Gluten Free Bran Buns… Yum!

I stopped over at my sister’s house a while back for an impromtu visit with the Chicklet and the Love. She was, as usual, busy, busy, busy and her family was too. Her honey had made quick sandwiches for everyone for dinner and her plate was waiting for her as she was at the neighbor’s house comforting the neighbor with the impending loss of her beloved pet. My sister is like that… always busy… and always doing for other people.

We visited with my brother-in-law until she came home. Once she got there, she and I chatted away while she ate her dinner sandwich. What got me was the YUM factor of her simple meal. They had used hamburger buns for their sandwiches. OH.. I *WANTED* a bite of that delicious, softeness!! It was quite the distraction UNTIL I thought about the pain and aftermath that one simple bite of bread can do to me or anyone else with Celiac Sprue or gluten intolerance. Instead of lingering on the thought of something I can’t eat, I challenged myself to go home and make a soft, delicious bun that I COULD eat.

To be honest, it was an easy task! Easier than I thought, anyway. I even made a batch small enough that I could blend the flours and bran together in a little mini-blender. (Something I use for morning smoothies with the Chicklet.)

I did use oat bran for this recipe, but you can easily replace that with rice bran. I know that oat bran can be difficult to find. I am so lucky to have a local gluten free store. Even better? They now SHIP things too! You can order a huge range of gluten-free items from GF Joe’s and have them shipped to you as well. So if you really want some certified gluten-free oat bran – which I am LOVING for a million things! – then PLEASE contact Joe at Gluten Free Joe’s for your order! (And no, Joe does not pay me to love nor endorse him/his store/his family. I just do.)

Here’s the recipe for you to try out as well. The photo above shows 4 buns made with this recipe. You can see that they easily rose to be 2 inch high buns which were a little tooooooooooo much for me. (I ended up cutting them in to thirds for my thinner, yet-still-fluffy bun sandwiches.) I used this same recipe with six rings to make the next batch and I will use it to make six every time now in the future. Whichever you chose, just watch your baking time (listed below for both 4 or 6 buns) to make sure the buns are just golden brown on top before you pull them out.

One other note: I also baked them on parchment paper which was placed directly on a pre-heated baking stone. I love my baking stone (and have only had it since going GF in 2000) and we use it for all kinds of breads, muffins, scones and pizza crusts. However, because GF dough is stickier and more wet than traditional gluten-containing bread doughs, we use parchment paper as both a barrier (so things don’t stick to the stone) and an easy way to transfer the to-be-baked items to the hot stone in the oven.

Gluten Free Bran Buns
You can find a printable copy of this recipe here.
Recipe makes 4 or 6 buns

Ingredients:
3/4 cup warm water
2 Tablespoons agave nectar or honey
1 Tablespoon yeast
1/2 cup GF oats or quinoa flakes (I used the oats)
1/2 cup GF oat bran or rice bran
1/2 cup sorghum or millet or rice flour
1/4 cup potato starch (NOT potato flour)
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 1/2 Tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 Tablespoon olive oil (omit and use 2 Tablespoons butter total instead)

Directions:

1. Combine warmed water, agave (or honey) and yeast in a small bowl to proof. Set aside.
2. Process together in a blender or food processor: GF oats (or quinoa flakes), GF oat (or rice) bran, flour (sorghum, millet or rice) and potato starch until even.
3. Dump dry ingredients into the bowl of your mixer along with the remaining ingredients: xanthan gum, salt, egg, melted butter and olive oil.
4. Pour proofed yeast mixture over the top.
5. Mix together in your blend on medium-high speed for 3 – 5 minutes.
6. Place 4 (or 6) muffin rings on parchment paper.
7. Fill each muffin ring at least half way (for 6 buns) or two-thirds full (for 4 buns). Set aside in a warm place to rise until just over the top of the muffin rings (or your own preference). Rising time: about 20 minutes.
8. While the buns are rising, preheat your oven to 375F.
9. Slide the buns/parchment paper on to your preheated baking stone or slide your baking sheet into the oven. Bake until the tops are golden brown – about 15-18 minutes for 4 buns; about 12-15 minutes for 6 buns.

Enjoy!
~Kate

PS. You can find the muffin/bun rings here for purchase. (They are about $2/per ring.) We use them for everything from English muffins to hamburger buns.