As I have mentioned a few times already – every baker needs to practice in order to master a good dough, which applies to all kinds of doughs, with or without gluten.
It has taken me several attempts to arrive at the recommended amount of flour, and while gluten free doughs do not need as much flour as the regular ones, and the buns have to be baked using a “looser” dough, I think I have found a good balance through trial and error.
A gluten free flour mix made of wheat starch is quite easy to find in Finland but I don’t really know how the situation is in other countries. Hopefully you can find some, because there are so many sweet pastries that just call for the aroma of wheat.
You can by all means make these buns using regular flour as well, but then you have to use more flour and leave out the psyllium powder.
When baking these buns you do not need to rise the dough. Letting the buns rise on a baking sheet for 20-30 minutes before putting them in the oven is more than good enough, and you do not want to keep them any longer than this.
As an alternative you use this exact same dough to make baguettes, simply make 7-8 long stumps instead of 30 small round buns.
You can also use egg in the dough, if you want. Doing so you’ll get even better baguettes and buns.
PORTION: 30 buns or 7-8 baguettes
TIME TO MAKE: about 1,5 hours
INGREDIENTS:
- 8 dl water (hand temperature)
- 50 g yeast
- 2 teaspoons of salt
- (1 egg)
- about 800g of gluten free wheat starch flour
- 2 tablespoons of psyllium powder
- 1 dl vegetable oil
Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Crumble the yeast in a baking bowl, add salt and 8dl of water (hand temperature). After that add the psyllium powder.
Add flour gradually, kneading well all the time. Stop adding flour when you have used all 800g. At that point the dough still sticks to your hand (see the photo below) and the situation seems quite hopeless, but in spite of that you just have to stop there.
This picture has been taken of carrot bun dough, but it clearly illustrates how “loose” the dough has to be.
Now it is time to add the oil. Knead very well until the dough isn’t sticking to your fingers anymore and it comes clean off the sides of the bowl. Clean off your fingers, which can be made easier if you use something like a knife.
Dough is ready.
Start making buns right away. Punch down the dough, but before that make sure to dust the baking table with flour using as much flour as you feel you need to.
Use your hands to shape a long stump of the dough, making sure there is enough flour under it in the process. Cut the dough into 30 equally sized cylinders then roll them round in your well floured hands and place them to wait on the baking sheet.
(When making baguettes, cut the dough into 7-8 equally sized pieces and roll them into long stumps, though making sure fit on the baking sheet)
Let the buns or baguettes stay under a baking cloth in a warm place for 20-30 minutes and preheat the oven to 230°C (446°F).
If you want your buns/baguettes crusty then brush each of them with water.
Bake for about 20-25 minutes.
After the buns have cooled I usually cut them in halves before I put them into the freezer. This way it is easy to take one or two halves and warm them up in a micro or a toaster.
baking gluten free wheat baquettes wheat buns
Ruokasirkusta 