These gluten-free burger buns are soft and moist inside while holding together well for hamburgers, pulled pork, or breakfast sandwiches. You can even shape them as hot dog buns or sliders! Unlike some expensive store-bought ones, these buns contain no rice or corn. They don't fall apart in a pile of crumbs, and they're easy to make!
I love that I can really enjoy a regular hamburger or hot dog around the campfire with everyone else!
Jump to:
- Ingredients and Substitutions
- Step-by-Step: How to Bake Gluten-Free Hamburger Buns That Actually Hold
- Top Tips for Yeast Bread Baking
- Meal Prep
- How to Store & Freeze Gluten-Free Hamburger Buns Without Losing Freshness
- Newsletter
- Gluten-Free Hamburger Buns Troubleshooting (Your FAQs Answered)
- Recipe
- Newsletter
In keeping with my mission to bring you gluten-free recipes that turn out well, made in the simplest possible way, this recipe uses the same flour mix as my gluten-free sandwich bread, French baguette, and artisan bread.
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Ingredients and Substitutions
For best results, use a kitchen scale and weigh your ingredients. It's much more accurate than measuring by cups.
- Cathy's Gluten-Free Bread Flour Blend - This is my rice-free, corn-free flour mix with psyllium husk. It's the key to making nice, springy, moist bread that isn't crumbly.
- Tapioca Flour (Tapioca Starch) - Since this helps bread to be light and soft, we're adding extra in this recipe. You might also try substituting arrowroot flour or potato starch for the same weight.
- Apple Cider Vinegar - Vinegar creates a slightly acidic environment, which helps the yeast to work better.
- Xanthan Gum - Besides the psyllium husk in the flour blend, we add xanthan gum to this recipe to give it a little more help with hold and stretch in the absence of gluten.
- Honey - You need a sweetener to feed the yeast. You might substitute an equal weight of maple syrup or sugar.
- Yeast - I used instant yeast because it can be added directly to the dry ingredients. If you use active dry yeast, sprinkle it over the warm liquid (honey included) and give it a few minutes to bloom before mixing it with the dry ingredients.
See recipe card for quantities.
Step-by-Step: How to Bake Gluten-Free Hamburger Buns That Actually Hold
A stand mixer fitted with a dough hook takes the heavy lifting out of making a nice, soft bread dough. If you don't have one, you can certainly knead the dough by hand.
Whisk the dry ingredients with the flours in a large mixing bowl.
Melt butter and warm milk. Add all of the liquid ingredients to the dry and mix well.
On a floured surface with floured hands, shape the dough into buns. Cover them loosely while they rise in a warm place for an hour or so.
Optionally, brush the rolls with an egg wash and sprinkle on some sesame seeds. Bake at 350°F (177°C), about 20 minutes.
Let gluten-free bread cool completely before slicing, so it doesn't get gummy.
Top Tips for Yeast Bread Baking
Here are some tips to help you with successful gluten-free yeast bread baking.
- The temperature of the water should be 105°F (41°C) to 115°F (46°C) when it comes into contact with the yeast.
- Don't allow the liquid to be too hot, or it will destroy the yeast.
- An ideal environment for proofing bread dough is 75°F (24°C)to 85°F (30°C). Bread rises much better in a warm, humid environment.
- Don't allow the dough to get a chill or cold draft during the rising process. Protect it from cold air, such as from an outside door opening in winter or air conditioning vents in summer.
- Gluten-free bread doesn't need to be kneaded like wheat bread because there is no gluten to develop. It does need to be mixed until the batter is smooth and consistent, and the moisture is evenly absorbed. A stand mixer with a dough hook is ideal for this job.
- Weigh your ingredients for accuracy. Volume (cups) measurements can fluctuate wildly and lead to disappointing results.
Meal Prep
The only thing you might want to do ahead of time to prepare for this recipe is to make sure that you have enough of my Gluten-Free Bread Flour Blend mixed up.
How to Store & Freeze Gluten-Free Hamburger Buns Without Losing Freshness
These gluten-free hamburger buns will store nicely at room temperature for two or three days if they're sealed in an airtight container once they have cooled completely.
They also freeze for up to two months and toast well. I would recommend slicing them before freezing.
Gluten-Free Hamburger Buns Troubleshooting (Your FAQs Answered)
Gluten-free buns will turn out crumbly if you use too little binder, such as psyllium husk or xanthan gum. Improper measuring can result in too much flour or not enough liquid, causing the bread to be too dry. Not using the correct blend of flours that was tested in the recipe can result in crumbly buns.
These gluten-free hamburger buns last 2 or three days at room temperature when sealed in an airtight container. Refresh them by toasting them for about 5 minutes in a toaster oven or regular oven.
(As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.)
Recipe
Gluten-Free Burger Buns
Equipment
- 1 Stand Mixer with dough hook
Ingredients
- 3 ¾ cups Cathy's Gluten-Free Bread Flour Blend
- ¾ cup tapioca flour
- 1 tablespoon xanthan gum
- 1 tablespoon raw sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon instant yeast
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1⅞ cups whole milk
- 4 tablespoons butter melted
- 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 large eggs (one is optional)
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds (optional)
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a saucepan on the stovetop. Add the milk and bring the temperature up to between 105℉ and 115℉ (41-46℃). Don't add it to the yeast mixture above 120℉ (49℃).
- Whisk the dry ingredients together in the bowl of a stand mixer.
- Add the warm milk, melted butter, and one egg. Run the machine with the dough hook, stopping to scrape down the sides a couple of times, until the flour mixture is all incorporated into the moist batter. Then, run the machine on second-to-low speed for about 5 minutes to knead the dough (6 to 8 minutes by hand). It should be soft and sticky.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- On a floured surface, divide the dough into 8 equal sections. Roll each section between floured hands to shape nice, smooth balls for the buns. Place each one, with space between, on the prepared baking sheet.
- Cover the buns loosely with plastic wrap and allow them to rise in a warm place. 75℉ to 85℉ (24-30℃) is ideal. This should take about one hour to one hour and fifteen minutes, or until the volume of the dough has increased by 50%. If the air is cooler, it may take a little longer.
- Preheat the oven to 400℉ (204℃). Meanwhile, whisk a tablespoon of water into the second egg. Brush some of it carefully over the risen buns and sprinkle them with sesame seeds.
- Bake the buns in a preheated oven for 15-20 minutes.
- Cool on a wire rack before slicing.
Notes
- Weigh your ingredients rather than measuring in cups. Weighing is much more accurate, and you'll get better results.
- Proof your buns on the same baking sheet that you'll use for baking them. You want to avoid handling the dough and knocking any air out after it has risen, but before baking.
Nutrition
Love this gluten-free hamburger bun recipe?
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