First Successful Attempt at Gluten Free Burger Buns

We bought some frozen salmon patties and since I decided I wanted to go off gluten for a while I decided to try making our own burger buns. I found this recipe by Nicole Hunn (GlutenFreeOnAShoeString). Please check the original recipe link here.

The recipe below is adapted from that recipe based on what I had on hands during the time. The original recipe uses Better Batter gluten free flour. Nicole actually had a posting on mock Better Batter flour mix. See the recipe for mock Better Batter flour mix below.

Mock Better Batter flour mix :

30% superfine white rice flour

30% superfine brown rice flour

15% potato starch

15% tapioca starch

5% potato flour

3% xantham gum

2% pure powder pectin

My mix only consisted of white rice flour, bajra flour (finger millet flour), tapioca starch, xantham gum and agar-agar.

Recipe for the buns (yield : 8)

INGREDIENTS

3 1/4 cups (455 g) all purpose gluten free flour, plus more for sprinkling 

1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons (40 g) dry milk

1 tablespoon (9 g) or 1 1/2 tablespoons active dry yeast

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 tablespoon (13 g) packed light brown sugar

1 teaspoon (6 g) kosher salt

1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

2 tablespoons (28 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 egg white (25 g), at room temperature

1 1/2 cups (12 ounces) warm water (about 95°F)

Egg wash: 1 egg (any size) at room temperature, beaten with 1 tablespoon milk or water

Sesame seeds for sprinkling (optional)

DIRECTIONS

The original recipe calls for using stand mixer. Since I don't have one, I just mix the ingredients using a spatula.

Put all the dry ingredients in a bowl and mix well.. Add the cider vinegar, butter, egg white, and water. Use a spatula to try to mix all those to incorporate and if possible into a lighter form (whipped). I might try hand mixer next time. ✌

Cover and let it rise to 150% from original by keeping it in a warm draft free area. Keeping it chill for 15 minutes will help handling it later. I didn't do neither. Beside should we keep it chill after it rise for 150% or prior ?

When you’re ready to make the rolls, line rimmed baking sheets with unbleachdd parchment paper and preheat your oven to 400°F. If you’ve refrigerated the dough, work with it straight from the refrigerator. If you haven’t, place the tightly sealed dough in the refrigerator to chill for at least 15 minutes before working with it, as the dough is easiest to handle when it’s chilled.

After that separate dough into 8 same size pieces. Work them into smoother ball/ bun form. Additional flour may be added at this point. I didn't do this part. That's why my buns came out rather rough on top. 😂 Then keep them cover in a draft free warm area for another one hour until they become 150% original size.

Prehead oven to 400℉ about 45 minutes into second round of proofing. Don't over proof the buns or they'll collapse.

Brush the tops and sides of the risen buns generously with the egg wash, and sprinkle with the optional sesame seeds. Place in the center of the preheated oven and bake until the rolls are puffed and the tops are very pale golden brown (about 18 minutes). The center of each roll should be about 190°F when tested with an instant-read thermometer. Remove the rolls from the oven and allow to cool on the baking sheet until no longer hot to the touch before slicing and serving. Any leftover rolls can be sliced, cooled completely, then wrapped tightly in a freezer-safe bag (remove as much air from the bag as possible). Freeze for up to 2 months. Defrost in a toaster set to light toasting.

Although the dough was relatively easy to shape compare to some other recipes where the dough was thinner I found the texture of these buns a bit gummy for my taste. BUT that was because I added agar-agar on top of zanthan gum. So it's a good recipe but I need to watch the amount of agar-agar/zanthan gum. Or maybe no agar-agar needed.

Second thing, there was one egg white used for this. Though it's not really a whole lot but that was the only ingredients that I didn't like on this recipe. So I may try to swap it with maybe chia seed or flax seed in the future.