There is something about these rolls that just makes me happy.
With a pat of butter and a good meal… yum. Just yum.
This is an interesting recipe though because there is no flour in it whatsoever.
What?! No flour? How can you not use flour in a roll recipe?!
Well, here’s a super short little lesson on this very topic and why this technique works so well.
I use tapioca starch in this recipe. And that, along with the chia and flaxseeds takes the place of flour because several things are happening here:
1. The dough is super hydrated with liquid ingredients.
2. The dough is allowed several rest times, this gives it time to absorb all that moisture which results in a wonderful texture.
I’ve been experimenting with using all starch for rolls, and it worked out really well with this pumpernickel roll. But that also had cocoa powder in it, which absorbed a little more like flour does.
So this sesame seed roll was a bit more challenging.
But that was also the fun part. It’s a lot of effort, but the results are sooo worth it. After a couple months of working on it, a sesame seed roll is perfected and now you can grab one of these beauties, put a pat of butter on it and sink your teeth into it…
Here are some tips for the absolute best sesame seed rolls
Weigh the tapioca starch
Not all tapioca starch is the same. Crazy as it sounds, different brands can actually measure out differently. So a cup of Bob’s Red Mill brand may be more or less than a cup of Nuts.com brand. That’s why weighing is so important here.
Although these rolls are really easy to make, they’re also really dependent on the right amount of tapioca starch. It’s SUPER important.
I say 2 ½ cups of it, but it may turn out to be more or less than that. So it’s ok if yours is actually more like 2 ¼ cups of it.
Thickness of the dough
Like most other gluten free breads, this ‘dough’ is more like batter. I just call it dough because well, it’s bread, bread dough rolls off the tongue easier than bread batter!
But it will definitely be a lot thinner than you’d expect. After adding the eggs, you’ll probably be wondering how something like this can actually result in rolls that are really in the shape of rolls – the batter will be quite runny.
Good news, that’s what this second rest time is for! At the end of it, the dough will have absorbed enough moisture and thicken up so they can actually be portioned as rolls.
Baking the rolls
So there is some bad news about these seeded rolls… the bake time. These little beauties will be tempting you for an HOUR in the oven! Yes, a whole hour that you have to smell them and see them baking their little hearts out.
That part is no fun.
They need this long bake time to develop the starch, since there is no flour, the starch takes the place of it.
Don't be tempted to take them out early - gummy bread is the worst!
Gluten Free Sesame Seed Rolls {Flour Free and Gum Free}
Ingredients
- 330 grams tapioca starch about 2 ½ cups
- 1 ½ tsp. salt
- 1 cup milk
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs
- 1 Tbsp. sesame seeds plus more for sprinkling on top
- 1 Tbsp. chia seeds
- 1 Tbsp. golden flaxseeds
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the tapioca starch and the salt. Stir until combined.
- In a small saucepan, add the milk and vegetable oil and bring the mixture to a boil, stirring constantly.
- Immediately pour the boil mixture into the tapioca starch mixture in the bowl. Turn the mixer on medium-high and blend until the dough is very thick and sticking to the beater.
- Let the dough cool for 20 minutes.
- Once the dough is ready, add the eggs, one at a time and mix until smooth. Add in the sesame seeds, chia seeds and golden flaxseeds and mix again. The dough will be slightly runny and more like thick batter than bread dough.
- Let it rest for another 20 minutes.
- Preheat your oven to 350 F. Prepare a glass, 9 x 13 baking dish by spray it with cooking spray and lining it with parchment paper.
- Using a large spoon, portion the bread dough into 8 equal portions and mound them slightly in the baking dish. Sprinkle with additional sesame seeds.
- Bake for 1 hour. Remove from the oven and let the dish cool for 10 minutes before removing the rolls to a wire rack.
Notes
- Bring liquids to a complete boil before adding to the dry ingredients.
- Batter will be very thick.
- The rest time in between each addition is important so the batter isn't too hot.
- Rolls are best served the same day.
Dorothy J Odrosky
Christine, do you know the nutrition profile for these rolls? The recipe looks interesting and I'm thinking I may try using one Tbsp toasted sesame oil as part of the 1/2 cup of oil. Thank you
Christine
Hi Dorothy,
Thanks for asking - I don't do the nutrition labels.
But substituting sesame oil would be a great idea in these rolls.
It would really bring out the flavor!
Hope that helps!
Christine
ELLEN BELEF
I have to be dairy -free as well as gluten-free, can I substitute one of the plant or nut based "milks" for the milk in this recipe?
Christine
Hi Ellen,
Absolutely - that should work just fine in this recipe. Just make sure it's not non-fat. There needs to be some fat content in it!
~Christine
Debbie T.
Hi Christine,
Can I substitute poppy seeds for the flax seeds—I am always trying to use ingredients on hand whenever possible.
Thanks for sharing!
Christine
Hi Debbie,
I certainly understand that!
The only hesitation with that is that the flax seeds serve a purpose for texture and binding. The result would not be the same.
If it helps, once you buy flax seeds, if you keep them in the refrigerator, they will last you a long time (since most recipes only call for a small amount anyway).
Hope that helps.
Christine
Debbie T.
Thanks for the quick reply! How about if I add 1 ½ Tbs. each of sesame and chia seeds then? Or 2 Tbs. chia for 1 Tbs. each chia and flax? Wanted to make these tomorrow and am not going to the store.
Christine
Hi!
You can try using all chia seeds - I'd be curious to see how it works out.
Christine
Ray
The flavor in these is great! Unfortunately I had to make flax eggs at the time to substitute real eggs because I didn't have any... I also didn't have chia. I think this is what messed with the texture and made them extremely doughy and sticky. Still quite delicious especially with the crispy savory outside, but a bit too chewy and dense for my liking (feels like eating squid lol). But I will definitely be remaking these soon!
Christine
Thank you for the feedback Ray. That is interesting about the flax eggs, thank you for trying it and letting us know.
Christine