Everyday dinners
Gluten-free burger buns
Six sesame-topped burger buns, baked in rings for an even shape and cooled before splitting.
These burger buns use a soft dough that you spoon into rings, giving each bun a broad base for filling. Milk, eggs and a little oil enrich the dough, with sesame seeds scattered over the tops.
This recipe is in development and has not been kitchen-tested. Let the buns cool before splitting so the crumb has time to settle. Makes six buns, serving six.
The recipe
Gluten-free burger buns
- Prep
- 25 min
- Cook
- 35 min
- Total*
- 60 min
- Makes
- 6 buns
*Estimated development timings. Allow a further 45–75 minutes for proving and 60 minutes for cooling, including 10 minutes standing in the rings. Total elapsed time is approximately 2 hours 45 minutes to 3 hours 15 minutes, allowing 35 minutes for baking; allow longer if the buns need extra baking or cooling.
Ingredients
Tick things off as you go.
For the dough
For shaping and finishing
Equipment
- Use digital scales that can measure small quantities accurately.
- Use a large mixing bowl, a whisk and an electric mixer with beaters or a paddle attachment.
- Use a large baking tray lined with baking parchment.
- Use six ovenproof bun rings, each approximately 10 cm across and at least 3 cm deep.
- Have a flexible spatula, a pastry brush and a clean cover ready.
- Use a cooling rack, a serrated knife and a clean digital food thermometer.
- Have kitchen foil ready if the tops need covering during baking.
Let’s make it.
- 01
Prepare the tray
Set the rings on the lined tray, leaving space between them. Use most of the 10 ml shaping oil to coat their inner surfaces, keeping a little for the spatula. Check that all six rings sit flat and their insides have a thin, even coating.
- 02
Mix the dough
Whisk the rice flour, tapioca starch, potato starch, xanthan gum, yeast, sugar and salt together until evenly mixed. Add the 200 ml lukewarm milk, eggs and 30 ml oil. Beat slowly to combine, then on medium speed for 3 minutes, scraping the bowl halfway through. The mixture should be a thick, sticky paste without dry pockets; do not add flour to make it kneadable.
- 03
Fill the rings
Divide the dough equally between the six rings, approximately 110 g per ring. Lightly oil the spatula with the reserved shaping oil and spread the dough to the edges. Smooth the tops so each ring contains an even layer with no large gaps.
- 04
Let the buns rise
Cover without touching the dough and leave in a warm, draught-free place for 45–75 minutes. Look for gently domed tops and an increase in height of roughly half; do not wait for the dough to overflow. During the final 20 minutes, heat the oven to 190°C / 170°C fan.
- 05
Finish and bake
Uncover and gently brush the tops with the 15 ml milk, then distribute the sesame seeds evenly. Bake on the middle shelf for 30–35 minutes, checking at 30 minutes. Look for golden tops, firm sides and a centre temperature of at least 88°C, measured with a clean digital food thermometer without touching the tray or ring. Use the temperature alongside the colour and firmness checks. If the buns have not reached these checks, bake for another 3–5 minutes and check again; loosely cover with foil if the tops are already well coloured. Clean the thermometer after use.
- 06
Cool and split
Stand on the tray for 10 minutes, then carefully loosen the rings and transfer the buns to a rack. Cool for a further 50 minutes, or until the bases and centres no longer feel warm. Split horizontally with a serrated knife. The crumb should hold together without a wet, paste-like layer; do not serve an underbaked bun.
Ingredient checks
Use gluten-free-labelled rice flour, starches, xanthan gum and yeast. Check the remaining packaged ingredients and any fillings for gluten-free suitability and other allergens. For someone with coeliac disease, use clean equipment and work surfaces, keep wheat flour away during preparation and avoid shared toasters unless a suitable clean toaster bag is used.
Allergens: Contains eggs, milk and sesame.; No other UK priority allergens are intentionally included: celery, cereals containing gluten, crustaceans, fish, lupin, molluscs, mustard, tree nuts, peanuts, soya or sulphites; check every ingredient label for additional allergens and cross-contact warnings..
Make it work for you
For a sesame-free topping, omit the sesame seeds and check the remaining ingredient labels for sesame warnings.
For a milk-free version, replace both milk quantities with the same volumes of unsweetened gluten-free soya drink; this introduces soya and has not been kitchen-tested.
Sunflower oil can replace the rapeseed oil in equal quantities.
Keep the specified flour and starch proportions; ready-mixed gluten-free flours and potato flour are not direct replacements.
An egg-free version would need a separately developed recipe.
For another day
Keep completely cooled, unfilled buns in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one day; they are best eaten on the day of baking.
For longer storage, split the cooled buns, wrap individually and freeze for up to one month for best quality; the frozen texture has not been tested.
Defrost unfilled buns in their wrapping at room temperature and use the same day.
Store perishable fillings separately in the fridge; refrigerate cooked filling leftovers within two hours and use within 48 hours or freeze.
If reheating cooked filling leftovers, heat until steaming hot throughout and reheat only once.
Exploding food
What goes in.
The ingredients, seen a little differently. This image is an illustration of the main ingredients; use the written recipe for the full list and quantities.
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