Hamburger Bun Emergency!

[Cheryl-C]

Ok, so this weekend we are doing my brother's birthday dinner. I'm the only one gluten-free, but everyone is willing to suck it up now and then for a "family dinner," which is awesome.

Anyway, until today, the plan had been gluten-free shepard's pie, which I was totally looking forward to and getting excited about. My brother has now decided he wants homemade gluten-free hamburgers - also an awesome idea, but what about buns?

I have until Sunday to find gluten-free hamburger buns in Toronto - someone, please, help me out! Because it's not just for me, but also for my nonGF family, I really need something that tastes great. If at all possible, I'd like to avoid buying frozen ones; frozen bread just isn't the same. Does anyone know of any (fresh) gluten-free hamburger buns in the Toronto area grocery stores?

[tarnalberry]

I would use udi's bread, myself. But I used to use sourdough bread for hamburger "buns" before going gluten free anyway. I've never had a good, fresh gluten-free hamburger bun.

[Charlie's Girl]

Open Original Shared Link

assuming you have time to assemble the ingredients and bake these yummy buns......

[RideAllWays]

I use Kinnikinnick brand. They're better if you toast them a bit!

[climbmtwhitney]

It's a bit of work, but the Pamela's gluten-free bread mix makes great buns. You can make 6 to 8 hearty buns per package, depending on size. I make them regularly and keep them in the freezer. Super good. Super "normal".

Jillian

[GlutenFreeManna]

The best one I have had was not a hamburger bun, but a bagel. I used a Udi's bagel one time as a bun. I've also used rice cakes--not good tasting really, but it works to hold the burger. Most of the time I eat my burger pattie without a bun or I use lettuce to wrap it like they do at Red Robin.

[WW340]

I second the Udi's bagel. I think they make great hamburger buns.

[Kay DH]

I don't know if you have Rudi's brand there, but they make very good hamburger and hotdog buns. Udi's indicated this fall that they have buns, but are working on packaging, so I don't know if they have them to market yet.

[ohsotired]

I use Udi's whole grain bread as I've never found anything that was like a "real" burger bun that was gluten free.

As soon as the burgers are done, I assemble everything, then butter the outsides of the bread and throw the whole thing in a skillet for a couple minutes on each side (think grilled cheese) - YUMMY patty melt style!

[Nor-TX]

Katz Gluten Free makes a delicious bun that I use for burgers and grilled chicken sandwiches. You might want to check their website to see where they are sold in Toronto. You could call them - 1888 431-5289. There is a list of gluten free bakeries in Toronto at: Open Original Shared Link

Good luck!

[Cheryl-C]

Wow, I knew this forum was the right spot! You all are AWESOME. Thank you so much for the ideas. I will be home all day tomorrow, so I will be making some phone calls and checking around. Thank you thank you!

[Takala]

For a single bun, you can make a "bun-in-a- cup" in the microwave, in a small bowl or ramekin. You can also make a small batch of batter and make 2 or more, one after the other. Any sort of quickbread recipe can be cut down to make one of these, and it cooks in about a minute and a half in the microwave. These are also called "wonder buns," Open Original Shared Link

What I did to tweak this recipe, which I thought was way too dry at first, was to add a bit of olive oil to it, a teaspoon to a tablespoon, depending on how much flour I was using. I also don't like the taste of flax at all, so I omitted it after the first few tries and replaced it with more ground almonds. (nuts are very easy to grind in a blender. ) I also added a bit more flour, some water, and a small amount of baking soda and a half teaspoon of apple cider vinegar. This gave me a nice, moist bun but I had to vary the microwave bake time. Sometimes I use a big cereal bowl and make a big one I cut in half. It can be sweetened with a bit of honey or agave, and made to taste like a muffin, also. Test the bun with a knife to see if the knife comes out clean, otherwise, keep zapping it in the microwave until cooked through.

Bun in the Bowl, microwaved

in a microwave safe bowl, custard dish, or ramekin, mix together

1 egg

half teasp apple cider vinegar

a bit of olive oil, a spoonful aprox.

a tiny glop of molasses

add to it a mixture of gluten free flours (for a single bun, 1/4 cup. for a larger single bun, a 1/2 cup, for a BIG bun for 2 servings, 3/4 to one cup.)

orig recipe had sorghum, almond, flax. I use almond and whatever else I have, usually sorghum - amaranth.

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teasp. cocoa powder

pinch of salt

optional - pinches of other spices, such as cinnamon, cumin

teaspoon of sesame or sunflower seeds for garnish

optional - more sugar, honey, or sweetener to make a muffin like taste (can use lemon peel, juice, and poppyseeds, for example)

If using larger amounts of gluten-free flours, add water to make a batter.

Mix together until well blended, and microwave right in the bowl for approximately 1 minute 20 seconds to 1 minute 30 seconds. The Big Bun in a Big Cereal bowl, in a slower microwave, may take up to 1 :45 or even 2 minutes - keep checking. Be careful not to over microwave the smaller ones or they turn into flax hockey pucks which taste of sawdust. The middle may not want to cook thru on the bigger cereal bowl. This is where you dump it out onto a plate and finish microwaving it upside down.

Makes one bun. Once you figure these out, they are really, really handy to make instant hot gluten-free bread with. And you can even slice them and toast them. The big ones can be cut in half to make 2 half rounds, and then split to make two small sandwich breads for lunch.

[New to This]

Cheryl,

I hope that you made out ok with the gluten free buns. I agree with the poster who suggested O'Doughs, I have bought the bread directly from the factory and you save a bit doing it that way.

I have also found a new gluten free store in Woodbridge at the intersection of Rutherford and Jane, called Nut N Gluten. They have a wide range of items and they make and sell fresh gluten-free bread Saturday mornings. This bread is good, I mean really good. You could come home with it and make a sandwich. It is like a baguette and I have done a number of different things with it. Save your receipts for the taxman.

Lisa

[Cheryl-C]

Update:

My Mom ended up going to the Pickering flea market and getting gluten-free egg buns from Molly B's. They were fresh, really tasty, and absolutely tasted like "normal bread." I've also got part of their egg bread (loaf) and have been enjoying it in the mornings with butter, under the broiler. Mmmm...

Thank you to everyone for your ideas. Rest assured they have all been copied down for future taste tests!