Gluten-Free Dinner Rolls

To make the batter: Weigh your flour; or measure it by gently spooning it into a cup, then sweeping off any excess. Place the flour, yeast, salt, and xanthan gum in a mixing bowl, and whisk to combine.

Using an electric mixer (hand mixer, or stand), mix together the milk, eggs, and honey. Beat in 1 cup of the flour mixture, and the 2 tablespoons (28g) soft butter. Note: Don't add the melted butter; you'll use that later.

Beat in the remaining dry ingredients; scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl, then beat at high speed for 3 minutes, to make a smooth, thick batter.

Cover the bowl, and let the thick batter rise for 1 hour. It won't appear to do much; that's OK.

Scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl, deflating the batter in the process.

To shape the rolls: Decide how many/how large you want your rolls to be. For six large sandwich rolls, grease six English muffin rings, or the wells of a hamburger bun pan. For eight medium rolls, grease an 8" round pan; For 12 small rolls, grease a standard 12-cup muffin pan. Grease a muffin scoop or large spoon with the melted butter.

For sandwich rolls, drop the batter into the prepared hamburger bun pan or into the English muffin rings placed onto a greased or parchment-lined baking sheet. Flatten the dough slightly, using a greased spatula or your wet fingers. 

For medium-sized rolls, scoop the dough into the 8" round pan. Space seven mounds around the perimeter and one in the middle. Flatten the dough slightly.

For dinner rolls, scoop a generous 1/4 cup of dough into each of the wells of the muffin pan. Press the tops level, using your wet fingers.

Whatever size rolls you've shaped, cover the pan with greased plastic wrap and set in a warm place to rise until the rolls look puffy, about 45 to 60 minutes. Toward the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 350°F.

To bake the rolls: Bake the rolls until they're golden brown, about 18 to 24 minutes for the smaller dinner rolls, 28 to 32 minutes for the medium and sandwich rolls. Remove the rolls from the oven, let them cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn them out of the pan onto a rack. Serve warm.

Storage information: Rolls are best served the same day they're made. Leftovers can be stored, well wrapped, at room temperature for a day or so; they'll become progressively drier and more crumbly as time goes by. You can refresh them a bit by reheating briefly just before serving.