Gluten Free Hamburger Buns

By tinathorn

Ingredients

• 1 cup water, warmed to 110°F
• 1 Tablespoons agave syrup
• 1 1/2 teaspoons instant dry yeast
• 1 large egg white, at room temperature
• 1 large egg, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup oil of your choosing (olive, grape seed, etc.)
• 3/4 cup sorghum flour
• 1 cup +1 1/2 Tablespoons potato starch
• 1/2 cup tapioca starch/flour
• 1/3 white rice flour
• 1 Tablespoon non-fat dry milk powder
• 1 teaspoon xanthan gum*
• 1/2 teaspoon guar gum
• 1/3 teaspoon sea salt
• Sesame seeds and 1 beaten egg white (optional)

Details

Adapted from glutenfreerecipebox.com

Preparation

Step 1

Oil or spray oil (I use olive oil spray) the bottom of six 5" ramekins (or whatever size width you are using) and set aside.
Preheat oven to 170°F.
Add agave and yeast to warm water, stir and set aside until foamy, at least 5 minutes, or longer, when needed.
In a separate bowl, whisk dry ingredients together.
In the bowl of your mixer beat egg white until soft peaks form.
Add the one egg, oil, vinegar, and yeast mixture to the egg white and blend well on low speed, (No. 2 of Cuisinart mixer, if you have one).
All at once, add the dry ingredients to wet and mix on high speed (No. 10) for 3 minutes.
Add 1/3 heaping cup to each ramekin dish and even out the tops out with your fingers or a rubber spatula dipped in filtered water several times, until smooth. My ramekins are 1" high and 5" round and were filled about 3/4 up to the top; large, I know. If using sesame seeds, brush top of dough with beaten egg white, sprinkle sesame seeds on top and press the seeds into the top of dough.

Place all 6 ramekins on a cookie sheet; turn oven off ; and place them all in the oven to until they rise about 1/2" or more above the rim, 30 minutes.
Remove the buns from the oven and preheat the oven to 375°F.

Place buns back in the oven and bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown.
As soon as the come out of the oven place them in a ziplock bag to allow them to steam, to soften the outside crust or leave out for a bit for the steam to naturally soften it as it cools. You baste the whole thing with butter as soon as it comes out of the oven, however, this would make it greasy to the touch. Believe me I tried it. It never fully soaks in. You could try basting it with butter while still in the baking cycle, when it's almost done, but I'd rather skip those extra calories.
Slice with a serrated knife and serve.

Tips

* For corn-free diets, use corn-free xanthan gum (found online) or substitute the xanthan gum for additional guar gum.

Coating these with butter will create a greasiness to the outside of the roll, therefore, steaming is your best option.

You can also use English Muffin Tins for molds; or make your own by folding up aluminum foil 4-5 times, creating strips; form a circle; and tape the outside with masking tape.

I bet these turn out much lighter when using rice flour instead of sorghum.