It’s the day after the holidays or a big party and you have a lot of delicious meats left over – turkey, ham, even beef. Sandwiches for days right? While I can’t help you with your leftovers (we’ve had our fill 😊), I can offer an alternative to that ordinary sandwich bread… Perk up your leftover meat with these healthy and delicious French bread rolls. They’ll make any roast beef, turkey or ham sandwich come alive. And taste soooo much better than plain old white bread!
I’m a big fan of quick and easy bread recipes (see this one and that one), so bread recipes that come together quickly have a special place in my recipe book. This might earn a special place in your recipe book too!
These gluten free French bread rolls have a lovely, dense interior and crusty exterior; they’re firm enough to hold up to mayonnaise or sandwich fixings, but tender enough to eat by themselves. And they’re good for you too – with heart-healthy olive oil and egg whites – your resolutions will not be swayed with this recipe!
Although they’re super easy to make, these tips will ensure you bake up the most perfect rolls each and every time.
Start with all ingredients at room temperature
If you’re like me and store all your gluten free flours in the refrigerator, you’ll want to allow a bit of time for them to come to room temp. Eggs can be brought to room temperature quickly by floating them in a bowl of warm water.
The oven should be cold when you put the pan inside
A cold oven is the secret to these rolls. It’s the technique that creates a nice crusty outside and a deliciously tender inside.
The combination of flours is important
This combination of flours is a proven winner. Swapping any one of them out with another flour or starch may not give you the same results.
Healthy Gluten Free French Bread Rolls
Yield: 10 – 12 rolls
Ingredients
¾ cup sorghum flour (here’s another recipe to use sorghum flour in)
¾ cup millet flour
1 cup potato starch
½ cup tapioca starch
1 ½ tsp. salt
1 Tbls. white sugar
2 tsp. xanthan gum
1 ½ Tbls. Instant yeast
1 Tbls. Olive oil
3 egg whites
1 tsp. apple cider vinegar
1 cup warm water (110°F)
Directions
1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the flours, starches, salt, sugar, xanthan gum and yeast. Mix lightly to thoroughly combine.
2. In a separate bowl, mix together the olive oil and egg whites.
3. Add the egg mixture to the mixer bowl and mix for 20 seconds.
4. Add the vinegar and water and let your mixer run for 2 minutes to create a soft and fluffy looking batter.
5. Using a large spoon, scoop 10 – 12 equal portions onto a greased or paper lined baking sheet.
6. Place the cookie sheet into the cold oven and turn the temperate to 400°F.
7. Bake the rolls for 20 – 25 minutes (Start checking at 20 – mine took 23 minutes exactly). The rolls should have a nice golden brown color.
8. Remove from the oven and serve immediately.
13 Comments
Deb
They look yummy. But, I cannot have xanthan gum. Is there a substitute?
C.J. Brady
Hi Deb,
Thanks for asking.
I do have some substitutes, in this article: http://gluten-free-bread.org/how-to-make-gluten-free-bread-without-xanthan-gum
I’d recommend trying the chia seed/golden flax meal version.
Hope that helps!
Robert Marsh
The recipe refers to instant yeast. Is this brewers yeast or nutritional yeast or something completely different?
C.J. Brady
Hi Robert,
Thanks for asking!
This is Fleischmann’s Instant yeast.
Hope that helps!
Augustine
Hello Christine. It’s really helpful to see your exact quantities for replacing Xanthum Gum which as you say isn’t great for those of us with IBD, Dysbiosis or any other gut problem. And here( half way up a mountain in Wales, UK) GF isn’t really mainstream. All the ready mixed GF flours have Xantham and also potato – can be an irritant as its a Nightshade. I’ve just been looking at your Slow Cooked Cookbook and wondered if there is a code I could use when I buy it, to get the bundle you offer in the US? Or a PDF maybe?
I think your website is really helpful as I have bought about a dozen books on GF baking with promises of bread recipes, and so many of them are quite secretive and suggest you experiment with different mixes but not real recipe as such. This can result in expensive mistakes which isn’t what you need when you’re struggling with GF baking. I’ve cooked for decades, even had my own restaurant for a few years so I’ve made more bread than I can remember – but GF is a totally different world and it’s very reassuring to find exact amounts etc plus photos of the process. You’ve done a really good job. If I had the pull, I’d get you an invite to Harry’s wedding 😀 !
I’ll post when I get my flour mix right . Happy New Year.
C.J. Brady
Hi Augustine,
Thanks for the kind words – wedding invite would be nice! 😉
As for the cookbook – the entire book is a pdf, so when you buy it, it is downloadable. Every bonus is a pdf as well.
Hope that helps!
Let me know if you have any questions.
Thanks!
Julie
Hi! I’m very interested in this recipe and was wondering if you can just use a gluten free all purpose flour?
C.J. Brady
Hi Julie,
Thanks for the question!
So you might be able to, I just haven’t used any other mixes besides the one I created. The light flour mix I use has a super, well balanced combination of flours and starches. It would be a gamble on the all purpose one.
Hope that helps! Let me know if you try it.
Robert Marsh
I live in Thailand and am unable to purchase sorghum flour. Is there an alternative?
C.J. Brady
Hi Robert,
Thanks for asking. If you can’t find sorghum, either oat flour or amaranth flour would be alternatives.
Hope that helps!
Robert Marsh
Can you advise a substitute for sorghum flour? I live in Thailand and am unable to find it on sale.
Robert Marsh
Thanks very much.
Robert Marsh
Sorry for asking the question twice!