Gluten Free Friday: Sister Schubert Parker House Rolls: Take 1

All around the country, a standard feature at any holiday table are Sister Schubert’s Parker House style rolls.  These are the best rolls to hit the freezer section since…well, ever.  Each tin contains these fabulous pillows of delicious, buttery bread that is impossible to put down.  But they are, of course, a great big no no for the gluten intolerant.  It’s another one of those “I can’t have those anymore” sad face foods for my hubby.  So this Thanksgiving, I set out to come up with a gluten free alternative.  These came out shockingly well for a first attempt.

Ingredients:

• ¼ cup potato starch
• 2 ¼ cup Jeanne’s all-purpose mix
• ¾ tsp salt
• 1 tbsp xanthan gum
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 tbsp yeast
• ¼ cup shortening, melted and cooled to 105-115 degrees F
• 2 eggs
• ¾ cup + 2 tbsp warm water (105-115 degrees F)
• ¼ cup melted butter
• rice flour for rolling

Directions:

1. Combine yeast and warm water in a 2 cup liquid measuring cup.  Let stand for 5 minutes.
2. Combine potato starch, all-purpose flour mix, salt, sugar, and xanthan gum in a large bowl.  Whisk until well combined.
3. To the bowl of your mixer, add the yeast mixture, eggs, and shortening.  Mix until well combined.
4. Add the flour mixture and stir until well combined (about 3 minutes).
5. Brush top with melted butter and cover loosely with a damp tea towel.
6. Let rise until doubled.
7. Grease a cheesecake form or 9 inch round cake pan and set aside.
8. Lightly flour your work surface and turn the dough out on it.
9. Sprinkle additional flour over the dough, just enough to allow you to roll to a ½ inch thickness.
10. Brush off any excess flour.
11. Using a 2 inch biscuit cutter (or if you’re like me, a glass or washed out can because you have no biscuit cutter, because you’re lazy and always make drop biscuits), cut out the dough.
12. The original wheat recipe calls for pulling each round into an oval, approximately 2 and a half inches long, but there’s no real stretch for this kind of dough, so just go with the circle.  Dip one side of oval into melted butter.  Fold oval in half with buttered side out.
13. Place the folds of rolls against the side of the prepared pan, pressing center fronts of rolls together gently to seal.  Do the same making an inner circle, then place 1 roll in the center.  I got about 16 rolls out of this batch.
14. Cover loosely with a damp tea towel and let rise until doubled in bulk.
15. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and bake for 20-25 minutes.

Printable version.

This steel magnolia is the poster child for successfully Doing All the Things, smart phone in one hand, sword in the other. Author of action-packed PR/UF for adults and teens. You can catch up with her at Pots and Plots, her blog, Twitter, Facebook, and Goodreads.

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