- 8. 2020
BUNS
gluten and lactose free
8 to 12 or more
Do you know how much you spend on gluten free bread at the grocery store? I did not either! But, last week I was ordering gluten-free bread online, and was shocked to find 5 loaves of gluten free bread and buns cost $50.00!
I knew I had to get back to baking bread. Then I remembered finding an envelope with a bun recipe jotted down on the back from long ago, that I found recently.
I used to bake bagels, bread and buns years ago. Then I had to switch to gluten-free breads. That was such a painful process, I think anyone who never before had made regular bread would have an easier time of it.
Baking gluten free bread is so very different from baking regular bread, I had to learn a different way to make something I had made hundreds of times. (I used to bake at least 8 loaves of bread, bagels and buns each week when our children were still at home.) I know baking gluten-free breads in my own oven is tastier, way less expensive, and fun. Plus, I knew what was in them.
I had kind of stopped baking gluten-free bread regularly for various reasons, and just went about buying gluten free bread. Occasionally I would bake some, so I always have a stash of flours.
I went to my stash and discovered I was missing some of the flours that was needed for this particular recipe. So, I had to decide on what substitutes to use. To my utter delight the buns came out great.
Couple of days later, I needed to bake more. This time I realized I was out of more of the flours needed and had to make more substitutions and was not sure how these buns would come out.
They were great, just ugly looking. They were also soft, fluffy and froze well and took about 30 seconds to defrost each in the microwave. They did not need toasting prior to making sandwiches nor did they crumble. Any time we wanted we had fresh warm buns.
I planned to wait till I bought the flours called for in this recipe and make them look pretty :) before I posted the recipe. The last batch came out so good that we ate what I made in two days and I needed to make more for us, again they were great, it was time to share with you.
As I tweak this recipe and I continue to make changes, I will let you know any changes I make.
The Recipe:
As usual, measure out everything you need and set aside before you start.
Wet stuff: use a 2 c measure and measure everything in it.
Water - 170 g, at 115 F
Honey - 69 g
Eggs - 170g out of shell
Olive Oil - 60 g
Apple Cider Vinegar - 1 t
Toppings - seeds or whatever to sprinkle on top (optional)
Dry stuff:
Instant Yeast - 9 g
White Rice Flour - 170 g
Arrowroot Starch - 128g
Sorghum flour - 116g
Xanthan gum - 9g
Kosher salt - 2g
Baking soda - 3g
Last week, I made this dough using my food processor, pulse in short bursts. Last night I used my electric hand mixer with dough hooks. I have not made this by hand or with my stand mixer. I liked the hand mixer best.
Begin mixing at a low speed to combine the dry stuff, then add the wet stuff, using a low speed, mix until the dry stuff is all damp. Stop and scrape down the sides as you keep mixing. Turn on the mixer to medium and mix till the dough is smooth and ready to use. 3 to 5 minutes.
Gently gather the dough into a ball within the bowl you used, let rest covered with a cloth for 30 minutes on the counter or in the refrigerator. Refrigerating the dough makes it easier to handle.
I found ‘dusting’ the measuring cups and hands with one of the starches I used in the recipe helps to scoop out and shape the dough into balls. Roll gently, then, flatten gently, to about ½” thickness. Dust top lightly with flour.
(Use a ½ c measure for large - 4” buns, use ⅓ c for smaller - 3” buns or use a ¼ c for even smaller - 2” buns, just right for sliders!)
Cover two sheet pans with parchment paper or silicone liners. Set aside.
I use the “proof” function in my oven. I let the buns rise for 1 hour and 15 minutes or more covered with a kitchen cloth, until the dough is doubled. Then I remove the baking sheets from the oven and preheat the oven to 375 F with a rack in the middle.
Place the baking sheets on the middle rack and bake for 15 to 18 minutes until the tops are light golden brown.
Remove from the oven. Place all the buns on one sheet pan, cover with a dry kitchen towel and let cool completely. When the buns are cool, slice the buns and freeze in a freezer bag. (keeps buns fresh)Take them out as you need and warm in the microwave or on the light setting of your toaster.
Notes:
The color of the flours and the honey will make the buns darker or lighter.
My microwave takes 30 seconds, yours might need more or less.
Use a mixture of flours rather than just the rice flour with one starch.
Raising time for the buns is depenand on the temperature of your kitchen.
I purchase instant yeast in bulk and freeze and take out what I need. you can use 1 pack active dry yeast, dissolved in warm water to activate and add with the wet stuff. Yeast needs to be proofed for about 8 to 10 minutes.
I usually measure out stuff, put everything I don't need away, then go spend an hour doing something else, this way everything is at room temperature. Eggs, yeast, flour.
spraying the pans with cooking spray is not my favorite method, too much work to clean up!
Substitute: brown rice flour with white rice flour.
Substitute: tapioca, arrowroot, and cornstarch with each other.
Substitute: millet, sorghum or quinoa for each other.
I use dedicated hand towels as ”kitchen towels” and flour sack towels as “kitchen cloths”.