Looking for the perfect gluten-free sourdough buns? These buns are so much better than anything you’ll find in the grocery store. They have a good, strong structure and delicious flavor. Perfect with soup or as a sandwich roll.
Here are a few reasons why this is one of my favorite GF bread recipes:
- It’s packed full of GF structural supports, so it won’t crumble.
- The sourdough starter gives this bun a deliciously rich flavor.
- High in fiber and protein, it is a healthy alternative to white, Styrofoam-like buns.
- They are super quick to make. It only takes 45 minutes to mix and bake them!
- Gluten-free sourdough buns freeze really well. So make a huge batch and you’ll have them for all your dinner parties, BBQs, and sandwiches.
One recipe lots of different types of buns
I love this recipe so much that I use it for all of my GF buns. Everything from hot dog rolls to focaccia sandwiches. I’ve been GF since 2009… and I spent years missing bread. However, this recipe changed all of that!
Here are some ways you can take this basic gluten-free sourdough buns recipe and turn it into whatever it is you want:
- Hamburger buns: Brush the buns with an egg wash made from 1 egg and 1 Tbsp of milk. Then sprinkle with sesame seeds.
- Hot dog buns: Instead of forming the dough into round buns, form them into hot dog-sized rolls. The rolls will be a bit flat unless you use a hot dog bun pan. Either way, they’ll taste good!
- Dinner rolls: The only difference between a hamburger bun and a dinner roll is the size of the bun. I like adding olives to my dinner rolls to make them a bit fancier. Add about 1/4 cup of chopped kalamata olives to a single batch of the sourdough bun recipe.
- Sandwich focaccia: After I became GF I missed sandwiches from my local Italian deli more than anything else. Making gluten-free sourdough focaccia changes all of that. To make sandwich-sized focaccia, scoop out 1/2 cup of dough and form it into a flat disk. After placing it on the baking sheet, generously brush the top with olive oil and sprinkle with chopped rosemary and flaked sea salt. You need about 2 Tbsp of olive oil, 1 Tbsp of rosemary, and 1 tsp of flaked salt per batch (3 small focaccia).
Gluten Free Sourdough Buns
This simple gluten-free sourdough buns recipe is perfect for picnics, BBQs and dinner parties. You can use this easy recipe to make hot dog buns, dinner rolls or focaccia. See the section above for more details.
- Prep Time: 10 min
- Cook Time: 30 min
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 3–6 buns 1x
- Category: Bread
- Method: Sourdough
- Cuisine: Gluten Free
- Diet: Gluten Free
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups of sourdough starter
- 3 eggs
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 5 tbsp ground flax
- 5 tbsp ground psyllium husk
- 4 tbsp tapioca starch, as needed
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450 F.
- Mix all of the dough ingredients together except for the tapioca starch, which is used to form the buns.
- The batter will start out quite liquidy. Leave it for 5 minutes to thicken, then stir it again.
- This is a quick bread, so the buns can be formed after 5 minutes.
- Make a small circle of tapioca starch on the counter using about 2 tbsp of tapioca starch.
- Using a large spoon scoop out about a 1/4 cup of dough and place it in the centre of the tapioca starch.
- Form the dough into a ball (depending on the type of bun you are making), then place the bun on a greased baking sheet.
- Use more tapioca starch as needed to form the rest of the buns.
- Bake the buns for 20-30 minutes. The buns are ready when they have a crusty exterior and fully cooked interior.
Notes
- It’s really quick and easy to make a gluten-free sourdough starter from scratch. Here are my instructions for a typical sourdough starter and an even quicker recipe for a sourdough starter with milk kefir or kombucha.
- Buckwheat and teff make very active sourdough starters in about 24 hours. Rice and other GF flours usually take a bit longer. I usually avoid baking with white rice because I find it to be very dry and flavourless.
Keywords: hamburger bun, hot dog bun, sandwich, focaccia, dinner roll, picnic, barbecue, potluck, dinner party, low carb
This is the first gluten free bun recipe I’ve made that actually resembled bread! Every other one has had a tough biscuit. This was tender but held up to my burger and didn’t taste dry or soggy. A new go-to for sure!
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Thanks!
I am not eating eggs, any idea how we can replace them?
This bread has a lot of binders (to make a good strong bun!) so you don’t need to replace the eggs with an additional binder. Just use water to make up the liquid. I think about 6 tbsp should do it. If you try it, let me know how it goes!
Will this work with the sourdough discard?
By discard, I assume you mean extra sourdough? Yes! I never throw away sourdough starter, I just use it up. 🙂
Hi Emillie,
Thanks for sharing your recipes! Is psyllium husk a must? Can it be replaced?
Thanks
It’s a pretty big part of this bun. I haven’t tried completely removing it, but it is probably the equivalent of 1 1/4 cup of flour (in terms of liquid absorption) and a lot of the flavour and texture. Maybe try this recipe instead: https://www.fermentingforfoodies.com/delicious-gluten-free-flatbread/ It’s really delicious. Though not officially a bun, you could either make wraps or make small flatbreads and use two of them as a bun. 🙂
Hi! How should I store these buns? I made them today. I am planning on using them in a few days.
I usually make a double batch and freeze half of them. However, you can also wrap them in a tea towel and store them on the counter for a few days. Enjoy!
I am going to try these; however I am wondering if letting the formed rolls proof for a couple hours might “help” somehow? Forgive me, I’m new to sourdough baking and it seems like all the recipes I have read call for a proofing phase.
Hi Danielle,
Some of my gf recipes involve a long ferment. However, in this recipe eggs are used to provide structure and loft. So instead of a potentially not-food-safe long rise, I’ve designed the recipe using a large amount of sourdough starter and no added flour to feed the starter. The baking soda reacts with the acidity of the sourdough for a quick rise, which allows you to bake this bread right away.
My one GF long ferment recipe is also the most difficult bread to bake. It doesn’t use any eggs, which means the structure is provided by hot baking for a firm crust. It’s really hard for people to get the right, which means the bread ends up deflating on them! This recipe is much easier. And if you’re new to GF baking, then it’s perfect for you. Enjoy!
Thank you for the explanation. I got to make these recently and Oh my gosh! This recipe is amazing! Light and fluffy, these bake up in a flash. My husband who has been GF for 15 years says these are the best he’s ever had. Thank you!!!
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Thanks!
I’m going to try this as my 1st bread since going gluten free. You mention baking soda, is that baking powder or bicarbonate of soda or a mixture of both? Thanks
Baking soda is bicarbonate of soda in my neighbourhood. 🙂 This is a great first gf bread recipe. It’s fairly reliable and tasty. However, don’t expect it to be the same as gluten bread. Enjoy!
I want to make hamburger today. So I have read many formulas. but I am most intrigued by your post. I will try. Thanks you!
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Thanks! Enjoy your burgers.
It look great. I want try it.
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Deliciousssss. So good. Tastes like I got it at a restaurant.I have made this recipe more times than I can count and it is perfect every time Love it, thanks for the recipe!
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Thanks!
Thank you for the explanation. I got to make these recently and Oh my gosh! This recipe is amazing!
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Thanks!
It came out great to me! I leave it freeze for 3 days and everything ok!
Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe! Keep sharing!
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Thanks!
Oh yum!!! I’ve been waiting for a good GF sourdough recipe. I am going to get my starter going tonight so next week this time I will have some sourdough rolls – can’t wait!!! This recipe looks easy and delicious – Thank you! = )
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This is so yummy! I’ve been making it every week. Thanks for giving me good gf bread .
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Glad you like it!
Hi I’ve just come upon this. I make gluten free sourdough bread but love the idea of these quick rolls and wondered does the starter need to be at peak activity or can it be used from the fridge
You can definitely use discard for these rolls. The acidity is what matters, not the yeast. Enjoy!
I just made a second loaf and im having the same problem with both even after the internal temp gets to 220 degrees. It’s doughy. Please help! Thanks.
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Are you having problems with this recipe? Have you followed it exactly? I have never had an issue with this recipe, so I’m not sure what to suggest. I also haven’t tried to make this recipe as a loaf, so maybe that’s the issue? I think it’s hard for psyllium husk to dry out in loaf form.
Thanks Emillie for the recipe, I’m excited to try it. For the psyllium husk, are you using whole ground psyllium or psyllium powder?
I didn’t realize there was a difference! I think either would work. The package I use says “ground psyllium husk) and it basically disappears once you mix it into the batter. Enjoy!
Hello Emilie. I have made these buns twice now. First time I used a Buckwheat starter, followed the recipe exactly and I thought they were awesome. Even after freezing they were lovely both in texture and flavour. This morning I made them again using an oat flour starter. SOOO GOOD! Rather than form the dough in balls using the tapioca starch, this morning I used a 1/4 cup ice cream scoop with the little lever inside that you use your thumb to operate. The scoop dislodged the dough perfectly without having to roll them. I then gently sliced ‘x’ into the top for expansion. This second batch of buns are a bit smaller, which is ok because I found the bigger ones from the first batch very filling.
Just incase anyone is interested in a partial nutritional breakdown: the full recipe has approximately 900 calories (variation depending on what flour you use). This second batch produced 11 buns so approximately 82 cals per bun.
I am so delighted that I found your site. Thank you. So far I have made the base bread (Great!) and today I am also trying the granola bars and the cinnamon buns.
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Thanks for sharing the ice cream scoop tip. I’m definitely going to try that the next time I make these buns. I also find them very filling (all that fibre)!
Hi Emillie,
I can’t have tapioca, arrowroot, potato, cassava, etc. due to a sensitivity. Would a non GMO, organic corn starch work? Or do you have another suggestion for me? I’m grateful to have found your site with all the wonderful information and recipes. Thanks for sharing your knowledge!
Warmly,
Roberta
Hi Emillie,
Would corn starch be an appropriate replacement for the tapioca in this recipe? Or do you have another suggestion. I can’t have tapioca, arrowroot, potato, cassava, etc because of a potato intolerance. I’m happy to have found your fantastic site. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and recipes!
Yes! Any starch will work! I like tapioca, but corn starch is fine too. Enjoy!
I’m excited to find your recipe. Can’t wait to make it.
Is there a substitute for the ground flax seeds?
I haven’t tried making this without ground flax… however, you could try chia or more psyllium husk. Let me know how it goes!
Thanks for another wonderful GF sourdough recipe. These worked out so nicely! My first attempt at burger buns and another great way to use sourdough discard – mine is a brown rice flour based one. I recommend doing the rolling in tapioca step on a plate or shallow wide bowl for easier cleanup and also go light on the tapioca starch because once they are baked it’s kind of messy as the very fine powder shakes off and goes everywhere.
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Good advice. Thanks for sharing!
Emille, thank you so much for sharing this recipe. I found it via FB Gluten Free Sourdough Baking. I made the buns, and they turned out fantastic. I will, however, next time flatten them out before baking so they’re more bun shaped than roll shaped. anyhow, since this is so delicious and easy I was wondering if you’ve ever made this into a LOAF of bread??? I’d love to try that. And might just wing it in a loaf pan. Any advice? TIA!!!
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I’ve been working on a loaf version, but it got sidelined when I started working on my cookbook. 🙂 The biggest difference is that I added 1/2 cup of flour and 1/2 cup of water to give it a bit more structure for the larger form of a loaf. Enjoy!
I’ve now successfully made this into a baguette using your exact recipe! (Baked a bit longer). Such a fantastic bread. Thanks again!
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Sounds delicious! I’ve made hotdog buns, but never a baguette. I’m inspired to try it out! Did you use a baguette pan? Or just bake it on a baking sheet?
I did use a baguette pan but it didn’t need it. I wish I took a picture but only snapped the buns (I doubled the recipe). Last time it took 24 minutes but this time it took closer to 32 minutes.
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The recipe are the best! I could eat the whole pan!
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Thanks!
Finally a gf soudough recipe that turned out! No fuss! Mix, shape and bake! I used small jar rings to encourage the buns to raise up! Great recipe! Thank you!
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Glad you enjoyed it!
Is there flour aside from the gf sourdough starter in this recipe?
Nope, it’s all binders (flax and psyllium husk). Enjoy!
Have you ever weighed out the starter? I bake by weight and not volume. I don’t have a ton of extra discard at the moment, so I’m just winging it and guessing around 250g might do the job. Fingers crossed it works.
Sorry, I don’t cook by weight for GF bread. That’s mostly because I really want to let people use whatever flour they like best. But each flour has its own hydration ratio. EG. Wholegrain buckwheat (with hulls in it) is very different from white rice flour. So I try to make my recipes robust to whatever flour is being used. Hopefully, forming with starch will make sure that the buns come out the to right consistency! Cheers, Emillie