on dry work surface, and, with cupped palm, roll it with gentle pressure in tight circles until it forms a taut ball.

Place rolls, seam side down, in prepared baking dish, spacing them evenly. Mist with spray oil and cover with plastic wrap.

Preheat oven to 375ºF/190ºC. Let rolls rise in a warm place until they have grown ca. 1 1/2 times their original size, 45-60 minutes.

Bake rolls for 10 minutes, rotate dish 180 degrees, and continue baking until they are well browned, 10-15 minutes more. Remove rolls from oven and brush with melted butter. Serve warm.