A homemade yeast roll hot out of the oven slathered with butter is my favorite bread, particularly during the holidays. For several years, I didn’t eat any gluten, and as a bread lover, I was determined to create a yeast roll recipe I could enjoy. I’m sharing with you two gluten-free yeast rolls. One includes fine, white rice flour as the main flour for a cleaner, straight forward recipe that uses single ingredients. The other uses a gluten-free flour mix, thus making it more complex and processed. While taste and texture slightly differ, both satisfy that yeast bread craving. You pick the one that suits you best and enjoy eating as much bread as you want. 😊
Let’s Jump Right Into these Gluten-Free Yeast Rolls!
Both yeast roll recipes use the same ingredients aside from the flours. For the ingredients, you’ll need milk, yeast, granulated sugar, tapioca starch, xanthan gum, baking powder, salt, egg, butter, and either a gluten-free flour mix (like Namaste) OR finely ground white rice flour.
I’m sharing both recipes in this post with images, descriptions, and comparisons. You have options to pick the version that is more appealing to you based on preferred texture, taste, ingredient control, and pantry ingredients.
Prepare Baking Pan
Prepare the baking dish by greasing a 9×13-inch (3 quart) casserole dish. For this recipe, I grease my pan with butter as that’s the primary fat ingredient, but you can simply use cooking spray for ease.
Activate the Yeast
Heat Milk & Measure Sugar
In a measuring cup, heat 295 milliliters (1¼ cups) of milk in the microwave for 30 seconds. Add another 10 seconds or so to reach at least 100˚F-110˚F (38˚C-43˚C). Measure out 50 grams (¼ cup) of granulated sugar.
Combine Yeast, Sugar, & Milk
In a small bowl, add 12 grams (1 tablespoon) of yeast. From the measured-out sugar remove 1 tablespoon and add that to the bowl of yeast. Pour in ~59 milliliters (~¼ cup) from the measured-out warm milk. Stir the mixture to dissolve the yeast. Set it aside for about 10 minutes or until bubbly and frothy.
TIP: A combination of sugar, yeast, and warm liquid creates the ideal environment for yeast activation as sugar feeds the yeast.
Combine Wet Ingredients
Dice 57 grams (4 tablespoons) of butter. Add it to the measuring cup with the remaining milk. Heat the milk again but with butter for 30 seconds in the microwave until the butter is just melted. Once the mixture is below 115˚F (45˚C), add 1 egg and whisk.
TIP: If you heat the butter just until melted stirring between short heating cycles, the mixture will remain under 115˚F (45˚C). If so, there’s no waiting for the temperature to cool.
Combine Dry Ingredients
In a large bowl, whisk together 276 grams (2 cups) of gluten-free flour mix flour OR 320 grams (2 cups) of finely ground white rice flour. Then, add 92 grams (¾ cup) of tapioca starch (flour), 8 grams (2 teaspoons) xanthan gum, 8 grams (2 teaspoons) of baking powder, 6 grams (1 teaspoon) of salt, and remaining sugar. Stir until well combined and mixed.
What is Xanthan Gum? Is is Safe to Consume?
Xanthan gum is a soluble fiber food additive common in GF baking. It is made from bacteria found on leafy green vegetables and then fermented and ground down into powder form. It provides stability, acts as a binder, and thickens liquids. When added to “bread dough” it becomes viscous (due to the liquid) creating a “glutenous stretch” like regular wheat flour. In addition, when used in “bread dough”, it traps air like gluten traps gas to create a light and airy baked bread. It is deemed safe by the FDA; however, it is possible to have an intolerance to it causing respiratory or digestive issues. It is thought to lower cholesterol and blood sugars. Hey! It’s a fiber, thus it has fiber related benefits.
What is Tapioca Starch, Flour, & Cassava Flour? Are They the Same?
The Ins & Outs of Tapioca Starch & Flour
Tapioca starch or flour is the same. Tapioca comes from the cassava plant, specifically the plant’s tuber or root that’s native to South America. Cassava is the name of the plant while yuca (NOT yucca) is the name of the edible root. Whether you call it tapioca starch or flour, it is the dried liquid leftover from the liquid squeezed out of the cassava root (yuca). Once the starchy liquid dries, it is ground into the very fine powder (flakes or pearls) we buy in the store or see in foods like tapioca pudding (you know, the clear bubbles). It is used in gluten-free baking as a substitute ingredient for (some of) the wheat flour (though not exclusively). You may also use it in place of cornstarch as a thickener in gravies and sauces.
Tapioca Starch (Flour) Health Benefits
Tapioca starch (flour) has very few health benefits, since it’s near pure starch. However, there are traces of protein, fat, and fiber. So basically, tapioca starch (flour) is just a filler to accommodate expected textures in certain foods and baked goods due to its binding and thickening characteristics. In the United States, tapioca starch is also sold as tapioca flour; they are the same products with interchangeable names.
And What About Cassava Flour?
WARNING: Cassava flour is different! While tapioca starch (flour) comes from the cassava root (yuca), tapioca starch (flour) is NOT cassava flour. For a recap, tapioca starch (flour) is leftover squeezed liquid from the cassava root (yuca). Cassava flour IS the actual cassava root (yuca) that is ground into flour. They are not interchangeable as one is a very fine starch like potato, arrowroot, or cornstarch and the other is a flour. If your recipe calls for cassava flour, USE a product labeled cassava flour. If you’re recipe calls for either tapioca starch or tapioca flour, use a product with either label since different brands call it one or the other.
Mix Wet & Dry Ingredients
Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Pour in the milk and yeast mixtures. Stir all the ingredients really well. Be sure to mix as good as you can, or you might end up with clumps of flour in the baked rolls. Basically, when you think you’ve stirred enough, stir another 30 seconds. 😉 You’ll notice the flour mix looks much like a thick, quick bread batter while the white rice flour feels and looks like buttery mashed potatoes.
Roll & Cut Out Rolls
Lightly flour a work surface using rice flour, tapioca starch, or GF flour (depending on what you have available). Scoop out the dough which resembles more like batter. Flour your hands and knead the dough a few turns to shape it into a smooth ball. Pat out and shape the dough into a round disk that’s an inch thick. Use a 3-inch biscuit cutter or drinking glass to cut out 8 dough rounds. I like large rolls, but if you prefer smaller ones, just cut out the size you want.
TIP: These rolls are dense, so if you’re serving them for Thanksgiving (with a big meal), you might go smaller.
TIP: Consider “drop rolls” like “drop biscuits”. When I don’t want to take the time to roll and cut out dough, I use a large spoon and scoop out about an eighth of the dough and “drop” it in the baking dish. I usually try to shape the blob into a “round” before dropping it in the dish. While drop rolls are a super time saver, they won’t look as pretty.
Place Rolls in Prepared Baking Dish
Place the dough rounds in the prepared casserole dish. Line them up, touching in the pan (4 rows down by 2 rows across). Since the batter is easy to manipulate, if you don’t like the shape or thickness, just mash several rolls together and reshape them.
TIP: Gluten-free dough will not toughen up like regular flour dough, so you can reshape them multiple times.
Cover Rolls to Rise
Cover the pan with a towel or plastic wrap. Set the rolls in a warm area until rolls have puffed up and increased in size about 30-60 minutes. During the last 30 minutes of the rise, preheat the oven to 350˚F (177˚C).
Bake Rolls
Remove the plastic wrap or towel. Bake the rolls for 25 minutes or until golden brown.
Add the Final Touch… BUTTER!!
With the rolls baked, immediately brush them with 1-2 tablespoons of softened butter. You can certainly eat them immediately… I do. However, it is recommended with gluten-free bread to allow 15 minutes to cool because gluten-free bread is often moist and will usually shrink. I don’t find these rolls to be very moist out of the oven, so I like them hot while they are still a bit puffy. Just my preference.
Gluten-Free Yeast Rolls: Comparison Chart & Close-Ups
Check out my comparisons between the rolls with white rice flour only and the gluten-free flour mix. In general, both rolls are denser than regular wheat flour rolls; however, you’ll notice small holes throughout the bread. These small air pockets are xanthan gum’s attempt to mimic gluten. Traditional wheat bread air pockets are a result of the yeast’s gas present around the long, stretchy gluten fibers producing a light and airy bread. Of course, this is generally lacking in gluten-free bread. That’s why xanthan gum is an important ingredient in bread. The roll height is due in part by the combination of egg, baking powder, and yeast.
Gluten-Free Yeast Rolls: Comparison Chart
| GF Flour Mix | GF White Rice Flour | |
| Appearance | appropriate rise before baking | appropriate rise before baking |
| significant height rise during baking | significant height rise during baking | |
| darker in color (brown rice flour) | light in color like regular flour | |
| Texture | not grainy at all | smidge grainy like fine cornmeal |
| gluten stretch similar to a biscuit | very little stretch | |
| cross between biscuit & yeast roll | cross between cornbread & biscuit | |
| denser than a yeast roll | denser than a yeast roll | |
| Taste | yeasty | yeasty |
| mild regular wheat flour flavor | rice flour nuanced | |
| dense and heavy… fills you up | dense and heavy… fills you up |
How To Make Gluten-Free Yeast Rolls Dairy Free
These rolls are gluten free and can easily be made dairy free by using a plant-based milk like coconut milk and a plant-based butter. In place of milk, use ⅔ cup stirred canned unsweetened coconut milk mixed with remaining water to equal 1¼ cups of liquid. Or you can use 1¼ cups of any plant-based milk product of your choice. For butter, simply substitute 1 for 1 with a plant-based butter (salted is fine). When I wasn’t eating dairy for a while, I made these rolls using the canned coconut milk mixed with water and loved them. Coconut milk rolls produce a nuanced coconut flavor, and the extra fat in the canned milk makes them indulgent. Using coconut milk in this recipe makes a great bread base for cinnamon rolls, too.
Storage Suggestions
You can store rolls at room temperature up to 5 days, but they will begin to dry out quickly. I prefer to place them in a freezer bag as soon as they cool. Store in the freezer for up to several months. You can easily remove them frozen directly from the freezer and heat in the microwave until heated through and enjoy. It’s that simple and no need to eat them quickly!
Gluten-Free Yeast Rolls: White Rice Flour and Tapioca Starch Commentary
My Take on Using White Rice Flour
I originally created this yeast roll recipe using plain, fine, white rice flour because I wanted something that worked every time and that needed minimal ingredients. When you jump into the gluten-free world, gluten-free flours can easily have 6 or more ingredients. Ugh!! Many of us go gluten-free to feel better and be “healthier”, but MORE processed ingredients? Herein lies my SIMPLE rice flour recipe. This recipe works and I really enjoy it, but it doesn’t have some of the qualities you expect in a yeast roll.
What to Expect from a White Rice Flour Yeast Roll
The traditional gluten stretch of a regular yeast roll is obviously non-existent. These gluten-free rolls are denser than a yeast bread making it more like a southern American biscuit. They are a grainier, like a finely ground cornmeal in cornbread. With that, I still love these rolls and they satisfy my strong bread craving, particularly during the holidays. The yeast flavor is defined along with the rice flour but not in an overpowering, weird way. The sugar adds a bit sweetness, and the salty butter brings it all together in flavor. If you don’t expect a traditional gluten roll texture when you taste these, then you’ll be pleasantly surprised. Just think of the texture in these rolls like a combination of a biscuit and cornbread. With that in mind… you’ll enjoy them.
Gluten-Free Yeast Rolls: Gluten-Free Flour Mix and Tapioca Starch Commentary
Okay, if you don’t have rice flour or want something a little more like a yeast roll, then here it is. This is a good, gluten-free yeast roll, in my opinion.😊 It includes the same ingredients as my original recipe with rice flour; however, it uses a commercial, gluten-free flour mix. Keep in mind, without gluten, you’ll generally have a heavier bread, less of a gluten stretch, and slightly different flavors because a flour mix is just that… a mix of lots of other (typically 6 or more) ingredients. This recipe using a gluten-free mix yields a roll with an actual “gluten” stretch and no grainy texture. The bread is dense like a biscuit and has a nice yeasty flavor like a traditional wheat flour yeast roll. Overall, it’s a great alternative to regular wheat flour yeast bread when you really want to satisfy that bread craving.
Gluten-Free Yeast Rolls: Final Thoughts
Gluten-free bread in general is not easy to make simply because every gluten-free flour company makes their own gluten-free flour combination. Even if you make your own gluten-free flour combination, it won’t necessarily work in just any gluten-free recipe. However, as you can see, I have tested this recipe with a couple of different types of flour, and I really believe it should work with most. The extra tapioca starch and xanthan gum in my recipe aids in achieving some of that traditional gluten stretch that should counter other gluten-free mixes that might be lacking.
Don’t Give Up on Gluten-Free Baking!
Gluten-free bread is generally denser, has less stretch, and contains more “complex” flavors due to the many other ingredients. These characteristics should not deter you from making your own gluten-free bread. Granted, I’m not a professional baker and haven’t perfected gluten-free baking by any stretch of the imagination, but I have learned a lot over the past several years. If you find a recipe that works and you like it, stick with it. Sometimes baking gluten-free feels like a losing battle when you try, try, try again, and continue to “fail”. I have certainly felt that way baking gluten free and considered throwing in the towel and giving up baking all together. However, you must know that the science is different and traditional wheat flour baking knowledge and expertise go out the window. But hang in there!
Alter Perspective (a little) to Appreciate
It’s imperative to understand that when you eat and bake gluten-free bread, it helps to change your perspective. Gluten-free bread will not taste exactly like regular bread nor look or feel like regular bread or dough. In fact, gluten-free dough resembles more of a thick, quick-bread batter while the bread tends to be a bit dense like a quick bread or biscuit. Often, gluten-free bread is moist unlike a “dry” regular wheat flour bread. Nevertheless, baking and eating gluten free can still make you happy, be satisfying, and taste incredibly good, especially if eating a hot roll with butter!! If you have gluten-free eaters for the holidays or any time of year, consider trying this recipe. I find it to be a good alternative that makes me feel like I’m eating regular wheat flour bread.
For visual details of making BOTH recipes, check out my YouTube video. “Two Gluten-Free Yeast Roll Recipes: GF White Rice Flour VERSUS GF Flour Mix Compared!”
Gluten-Free Yeast Rolls: Yeasty, Buttery, Slighly Sweet, & Satisfying
Ingredients
- 295 ml (1¼ cup) milk, divided heated to 100˚F-110˚F (38˚C-43˚C)
- 12 g (1 tbsp) yeast
- 50 g (¼ cup) granulated sugar
- 1 egg, beaten room temperature
- 57 g (4 tbsp / 2 oz) butter, diced + 29 g (2 tbsp) to brush over baked rolls (use plant-based butter for dairy-free option)
- 276 g (2 cups) Gluten- Free flour mix (like Namaste) OR 320 g (2 cups) finely ground white rice flour (good alternative but texture will be a bit grainy like a cornbread/biscuit)
- 92 g (¾ cup) tapioca flour/starch
- 8 g (2 tsp) xanthan gum OR 12 g (3 tsp) guar gum
- 8 g (2 tsp) baking powder
- 6 g (1 tsp) salt
Instructions
Make the Dough
- Grease a 9×13-inch casserole dish.
- In a measuring cup, heat the milk in the microwave for 30 seconds. Add another 10 seconds to reach at least 100°F (38˚C). Measure out the sugar.
- In a small bowl, add yeast and 1 tbsp from the 50 g (¼ cup) sugar. Pour in ~59 ml (~¼ cup) of the warm milk taken from the 295 ml (1¼ cup) measured. Stir and set aside ~10 minutes or until bubbly and frothy.
- Dice butter and put it in the measuring cup with the milk. Heat for 30 seconds in the microwave until the butter is just melted. Once the mixture is below 115˚F (45˚C), add beaten egg and whisk.
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, tapioca flour/starch, xanthan gum, baking powder, salt, and remaining sugar.TIP: If your flour mix appears a bit clumpy, sift it before mixing in the other dry ingredients.
- Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in milk and yeast mixtures. Stir well until all the ingredients are combined.TIP: Stir longer than you think is necessary. Avoid small white clumps of flour that might end up in your baked bread.
Shaping Options: Select 1 of the 3 Following Options to Shape the Rolls
OPTION 1: Knead, Roll, & Cut Out Rolls (most aesthetically pleasing option but more involved)
- For pretty rolls with smooth tops and almost perfectly round shapes, then follow these directions. Scoop out the dough onto a lightly floured work surface using rice flour, tapioca starch, or GF flour mix. Pat the dough into a circle that’s 1-inch thick. Use a 3-inch biscuit cutter and cut out 8 total rounds. Place each round touching in the prepared dish (4 rows down and 2 rows across). This option is a little more difficult because you may need to reshape several rolls to use up the dough, particularly if the rolls are uneven in size. It’s easy to mash formed rolls together and reshape them.
OPTION 2: Knead, Push Out, & Quick Cut Rolls (not as pretty but quicker and still appealing)
- Lightly flour a work surface using rice flour, starch, or GF flour mix. Scoop the dough onto the flour. Flour your hands and shape the dough into a thick disk, just thin enough to cut it like a pie. Flour a large knife and cut the disk into 8 triangles of rather equal sizes. Remove a triangle and shape it in your hands or on the work surface into a disk the size of a biscuit, use flour as needed to prevent any sticking. Place the dough round in the prepared baking dish. Repeat with remaining triangles, shaping them into rounds and lining them up, touching in the pan (4 rows down by 2 rows across).
OPTION 3: Drop Rolls (super quick option, no kneading or flouring a work surface, but not very pretty)
- "Drop rolls" are like "drop biscuits". Use a large spoon to scoop out about an eighth of the dough from the bowl. Then "drop" or place the dough blog in the baking dish. Continue with remaining dough placing each blob in the baking dish 4 rows down by 2 rows across. I usually flour my hands and shape the blob into a "round" before placing it in the dish. While drop rolls are a super time saver, they won't look very pretty.
Rise & Bake
- Cover the pan with a towel or plastic wrap and set in a warm area until rolls have doubled in size 30-60 minutes. During the last 30 minutes of the rise, preheat the oven to 350˚F.
- Remove the plastic wrap or towel and bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown.
- Once rolls are baked, immediately brush them with 1-2 tbsp of butter. Eat immediately or cool for ~15 minutes, cut, and serve.
Video
Notes
Check out these other gluten-free recipes.
3 Simple & Flavorful Pie Crusts (Gluten Free Option)
Colombian Pandebono 30-Minute Cheese Rolls (Gluten Free)
Scottish Shortbread Cookies (Gluten Free)
New Zealand Kiwi Quick Bread (Gluten Free)
Hazelnut Spread: Nutella Alternative (Gluten Free)
Nut Butter: 3 Nuts & 3 Recipes (Gluten Free)
Australian & New Zealand Pavlova (Gluten Free)
No-Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies (Gluten Free)
Italian Savoiardi Lady Fingers (Gluten Free)
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