French Bread Day may not be as exciting as St. Patrick’s Day, but today’s holiday is one we can celebrate with wonderful, warm, homemade gluten free French rolls or bread fresh out of our own ovens.
This recipe can be divided and frozen if you don’t have enough people to eat all the rolls! They make great personal pizzas or dipping bread for soups and stews as well, or a jelly or nut butter topped breakfast option.
Super Easy GF French Crusty Rolls
Makes 48 rolls.
Ingredients:
4 tablespoons Dry Active Yeast
4 teaspoons sugar
3 cups warm water (110-112 degrees F.)
2 tablespoons xanthan gum (or try a substitute for xanthan gum)
4 tablespoons olive oil
3 cups fine ground white rice flour
1 cup fine ground sweet rice flour
2 cups tapioca starch
1 tablespoons kosher or fine sea salt
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
4 teaspoons cornmeal
4 tablespoons butter, melted
Directions:
- Mix yeast and sugar in a medium bowl, then add warm water and whisk until sugar is dissolved.
- Let the yeast water rest about 6 minutes. It should get foamy.
- In a medium bowl, combine the xanthan gum with oil until gum is dissolved.
- In a third bowl, combine flours, tapioca starch and salt.
- Add the yeast mixture, xanthan gum mixture, eggs, and vinegar to the flour mixture and use a mixer on low to combine. Scrape sides to incorporate extra back into dough.
- Spray muffin tin or silicone roll mold with oil or cooking spray and sprinkle with corn meal.
- Spoon batter into the tin or mold and pat top until round, and then cross hatch each top with an X.
- Cover the rolls with a clean kitchen towel or oiled plastic wrap, and place in cold oven.
- Let rise 20-30 minutes. Rolls should double in size.
- Half fill a baking dish with hot water and place on the floor of your oven, and preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Brush the tops of the rolls with melted butter and bake for 2o minutes. Rolls should be golden brown.
- Remove from oven, allow to cool for five minutes and then remove from pan and place on cooling rack. Allow to cool down for at least 10 minutes before enjoying (if you can wait that long!)
NOTE: You can use this recipe to make four gluten free French bread loaves on silicone or metal bread molds such this metal one or this silicon one. You will need to make 3-4 slices across the top to allow steam to leave the loaves as they bake. You will also need to increase baking time to 40 minutes, but watch the loaves closely and tap to test for doneness.
Would you do me a favor and share this recipe with someone who would enjoy it? We would really appreciate it!
jane
Hi there, I just followed this 'super easy' recipe and it was a disaster 🙁 the only thing i substituted was the sweet rice flour with wholemeal rice flour. while the yeast rose and those in the pan rose in the 30 mins but they turned out to be horrible and flat LOL. my first attempt, I'm sure it was my fault but any chance we can have step by step photos or video? thx jj
C.J. Brady
Hi Jane,
I'm so sorry to hear!
I will work on getting something together for you!
~Christine
Holly
Hi, I have been pouring over your wonderful recipes and can't wait to try some of them. I was wondering though, I can't have dairy - so no butter - can I sub coconut oil for the butter or would something else be better. Thanks
C.J. Brady
Hi Holly,
I'm working on some dairy free articles right now!
Although I haven't tried coconut oil in all my recipes, its done pretty well with most everything I've tried it in.
For keeping it dairy free, coconut oil would be my first choice 🙂
Let me know how it goes!
Wayne
Another disaster story here - so tired of trying to make decent GF bread for my son... They did rise in proving but failed to rise - in fact collapsed in the oven, failed to cook through evenly, failed to come out of muffin tin and failed the taste test with a very distinct after taste... after assuming it was my fault I went again and the results were the same... 🙁
C.J. Brady
Hi Wayne,
Sorry for the late response here - I was traveling the past couple days.
So I'm sorry to hear they did not turn out. I went through the recipe again, considering your results - was the yeast fresh? That's one of the things I can see that would make a difference.
Did you use a substitute for the xanthan gum?
Lots of questions, but just trying to see what might be the issue.
Let me know!
Linda
The recipe sounds awesome, however can the cornmeal be substituted with anything comparable.? I can't have anything with corn in it.
Christine
Hi Linda,
Yes! In this recipe, you are safe to just leave it out - Cornmeal adds that signature pop of texture for French bread and rolls, but just spraying the pan and leaving out the cornmeal is fine too.
~Christine
Lynn Deakin
Hi Christine
I just made your Super easy gluten free crusty rolls. I was concerned when I read the reviews that they
would not turn out. I made them as per the recipe and they turned out pretty good. They tasted great, crispy on the outside, the corn meal was a great touch. The only thing that disappointed me was that they did not brown,(even with the butter on top) and the picture you showed of them, they were perfectly round. Not sure how they could come out round from a muffin pan ?! anyway, I was pretty happy with the outcome, and will definitely make this recipe again. Also, I only make 24 rolls, and used the rest as a pizza crust, I par baked it and am excited to finish baking it tomorrow with the toppings.
Lynn
Christine
Hi Lynn,
Thanks for the comment!
Glad you liked them! I bet a few minutes on the upper oven rack is needed. Mine browned pretty well, but really - it could be my oven.
GREAT idea about the pizza crust- yum!
~Christine
Martha Morales Hernandez
Super good recipe!! Bread was crispy and delicious!!!
Christine
Thanks Martha!
Glad you enjoyed them!
Christine
Sally
At what point can I divide and freeze this recipe?
Christine
Hi Sally,
Thanks for asking. You can either freeze them after they rise or after baking. If you freeze after they rise, place the whole pan in the freezer, then once they're frozen, remove them from the pans and place in plastic bags.
Hope that helps!
Christine
JudyPokorski
Hi, I tried this recipe today and the rolls turned out perfect. I make my own flour blend and it worked!! Thank you so much. Gluten free bread has been my nemesis for 9 yrs and this one will do the trick!!!
Christine
Hi Judy,
So happy to hear this! Glad you enjoyed them 🙂
~Christine
Jan Olson
I would love to try this weekend and wondered whether I can use cup-for-cup flour in place of those notes? I’m new to GF baking and am scouting for the best bread recipes.
Christine
Hi Jan,
Thanks for asking. So I haven't tested it with cup for cup, so I'm not 100% sure of the results. But let me know if you try it!
~Christine
Amie
Could this be used with cup4cup flour? If so how many cups would I use? Thank you
Christine
Hi Amie,
So I haven't tested it with Cup4Cup, so unfortunately I can't say for certain. But I'd imagine 6 cups would be the measurement. Let me know if you try it!
Christine