GLUTEN FREE HAWAIIAN ROLLS with VEGAN & DAIRY FREE DIRECTIONS

Posted by Bryna Bear aka Gluten Free Baking Bear

     These rolls are amazing!  Soft, fluffy (really, GF & Fluffy) and delicious. The texture is just like a wheat roll, no one would know it is GF.  I found this great recipe on Recreating Happiness’s blog.  It is so wonderful I had to share it on my blog.  I did change up some of the flours, and was able to adapt it into a vegan version too. 

     Hawaiian rolls are made with pineapple juice which gives them a gentle sweetness.  This recipe is pretty simple since the yeast does not need to be proofed, just mixed in with the dry ingredients. 

     After making the rolls a few times, I tried replacing the rice flour with sorghum with excellent results.  I find that rice flour is great the first day or two, but then the bread texture changes and gets a little powdery-like.  With the sorghum flour the rolls stay moist and the texture keeps for days.  The first two days you can eat the rolls without any heating or toasting.  The third and fourth days they are much better when warmed up.  I put them in the microwave for 10 seconds, but how long to heat them will vary by your microwave.  You can also toast them or heat them up into oven.  When the rolls are a few days old the very top layer tends to crack and peel off slightly.  I have never brushed the rolls with egg white or water or milk.  This may eliminate the cracking. 

     The secret ingredient that makes all the difference in fluffiness is coconut flour.   Who knew that this flour could revolutionize GF bread texture. 

     The vegan rolls also have a wonderful texture and taste, but the rolls are ever so slightly denser. 

     You can make these into burger rolls or hot dog buns too if you have molds to shape them.  I used english muffin rings on a flat baking sheet for burger buns and a canoe (Twinkie) pan for hot dog rolls.  The rolls were sturdy and held up very well with juicy burgers & all the fixings.  The burger rolls had the perfect softness so that you could easily bite through them and their contents. 

GLUTEN FREE HAWAIIAN ROLLS

Makes 12 muffin pan sized rolls

INGREDIENTS

DRY

2 ¼ tsp. or 1 packet	Rapid Rise Yeast
⅓ cup	Sugar
1 cup	Tapioca Flour
¾ cup	Corn Starch
½ cup	Sourghum Flour
¼ cup	Coconut Flour (secret ingredient that is necessary for fluffy rolls) - no substitutions
2 tsp.	Xanthan Gum
1 tsp.	Baking Powder
1 tsp.	Baking Soda
1 ¼ tsp.	Sea Salt

WET

1 ¼ cup	Unsweetened Pineapple Juice
¼ cup	Unsalted butter - melted For dairy free or vegan use a mild tasting oil such as canola.
2 large	Eggs - room temperature (or warm up cold eggs by placing them in warm water) For egg free or vegan use ¼ cup of water + 2 Tbs. of ground flax seeds.  Mix and let sit for a few minutes until it thickens.

DIRECTIONS

1)    Grease and flour (with tapioca starch) a muffin tin (for 12 muffins).  If using a canoe pan or english muffin rings on a baking sheet, grease and flour the canoe pan and/or baking sheet and rings.  Set aside.

Muffin tin, greased and floured.

2)    In the bowl of a stand mixer or a large mixing bowl add the dry ingredients and mix with a whisk until well combined.

Dry ingredients whisked together.

3)    Add all the wet ingredients to the dry ones and beat well for about 2 minutes on medium speed with the stand mixer.  If doing it by hand keep stirring until the batter is smooth.  It will be like a cake batter.

The wet ingredients added to the dry ones.

The batter after mixing a few minutes.

4)    Portion out the batter evenly into the 12 cup muffin tin.  The batter should just meet the top of each cup.  I scooped out the batter and then used wet hands to smooth out the tops. Fill the canoe pan or english muffin rings to the tops as well.

The batter portioned out into 12 cup molds.

The rolls after rising for an hour.

5)    Cover with oiled plastic wrap and place in a warm place to rise for an hour.

6)    When there is 20 minutes of rising time left preheat the oven to 325℉.

7)    When the oven is preheated and the rolls have risen for an hour place the baking pans into the center of the oven to bake.  The rolls are done when the tops are browned.  In my oven, which is very accurate, it took 20 minutes. 

Rolls after baking.

8)    Let the rolls cool in the pan for 5 minutes and then take them out of the pans to cool completely on a rack.  You can serve these warm (not hot) too.  Very yummy!

Rolls cooling on a rack.

9)    I prefer to warm them a little after the second day, but they stay moist and soft for several days.

GLUTEN FREE HAWAIIAN ROLLS Makes 12 muffin pan sized rolls INGREDIENTS DRY 2 ¼ tsp. or 1 packet Rapid Rise Yeast ⅓ cup Sugar 1 cup Tapioca Flour ¾ cup Corn Starch ½ cup Sourghum Flour ¼ cup Coconut Flour (secret ingredient that is necessary for fluffy rolls) - no substitutions 2 tsp. Xanthan Gum 1 tsp. Baking Powder 1 tsp. Baking Soda 1 ¼ tsp. Sea Salt WET 1 ¼ cup Unsweetened Pineapple Juice ¼ cup Unsalted butter - melted For dairy free or vegan use a mild tasting oil such as canola. 2 large Eggs - room temperature (or warm up cold eggs by placing them in warm water) For egg free or vegan use ¼ cup of water + 2 Tbs. of ground flax seeds. Mix and let sit for a few minutes until it thickens. DIRECTIONS 1) Grease and flour (with tapioca starch) a muffin tin (for 12 muffins). If using a canoe pan or english muffin rings on a baking sheet, grease and flour the canoe pan and/or baking sheet and rings. Set aside. 2) In the bowl of a stand mixer or a large mixing bowl add the dry ingredients and mix with a whisk until well combined. 3) Add all the wet ingredients to the dry ones and beat well for about 2 minutes on medium speed with the stand mixer. If doing it by hand keep stirring until the batter is smooth. It will be like a cake batter. 4) Portion out the batter evenly into the 12 cup muffin tin. The batter should just meet the top of each cup. I scooped out the batter and then used wet hands to smooth out the tops. Fill the canoe pan or english muffin rings to the tops as well. 5) Cover with oiled plastic wrap and place in a warm place to rise for an hour. 6) When there is 20 minutes of rising time left preheat the oven to 325℉. 7) When the oven is preheated and the rolls have risen for an hour place the baking pans into the center of the oven to bake. The rolls are done when the tops are browned. In my oven, which is very accurate, it took 20 minutes. 8) Let the rolls cool in the pan for 5 minutes and then take them out of the pans to cool completely on a rack. You can serve these warm (not hot) too. Very yummy! 9) I prefer to warm them a little after the second day, but they stay moist and soft for several days.

GLUTEN FREE LEMON BLUEBERRY CHEESECAKE BARS

Posted by Bryna Bear aka Gluten Free Baking Bear

     I had some fresh Blueberries that were a bit too tart to enjoy plain so I decided to bake with them.  When I do not know what to bake I often Google something like “blueberry desserts” and then look at the images until something inspires me to make it.  These bars were from just such a  photo on ElyWrites’ blog.  I adapted the recipe into a gluten free version and according to what I had in the kitchen.

     I love lemon in cheesecake, it gives it a fresh and lighter taste.  Blueberries and lemon are a classic combination for a reason, they go perfectly together.  The oatmeal cookie crust is just right in taste and texture with the cheesecake.  Enjoy!

GLUTEN FREE LEMON BLUEBERRY CHEESECAKE BARS

Makes one 7x7-inch pan which can be cut into 9, 12 or 16 smaller squares.

INGREDIENTS

CRUST

¼ cup + 1 Tbs.	Sorghum Flour
3 Tbs.	Tapioca Flour
2 ½ Tbs.	Chickpea Flour
½ tsp.	Xanthan Gum
¼ tsp.	Sea Salt
1 tsp.	Baking Powder
¼  cup	GF Quick Oats
¼ cup	Unsalted Butter
½ cup	Brown Sugar

FILLING

8 oz.	Cream Cheese, room temperature
1 large	Egg
⅓ cup	Sugar
1 large	Lemon, the juice and the zest: about 2 Tbs. juice and 1-2 tsp of zest.
¾ cup	Fresh Blueberries

DIRECTIONS

1)   Preheat the oven to 350℉.  Prepare a 7x7-inch square pan by lining it with parchment paper. This will make it easier to get the baked bars out without breaking apart.  Set aside.

2)   First make the crust.  In a medium bowl add the flours, xanthan gum, sea salt baking powder and oats.  Mix well with a whisk and set aside.

3)   In a large bowl cream the sugar and butter together until light and fluffy.

Creaming the sugar and butter together.

4)   Add the dry ingredients and mix until well combined.

Adding the flour to the butter mixture.

5)   Press two thirds of the dough evenly onto the bottom of the prepared pan.

Crust dough all mixed.

⅔ of the crust mixture pressed onto the bottom of the parchment lined pan.

6)   Bake for 10 minutes, then remove from the oven and set aside on a rack to cool for 10 minutes before adding the filling. Reduce the oven temperature to 325℉.

Crust bottom after 10 minutes of baking.

7)   While the crust dough is baking prepare the filling.

8)   Into a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer add the cream cheese, egg, ¼ cup sugar, lemon juice and lemon zest.  Combine well with an electric mixer or the paddle attachment of the stand mixer.  Mix until the batter is very smooth and there are no lumps.

The filling ingredients in the bowl.

The filling mixed until smooth and lump free.

9)   With a spoon or spatula gently stir half of the blueberries into the filling, being careful not to break them.

10) Pour the filling into the pan with the baked crust.

11) Scatter the remaining blueberries over the top of the filling and gently press them down into the filling.

The filling and blueberries on top of the baked crust.

12) Crumble the remaining third of the crust dough over the top of the filling.

The unbaked filling with the remaining ⅓ of the dough crumbled over the top of the filling.

13) Bake for 45-50 minutes or until the top is lightly browned.  The center of the cheesecake filling should still jiggle when done.

The baked bars cooling on a rack.

14) Allow to cool on a rack then place in the fridge for several hours or overnight to firm up and set before cutting into bars. 

GLUTEN FREE LEMON BLUEBERRY CHEESECAKE BARS Makes one 7x7-inch pan which can be cut into 9, 12 or 16 smaller squares. GlutenFreeBakingBear.com INGREDIENTS CRUST ¼ cup + 1 Tbs. Sorghum Flour 3 Tbs. Tapioca Flour 2 ½ Tbs. Chickpea Flour ½ tsp. Xanthan Gum ¼ tsp. Sea Salt 1 tsp. Baking Powder ¼ cup GF Quick Oats ¼ cup Unsalted Butter ½ cup Brown Sugar FILLING 8 oz. Cream Cheese, room temperature 1 large Egg ⅓ cup Sugar 1 large Lemon, the juice and the zest: about 2 Tbs. juice and 1-2 tsp of zest. ¾ cup Fresh Blueberries DIRECTIONS 1) Preheat the oven to 350℉. Prepare a 7x7-inch square pan by greasing it with butter. Set aside. 2) First make the crust. In a medium bowl add the flours, xanthan gum, sea salt baking powder and oats. Mix well with a whisk and set aside. 3) In a large bowl cream the sugar and butter together until light and fluffy. 4) Add the dry ingredients and mix until well combined. 5) Press two thirds of the dough evenly onto the bottom of the prepared pan. 6) Bake for 10 minutes, then remove from the oven and set aside on a rack to cool for 10 minutes before adding the filling. Reduce the oven temperature to 325℉. 7) While the crust dough is baking prepare the filling. 8) Into a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer add the cream cheese, egg, ¼ cup sugar, lemon juice and lemon zest. Combine well with an electric mixer or the paddle attachment of the stand mixer. Mix until the batter is very smooth and there are no lumps. 9) With a spoon or spatula gently stir half of the blueberries into the filling, being careful not to break them. 10) Pour the filling into the pan with the baked crust. 11) Scatter the remaining blueberries over the top of the filling and gently press them down into the filling. 12) Crumble the remaining third of the crust dough over the top of the filling. 13) Bake for 45-50 minutes or until the top is lightly browned. The center of the cheesecake filling should still jiggle when done. 14) Allow to cool on a rack then place in the fridge for several hours or overnight to firm up and set before cutting into bars.