We recently had some very warm weather that put my boys in the mood for grilled hamburgers. Hamburgers have been my exception to the rule that dinner is always gluten free. Normally, I use some type of gluten-free bun or bread, or simply go without, while the rest of the family uses wheat based buns.
I have kept store bought gluten-free buns in the freezer and I have made my own hamburger buns. When I make my own, the kids are always jealous. I use my focaccia bread recipe which they love, so they would rather have a gluten-free bun than a wheat bun.
Knowing that, I treated the family by making gluten-free hamburger buns for all of us. The kids were thrilled. I used four English muffin rings and for the fifth one I folded a sheet of foil into a strip and made a circle the same size as the other rings. The foil didn’t hold the dough quite as well, but I was the only one who noticed the difference.
My gluten-free focaccia recipe made enough for the five buns and a small round cake pan sized loaf. This recipe is adapted from Carol Fenster’s recipe in her book Gluten-Free 101. I love it because it is so versatile. I didn’t use the Italian seasoning on top of the hamburger buns. You can of course use other toppings also. I like using this bread for dips such as spinach dip. It is also great used for this focaccia bread sandwich and beef barbecue sandwich.
Update 8/16/11: Now that my oldest son is gluten-free, I make these buns regularly for him to use as sandwich bread for lunches. I bought more English muffin rings and make 10 buns from one recipe. I keep several out and freeze the rest. They are not quite as good after being frozen, but he doesn’t mind.
Update 8/24/11: This week I tried adding 1 Tb. chia seed soaked in 1/4 cup water. I didn’t change anything else. It worked great and helped keep the bread even more moist, particularly after freezing.
- 1⅓ cups brown rice flour
- ⅔ cup sweet rice flour
- 1 cup tapioca starch or flour
- 1 Tablespoon instant yeast
- 2 teaspoon unflavored gelatin
- 1 Tablespoon xanthan gum
- ½ teaspoon onion powder (optional)
- 1½ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1 – 1¼ cup warm water
- 4 eggs
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon vinegar
- olive oil (optional)
- Italian seasoning (optional)
- coarse salt (optional)
- Mix the wet ingredients together in the bowl of your mixer using 1 cup of the water.
- Combine the flours, yeast, gelatin, xanthan gum, onion powder, salt, and sugar in a separate bowl.
- Add the dry ingredients to the mixing bowl and beat for 2 minutes. Add more water if it is too dry. The dough should be very soft and sticky.
- Transfer the dough to a greased pan. This recipe will fill a large cookie sheet. Or spoon into greased English muffin rings for buns.
- Let it rise in a warm place for 30 minutes.
- Optional: Brush the top of the dough with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and Italian seasoning. (Omit for hamburger buns.)
- Bake at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes. The top should be nicely browned.
Recent genetic research in celiac
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http://minietasingluten.blogspot.com/
These hamburger buns look great, and with grilling season (hopefully) returning soon, I know I’ll be giving this a try. Thanks!
I have to try this! I really miss hamburger buns and foccacia bread sounds great.
I have tried GF hamburger buns in the past. They have all been “heavy”.
I was wondering if this recipe was closer to the reg. store bought kind.
Thank you,
Annie
P.S. I find some of your recipes to be very good. Enjoyed non gritty waffles this week. Yahoo!
FANTASTIC!! I baked some this afternoon and will be enjoying our first grilled burgers of the season with them. The texture (when still warm at least, haven’t tried them since), was just like that of regular buns. Nice! AS for the weight of them, they may be a little heavier than regular wheat buns, but they really don’t seem heavy when you’re eating them. HTH. Thanks for the great recipe!
Anonymous,
I know what you mean about other gf buns being heavy. These are not like that. I’m glad you liked the waffles. Thanks for your feedback!
VERY nice!! I’m impressed!!
Just made the focaccia today as a practice run before some gluten-free relatives come to visit Sunday. Delicious! I made it in a round wide cake pan and we had it dipped in balsamic vinegar and Vega EFA oil blend (good quality olive oil for Sunday). Thank you so much.
Chris, You're welcome. I'm glad it turned out well for you, and thanks for letting me know. Enjoy!
I just tried this recipe yesterday and was very impressed. I could serve this to non-celiacs.
Fred, I'm so glad you liked it. I think you're right, anyone would enjoy this bread. Thanks for the feedback.
I just found out that I must now live gluten free. I love going to the store and finding exactly what I want!I do not want to make my bread! Is there anyone that sells gluten free buns?
Yes! Kinnikinnick is a brand I have tried and like. You can find their products at health food stores, and if you live in the east, at Stop & Shop or Giant Food stores. I'm sure there are other brands also. You will find these products in the freezer section.
These came out really tasty! I try to make all my GF stuff from scratch. I did have a couple problems I was hoping you could guide me on.
1. It didn't rise when I put it on the pan. Was I supposed to cover it? All I did was spoon it out like soft spackle and leave it in a pile.
2. It rised when cooking, but the end result texture was eggy and heavy. How can I make it more soft and airy? What did I do wrong?
Thank you!
Ingrid, it should rise before baking. If you are letting it sit out at room temperature, it might need longer than 30 minutes. I turn my oven on for about 4 minutes to warm it up and then put the dough in there for the rise time, or at least most of it. Try one of those options and see if it helps. Let me know how it goes!
When do you put the foil around the buns? Do you let them rise with it on and bake with it on?
Melissa ~ Because the dough is so soft, the foil or ring is necessary to hold the shape of the bun. Make the foil rings, then put the dough in the ring to rise and bake.
I have made these 4 times now and am making them again today. This has become our daily bread. These are good for everything I have found. We have enoyed them for burgers, sandwiches, and even toasted at breakfast with some jam. It is just a really good bread in general. I use those egg/pancake molds to shape mine, but I discovered the last time I made these that you can get away with shaping the dough in a mold and then removing the mold and shaping more and not actually baking the bread in the mold. I decided this actually works better for us because the original buns we made we huge. We prefer a hamburger that is not such a mouthful especially since my 3 year old has trouble eating them like that. The thinner bun means we can take our bun out on errands with us and go by McDonald's during the day….order just a meat patty and put it on our bun and it actually does resemble more of a McDonald's type burger …being thinner. It's not what many people like, but it's what my 3 year old likes so we go with it. Also…I only use one heaping spoonful of dough per bun since they rise so much. I was able to make a heack of a lot of buns the last time with this method. I think I ended up with 11? I will have to count this time. As far as storing, I have been cutting the buns in half when cool and then wrapping individually in plastic wrap. Then you can remove one from the freezer and nuke for 20-30 seconds or toast and you have a perfect bun that is moist and chewy the way bread should be. Today I was thinking of trying to make some White Castle style burgers with it.
Just wanted to add…I have been tinkering with this recipe a bit. The last time I made it, I subbed in some teff flour with the rice flour (1/2 teff 1/2 rice). The bread has gets a bit browner during baking, has nearly the same taste, but I think it was even just a bit better with the added teff. Trying to add nutrition where I can. I am still not using any forms on these and have even made hot dog buns with this recipe.
I can't wait to try these. We aren't much on hamburgers, but I miss biscuits and I bet foccacia would make awesome little morning sausage biscuits for my girls!
Thank you <3
Can you believe I am still messing around with this bread? I make a double batch each week and it serves as our basic bread for many things. Another tweak I have made is to substitute honey for the garlic for flavor, use honey in with the yeast (I proof my yeast in a separate bowl before adding), and using parchment paper for baking. I use an ince cream scoop dipped in oil to scoop out a perfect portion of dough, I plop it on the parchment paper, and then I flatten and smooth the top with oil coated fingers so that each bun will rise to be round and even. I let the buns rise for about an hour at room temperature on the counter. I also usually flatten a few of my scoops out very thin to be personal pizza crusts for my son. It makes for a speedy lunch treat. Anyway, bake in the middle rack of the oven on a cookie sheet for 20 minutes and you end up with beautfiful, lightly browned buns. This last time, I simply put completely cooled buns in a plastic freezer bag, in the freezer, and they defrost in the microwave just fine. I nuke one for about 30 seconds and it is warm and soft and ready to use. Just slice in half and do what you will with it. Oh…one other thing..I just put in one whole packet of Knox gelatin per batch instead of 2 1/2 teaspoons. It is easier to measure and the results are good.
Holly ~ I love that you are playing with the recipe and making it work so well for you. Thanks for letting me know what you've tried.
Can you use white rice flour instead of brown rice flour?
I ran out of brown rice flour and have been using white rice flour without a problem. We LOVE this bread and make it weekly!
I'm not sure if I've ever used white rice flour myself, but it should work. Let me know how it goes.
Brown rice and white rice flour are NOT interchangable. What is ‘sweet rice flour’
I want to really ‘get into’ GF baking but even a good health food store near me doesn’t have all the stuff I need and I seem to always be missing something….either tapioca flour or potato starch or something else. Sigh.
Sweet rice is a sticky rice and helps keep baked goods moist. If you don’t have it, try using white rice flour instead. Amazon sells many gluten free products at reasonable prices and there are other online stores. I usually buy a large quantity of the starches so I don’t have to pay shipping so often.
Would an egg substitute work? I would love to try this recipe without eggs. Thanks
Bunnymom ~ I don't have any experience with using egg substitutes. You could try making half the recipe and see how it goes. Don't cut the yeast amount in half though. I would probably use 2 1/2 tsp.
Probably a stupid question, but if I substitute a mix, like Bette Hagmans's flour mix, do I still need the tapioca starch? Thanks in advance!
Cherian ~ No. You would substitute 3 cups of Bette's mix for the rice flours and tapioca starch. I hope it turns out well for you.
To form or not to form…that is my question. I don't have any forms…was thinking of using the tuna can idea but don't have any of those on hand either. How about a 'muffin top' pan? Anyone tried that? Any suggestions if you don't have the round rings? Rena…who has completely failed at gluten free baking so far and really really misses buns.
Rena ~ I would give the muffin top pan a try, but it might not be deep enough. I have been making 10 buns with this recipe and I only have 8 rings. I make aluminum foil rings for the other two. My rings are 3 3/4" in diameter and 1" tall. The bread will be good no matter what the form, though.
Thanks for this recipe; the texture of the focaccia was perfect! I'm not a big fan of tapioca starch, so I replaced half of it with potato starch. I could still taste the tapioca pretty strongly. Do you think you could replace all the tapioca with potato? I think I'm going to try that next time and see how it turns out. In the meantime I finally have a good base for my GF panini!
Shirley from Gfe suggested this recipe for your buns and I'm anxious to try them!
Thank you,
Mary
http://www.glutenfreespinner.com/
Do you know if these will turn out without the gelatin? I’m wondering what the gelatin adds to the recipe (stretchiness? better keeping qualities?) and if it’s possible to substitute something else or simply leave it out.
I don’t think I’ve made them without the gelatin so I can’t say for sure what differences it will make, but the recipe will certainly work without it. Gelatin acts as a binder and ads moisture and protein.
I made the focaccia bread tonight with your Crock-pot pasta sauce. What a wonderful meal! Thanks for the great recipes!
I love bread!! I will have to try this. So far I have thrown away more attempts @ gf than successes. I am not a baker. I would love to get rid of the cross contamination risk in our house. Thanks for this.
Susan, we all have multiple failures at the beginning of the GF journey so don’t think you’re the only one!
Linda, thanks for the Focaccia recipe as I found a steak sandwich recipe which hubby wants to try from Ina that uses Focaccia… Will let you know how it goes.
This recipe ROCKS! I’ve always loved bread but never been a big fan of hamburger buns until now. I’ve only been gluten free for a year and have tried several store bought gluten free breads and been left wanting something better. I found a gluten free whole grain sandwich wrap from Gluten Free Gobsmacked that is just yummy that I use for wraps and pizza crust. Now I have recipe that works for my “real” bread cravings! I didn’t have any gelatin and they turned out great. I also made them in a muffin top pan and the size was perfect.
Hi Susan. I’m so glad you enjoy the buns. Thanks for letting me know!
Thank you so much for this recipe. I’ve made it twice now with great results. It has become my go to for sandwiches and burgers. Not only do I have to avoid gluten, but I can’t eat soy, milk or sorghum, so most sandwich bread recipes and mixes are incompatible. Thank you for a recipe that works for my diet and tastes great. Even my non-celiac husband loved it!
Thank you for this, finally a GF “bread” for sandwiches that my son likes and much more budget friendly than UDI’s! Great texture. Now we’re ready for the new school year lunches!
You’re welcome, Kate. I was okay without sandwiches, but when my oldest son went gluten free last fall, I turned to this recipe for his lunches too.
Linda, does the pan and rings used for baking need to be oiled first or use parchment paper? Also, I was wondering if any of the flours would benefit by soaking over night for added nutrition and texture. For those wanting to sub out the gelatin they might be able to use flax seeds which develop into a gel when cooked in water (I know because I tried a homemade hair gel made out of flax seeds
So excited to try your recipe 
Thank you for creating this recipe. I wanted a roll recipe, but couldn’t find the ingredients, or it wouldn’t come out right. With this recipe, I was able to have rolls again for Thanksgiving using a muffin tin, and they were divine. Someone who wasn’t Gluten Free wanted to eat them off because they were that good!
Stephanie, I’m glad you enjoyed the recipe and were able to have rolls with your Thanksgiving dinner. Thanks for letting me know.
I have to say, I LOVE this recipe. I’ve made a few adjustments, including the ones suggested and it is our staple bread. I make it every week since we discovered it. Best hamburger bun EVER. I love it even more than the evil gluten ones. Even got our school to think about trying it for the people that have the meal plan and are GF. Thank you so much for this!
I’m glad you enjoy it as much as I do. Thanks for letting me know.
Linda, these look awesome! I am wondering when you add the chia seed with 1/4 c. water? Thanks for the recipe!
Deanne, I add the chia seed mix to the wet ingredients in step one. I found white chia seeds and they look better in the bread. The dark ones look like mold spots.
But either one works.
This is a great recipe, THANK YOU!!! Even my non-GF family members prefer these buns over regular ones! I used my own all-purpose flour mix and made them in a muffin top pan with a fat 1/4 cup of batter per bun and they are just the perfect size, not too much bread to burger. I also made a wonderful egg sandwich on the weekend using a toasted bun… heavenly! So nice to have bread you don’t have to toast to be palatable.
Can you use cornstarch instead of tapioca starch? My body doesn’t seem to handle tapioca starch very well. I would love to be able to make these and have sloppy joes with them!
Kristen, I haven’t tried corn starch in place of tapioca in this recipe, but I think it would work well. It’s definitely worth a try. Let me know how it goes.
The corn starch worked perfectly! These turned out really yummy. I baked them in muffin tins as I don’t have English muffin rings. They will make great little burger slider buns!
I am going to try this recipe tomorrow. What do you think about baking in donut pans and toasting like bagels?
I’ve never used a doughnut pan, so I really can’t say. It’s worth a try!
Do you know size (i.e. 1/4 cup) of each dollop for the hamburger buns
No, I don’t have a particular measurement. It’s probably around 1/3 cup. This recipe is very versatile and you can make them whatever size you like. Just keep an eye on them and adjust the baking time.
I just started GF, and this was the first recipe I tried. The rolls did not rise at all. I placed in a warm oven, but no rise what so ever. I didn’t use rapid rise I had regular, could this be it. I like the taste, but I used an ice creme scoop and they were really small and very flat!
If you don’t use rapid rise/bread machine yeast then the yeast has to be mixed with the warm water and allowed to bubble up. Using regular yeast with my instructions won’t work. You can find bread machine yeast at the grocery store.
I retried today (with quick rise yeast) and was very pleased with the results. My hubs even liked them. Now I’m experimenting with “portion” size. Used 2 scoops of an ice cream scoop, too big so will try with just over 1 scoop. thanks for the recipe.
I made your recipe today and they came out so good! I made 5 rolls and molded the rest into a loaf of bread. I just wanted to see how everything would come out. I baked them separately, too. The bread took 25 min. to cook and the rolls were done in the 15 min. time.
After reading that several people used their muffin top pans for the rolls, I decided to use my whoopie pie pan. They came out great! They aren’t as big as a regular hamburger roll, but are the size of a biscuit. Fine with me.
Thanks so much for the recipe, the bread has such a nice soft texture. I also used the entire packet of gelatin because I wasn’t using sweet rice flour and I wanted that extra help with the moisture and softness. It worked!
I’m glad the bread turned out well for you. It really is a great versatile recipe.
I have tried this and really liked the buns, however I am still having some issues with other things now that I cannot eat. Can I replace the xanthum with chia or something else. The xanthum is corn and or soy based and I can not have either.
I haven’t tried using replacements for xanthan gum, so I can’t say for sure. You could try using guar gum. I have added chia to the bread successfully but only in addition to the xanthan, not in place of it. Guar gum is probably the best substitute and is made from guar beans.
Xanthan gum is not corn or soy based. Xanthan gum is a mold growth product the is fed a sugar mixture and cultured on corn . The end result has no corn. it is not made from corn, it is a by product of the digestion of a sugar grown on corn. Unless you have had a reaction to xanthan gum there is no reason to avoid it. However, if you yruly must avoid xanthan gum the best eplacement is guar gum. It is a ground seed. It is not as effective as xanthan gum, so you must increase the amt of guar gum by 50%. ie) 1 tsp becomes 1 1/2 tsp. etc
These are my favorite. Since I found your recipe, this is my recipe of choice. I don’t make loaves of bread anymore. I make up a dozen of these and freeze them. I take them out as I need them for sandwiches and hamburger buns. They are easy to throw in my purse as well so I can have them with a burger when I am out. I also make them into hot dog rolls. I take an ice cream scoop of the dough and elongate it with wet hands. I bake a couple of them in the double or triple sized French loaf pan. It works great. My dd and granddaughter who are both celiac like them better than what you buy in the store. I use an egg substitute as I am allergic to eggs. I’ve been playing around by adding psyillium as well, but I don’t have that down pat yet.
Thanks for the great recipe
You’re welcome, Jeri. I’m glad you enjoy the recipe. I love your hot dog roll idea! Thanks for sharing it.