Sorghum Bread Recipe. Gluten-Free Morning Rolls (No Eggs or Dairy)

These gluten-free sorghum bread rolls are perfect straight from the oven, are easy to make and freeze, and are super delicious. They are made with wholesome ingredients, without eggs, dairy, or gums. Warm them, slice them transversely, and dress them with butter, hazelnut paste, and fresh fruits, or make avocado and egg toast. The possibilities are endless.

Why we love these sorghum bread rolls

I developed this recipe while in Denmark. Danes love their morning bread rolls, called ‘rundstykker‘, and if I wanted to partake in the ritual of having bread rolls with butter and jam in the morning, I had to make my own gluten-free and lectin-free recipe. That’s how this recipe was born.

This is why we love these sorghum bread rolls:

• They are gluten-free and lectin-free and have a better nutritional profile than breads made with a gluten-free flour mixes
• They are made with a few wholesome ingredients; sorghum is the main flour used, and we are not using any gluten-free premix, which is heavy in starches like rice flour and potato flour.
• They are free of eggs, dairy, and gums and can be made vegan by replacing honey with maple syrup.
• They are easy to make and can be frozen and reheated before eating; for the best experience, eat them warm, straight from the oven.
• They have a good ratio of crust to crumb; the crust is absolutely delicious, and if you are a crust person like me, you will love these.
• The main recipe is made with yeast, but I will give you a version without yeast. Check out the post below.
• We love to have them for breakfast, but you can serve them at any time of the day.

What is sorghum?

Sorghum is one of the top five cereal crops globally, originating in Africa. It’s an ancient grain packed with nutritional value and one of the four gluten-free and lectin-free grains.

Sorghum flour is usually made from whole grains and has a slightly sweet and nutty taste, which reminds me of graham and spelt flour. I use it to make Sugar-Free ‘Graham’ Crackers / Digestive Biscuits. It is, in my opinion, the closest to whole wheat flour.

Is sorghum flour gluten-free?

Yes, sorghum flour is gluten-free and lectin-free, and I use it a lot in my cooking. I have developed a gluten-free sourdough starter made with sorghum, teff, and millet flour, and I make gluten-free sourdough bread using any combination of these three flour.

The flour mix for these sorghum rolls

This recipe doesn’t use gluten-free flour pre-mixes, usually heavy in starches like rice and potato. There are no eggs, dairy, or gums either. These are the dry ingredients:

• sorghum flour
• ground flaxseeds
• tigernut flour
• almond flour
• psyllium husk
• salt

If you need a nut-free mix, replace the almond flour with tigernut flour, add more sorghum flour, or even some tapioca starch.

The fresh yeast, conversions to dry yeast

While in Europe, I like to use fresh yeast, which comes in cubes (also called compressed). It’s found in the refrigerated sections of supermarkets or frozen. From my experience, fresh yeast is not easy to find in the US, but dry yeast will work well.

While yeast can be activated and incorporated into a recipe in several ways, it is better to follow the instructions on the package you are buying or use the method you are most comfortable with.

If you don’t find fresh yeast where you are, your other options are active and instant dry yeast. I found this article explaining how to convert yeast types in recipes if you need help.

According to this calculator, for the 10 grams of fresh yeast I used, you should use 4 grams of active dry yeast. A package usually has 7 grams. And to replace it with instant yeast, you need 3.3 grams.

This dough and bread do not rise much, so don’t expect it to double in volume. However, the dough gets airy while resting, and I prefer not to knead this dough much.

Does it work without yeast?

I’m happy to say that after another round of trials, this gluten-free bread works very well without yeast. The only slight difference is in taste, where the yeast version tastes and smells more like the typical yeast bread, while the other one doesn’t.

The texture is very similar, and the NO yeast version is easier to make, as you don’t have to work with the yeast, and the dough can only rest for 10 minutes.

If you choose the NO YEAST version, DO this:

• Add one teaspoon of baking soda to the dry mix
• Add the honey to the dough when you add the water
• Rest the dough for only 10 minutes at room temperature
• I feel this version is ready in 50 minutes, but times may vary depending on the type of oven and the type of baking tray you use
• You can make 12 small rolls, which you will slice transversely, or 6 bigger rolls, which you can also cut into traditional bread slices (see pictures)

The wet ingredients

This type of bread is traditionally made with milk and butter and has an egg wash. I wanted to keep this version plant-based (replace honey with maple syrup for vegan) and straightforward to cover as many dietary restrictions as possible. I want to try adding some butter and an egg wash in the future.

I used full-fat coconut milk mixed with lemon juice, warm water, and a little extra virgin olive oil for this recipe. I skipped the egg wash, but I dipped the top of the buns in sesame seeds.

How to handle the dough for the sorghum bread

For some bread, kneading well is great, but for this one is minimal. These are the steps:

• Mix the dry ingredients
• Add the dissolved yeast to the dry ingredients
• Add the coconut milk and water (making sure nothing is too warm or too cold)
• Mix with a spatula until incorporated, and gently knead it into a ball
• Let it rest in a warm spot, covered, for about an hour
• Portion and gently shape oval buns (the height of the bun will not be more than one inch) and dip the top side in sesame seeds

How to bake the sorghum rolls

I use a stainless steel sheet pan; from my experience, there is no need for parchment paper or greasing. I bake them at 400F / 200C for about 60 minutes. You can start watching them earlier. They get golden brown. My favorite part of this bread is the crust.

I hope you are not a soft bun fan, as maybe this is not for you. The experience of eating this bread is more similar to that of a hard-crust sourdough than a soft roll.

How to store and serve the sorghum bread rolls

It’s important to eat these sorghum rolls warm. You can either warm them whole and eat them straight from the oven, or let them cool, slice and pop them in a toaster.

The best way to store them, and the only one I recommend, is to freeze them and warm them up in the oven for about 10 minutes, at 400F / 200C, right before eating. A toaster can be used too, especially if you freeze them sliced.

Slice them transversely and dress them with butter or nut butter, top them with fresh fruits or homemade sugar-free jam, or make avocado and egg toasts. Or use them for toast with anything from avocado and eggs to chicken salad; or with our delicious and nutritious Beef Liver Pate with Fresh Herbs.

More sorghum bread recipes

If you are up for a challenge, try our SOURDOUGH METHOD for making gluten-free and lectin-free sourdough bread, with a mix of sorghum, millet, and teff flour.

For another easy gluten-free bread using sorghum flour, try our Gluten-Free Flatbread with Sorghum and Green Plantain. A flatbread that is easy to make and nutritious.

For gluten-free sourdough rolls, check our Rustic Sourdough Rolls with Teff, Millet, and Sorghum.

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