These pull-apart Keto bread rolls are made with yeast, which makes them pillowy-light and extra fluffy. They're delicious at breakfast with some sugar free jam and work equally well as light low carb buns with lunch or dinner.
German babies are pretty much born with a bread roll in their hands, and I am no exception. When I was little, my breakfast of choice were "milk buns". These were sweet, airy white rolls made with milk and yeast, a bit like brioche or challah. I'd devour them for breakfast!
I've published a whole bunch of great bread and roll recipes on this blog already. They range from extra rustic (such as this Paleo bread - omg it's divine when sliced thinly and toasted) to extra versatile (such as my almond flour bread and this low carb bread - both are perfect for sandwiches).
Fluffy low carb rolls
The one thing I felt was missing was a healthy gluten free remake of my beloved milk buns. And after a bit of experimenting I've come up with a low carb, grain free recipe that is a worthy substitution!
Yeast, as we all know, is a living thing. It feeds on the sugars in the ingredients, emits carbon dioxide and thus the dough rises. Traditional milk buns contain wheat, milk and sugar. Plenty of sugars there. So how do you make a bun rise using low carb ingredients such as almond flour?
I settled on a prebiotic, soluble fibre called inulin. It is gently sweet (great in yoghurt, by the way) and has a whole bunch of amazing health benefits. Here's an informative article. Inulin is FANTASTIC to make low carb yeast dough rise. Shall we get started?
How to make pull-apart Keto bread rolls - step by step:
1.) First, proof your yeast. We want to make sure it's working and activated - and if it doesn't, we can start all over again without having to throw away expensive ingredients or having to eat tiny, hard rolls!
You simply mix the yeast with warm water and inulin. Cover your bowl with a kitchen towel and put in a warm, draught-free place for 5-10 minutes. This could be above a radiator, on top of your oven or even inside your boiler cupboard.
See the froth and bubbles in the image above? That's what needs to happen.
While you are waiting for the yeast to proof, combine all dry ingredients in a separate bowl and set aside.
2.) Once the yeast is proofed, add it to your eggs, egg whites and melted butter and blend well.
The correct temperature of the ingredients is essential. Your eggs must be room temperature. Also, make sure that you give the butter time to cool down so it's only lukewarm and not scalding hot. Yeast thrives in a warm environment. If it's too cold or too hot, they can die off and your rolls simply won't rise.
3.) Now add the first half of the dry ingredients - whey, almond flour, psyllium, salt, baking powder - plus the Greek yoghurt. Blend until combined, then add the second half of the dry ingredients.
The dough thickens really quickly.
4.) This is what it should look like - sticky and rather firm. Time to work rapidly now, so the dough does not cool down too much!
5.) Line a baking tray with parchment paper. I used a regular sized pie dish, but a rectangular casserole dish would work just as well.
Wet your hands so the dough doesn't stick too much and form 8 balls, leaving space around the Keto bread rolls because they will double in size.
Cover again with your kitchen towel or, even better, with a lightly oiled piece of cling film first and then with the kitchen towel (less chance of the dough drying out). Aaaand - place the lot back in your warm place of choice for 50-60 minutes to let the dough rise.
6.) Time for the yeast rolls to go into the oven! I recommend to bake them for around 15 minutes or until lightly browned, and then add another 7-10 minutes loosely covered with aluminium foil. Total baking time should be ca 22-25 minutes.
Note - I did NOT cover the rolls in the images and find they turned just a little too dark for my liking. Covering them with a foil dome should make them just perfect.
Getting hungry? I could have a second breakfast just looking at these pics!
Tips and tricks for pillowy-light Keto bread rolls
Honestly, this is a NO SHORTCUTS recipe. You really must proof the yeast to be 100% sure it's activated. Also, take your eggs out in time so they're room temperature by the time you mix the dough. And leave your butter to cool down after you melt it.
Trust me on this one. I made my Keto hot cross buns (a very yummy low carb version of the British Easter staple) using the same basic recipe and my eggs were still on the cool side. The result? The buns were AH-MAZING, but did not rise as much as these fine specimen in this post.
If you don't have inulin, you can use either honey or maple syrup instead. Yeast bacteria feed on the sugar to thrive and in theory there won't be much of the sugar left once your dough has risen. I cannot guarantee that ALL sugar will be gone, but it's likely that most of it would have been gobbled up!
Many people don't like or cannot have almond flour. I have not tried this recipe with coconut flour myself yet, but normally halving the amount of flour works well - in this case, use 100g / 1 cup of coconut flour in place of the almond flour. This is because coconut flour absorbs more liquid than almond flour.
I made these Keto buns with ground almonds, which is equivalent to regular almond flour in the US. If you want to use extra fine almond flour, I recommend that you start off with 1 ¾ cup of almond flour. This should be sufficient to achieve the same dough consistency you can see in image 4.
You could use sour cream in place of the Greek yoghurt. Coconut yoghurt would also work - i.e., yogurt made FROM coconuts, such as by the Coconut Collaborative. If you wanted to use coconut cream, add 1 tsp of apple cider vinegar as well.
Love low carb baking? Here are some more deeeelicious Keto bread roll recipes:
Tried this recipe? Give it a star rating below!
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Pull-Apart Keto Bread Rolls
Note: The servings slider only changes the first amount in each line and not any subsequent amounts. Please make your own calculations where necessary. ***As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 2 cups / 200g almond flour or ground almonds
- 3 tbsp whey protein powder
- 3 tbsp psyllium husk powder
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 2 tsp inulin
- 2 tsp active dry yeast
- generous pinch of salt optional
Wet Ingredients
- 2 eggs, large room temperature
- 2 egg whites room temperature
- ¼ cup / 50g butter melted
- scant ¼ cup / 50g Greek yoghurt
- ⅓ cup / 80ml lukewarm water
Instructions
- Proof the yeast! Put the yeast and inulin into a bowl and add the warm water (40 Celsius / 105 Fahrenheit). If you don't have a thermometer, the water should be warm to the touch. Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and leave in a warm place for 5-10 minutes until it starts to froth and thicken.
- In the meantime, combine the dry ingredients - almond flour, protein powder, psyllium husk powder, baking powder - in another bowl and set aside.
- Using an electric mixer or a food processor, whisk the room temperature eggs and egg whites, melted (warm, not hot!!) butter and the activated yeast mixture until well combined.
- Add the yoghurt and the first half of the dry ingredients mixture. Blend until combined, then add the second half of the flour mix. The dough will thicken quickly as the psyllium and the almond flour absorb the moisture.
- Line a pie dish or a casserole dish with parchment paper. Lightly wet your hands and form eight dough balls. Make sure you leave some space around the rolls as they will significantly increase in size.
- Cover the dish with lightly oiled cling film and a kitchen towel and return to a warm space for around 50 to 60 minutes until the rolls have substantially expanded - see the images in the post. I like to place my tray on top of the radiator.
- Towards the end of the rising time, pre-heat the oven to 175°C/350 Fahrenheit.
- Bake for around 15 minutes or until the rolls are starting to brown. Then cover loosely with aluminium foil and continue to bake for another 7-10 minutes.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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Eunice Dockrell says
Can I use anything in the place of inulin to prove the yeast? It looks like a nice recipe that I would like to try
Katrin Nürnberger says
Yes, you can use sugar or honey - the theory is that the yeast "feeds" on it and none remains post bake.
Toni says
I made for my family Thanksgiving & everyone loved them but everyone also agreed with me that they could use a little salt. I'm making a double-batch today & adding 1/4 tsp sea salt. I'll let you know how they turn out!
Jen says
Why are my folks a grayish color? I have tried twice. Taste is fine but just looks ugly. I think it might be the ingredients in using. I did not substitute anything.
Katrin Nürnberger says
This may be due to the brand of Psyllium you used. in the US, the NOW brand does not change colour, and here in the UK I have used BonPom, Just Naturals and Green Origins without issues.
Terri T says
This bread is the first of your recipes I've tried, and is the first low-carb bread I have made that actually tastes good! I will definitely make these again, and I will also try some of your other recipes. I noted some people have had the purple issue with the psyllium husk. In the US, Bob's Red Mill brand is one which won't turn purple.
Toni says
No salt at all? All my yeast bread recipes call for salt!
Katrin Nürnberger says
You can definitely add a pinch of salt if you like.
Viktoria says
Can I store it in the freezer?
Katrin Nürnberger says
I always freeze my bread and rolls for up to 3 months.
Elizabeth Y O'Brien says
I used the Anthony brand psyllium husk powder and it turned purple even though I used the right amount of lastic acid, I also had no inulin and whey protein powder, would all this have led to pretty flat rolls?
Katrin Nürnberger says
Hi Elizabeth, you need the inulin or another sugar to activate the yeast. So that's the reason why your rolls did not rise. The NOW brand of psyllium is a popular choice for psyllium in the US and I have heard that it does not cause a colour change.
Elizabeth Y O'Brien says
Thanks K, I am going to try again with your suggestions and will let you know how I did.
Liz
Camila Bergamini says
Hi Katrin.
I'm kind of new to keto and your recipes have been helping me tremendously!
I made this bread and it tastes really good, but mine ended up much darker, in a way that is not appealing. Any thoughts on how to solve this?
Thank you so much
Katrin Nürnberger says
If the dough itself was darker this could be because you might have used almond meal with the skins on. Was this the issue? The ground almonds I use are blanched. Or do you mean that the rolls browned too much in the oven? This can be prevented by putting aluminium foil over the top as soon as they are golden brown. This way you can keep your bakes in the oven until they are done without burning.
Camila says
Thanks for the answer. I used blanched almond flour and the color was not from the oven. It's more like whole wheat bread. The same color happened with the pizza rolls so I was wondering if it has to do with the psyllium husk
Katrin Nürnberger says
Ah I see. Some psyllium husk brands change colour when baked. Normally it's a purple hue. The brands I have used that don't change colour are BonPom, Just Natural and Green Origins. The NOW brand is also supposed to be fine. There's also an explanation that it could be a chemical reaction caused by the mix of psyllium and baking powder that contains aluminium, so you could also check your baking powder.
Margo says
I have pea protein that I bake with and have good results. I also have whey protein powder but it is vanilla and slightly sweet. Do you think the pea protein is okay to substitute?
Also, the small town where I live has only sugar laden fruity Greek yogurt and not plain, not even at Walmart. When a recipe calls for yogurt I use sour cream. I am going to try sour cream to substitute the yogurt and hopefully my rolls come out well.
Katrin Nürnberger says
Hi Margo, you can also use plain full fat yoghurt instead of the Greek. As for the pea protein, I have not tried it myself. But I know that it's a common substitute to whey protein. Let me know how your rolls turn out!
Michelle says
Hi, I was curious if I would be able to stuff some meat mixture in these buns? Would you suggest adding before leaving to rise?
Thank you!
Katrin Nürnberger says
Yes, I would do exactly that. But cook the meat mixture before stuffing. I have done something similar using a different recipe - check out my keto pizza rolls
Pamela says
Do these keep well?
Katrin Nürnberger says
Yes, you can store them for a few days in the fridge or at room temperature. You can also freeze them!
Cecelia T says
Your mention of German Milk rolls made me think of my Austrian Grandmother who made Milchbroetchen. And I think she used the same recipe to make Dampfnudel. Which she poached in milk, sugar, and butter. She would serve these with bean soup which I wasn't crazy about, but those rolls! I loved them with the crunchy caramelized bottom! I wonder if I could do the same with these rolls?
Katrin Nürnberger says
That would be an interesting experiment for sure!
Linda J says
Is there anything that I can substitute for the inulin
Katrin Nürnberger says
You could use honey or even table sugar. As I explain in the post, it's what the yeast feeds on and none should remain post bake.
Heather says
Hi Katrin:
Can this dough be baked in a loaf pan, as bread? If so, what size loaf pan for the standard recipe?
Thanks!
Katrin Nürnberger says
It should work. I have a yeast brioche bread in my Keto Bread Made Easy cookbook that I baked in a small loaf pan. It has a volume of 450 ml. You can also use a full sized loaf pan, which means the bread will turn out flatter rather than the "toast" shape we're used to.
Heather says
Thanks, Katrin....the rolls were delicious! Even my husband, a non-carb person, liked them.
G says
oops...sorry, just saw the note on replacing inulin with honey or maple syrup - equal amount? Also, what is the correct way to substitute psyllium husk for powder as Brenda W mentions? If I only have the husk do I double the amount that was called for using the powder? T
Thanks again!!
G
Katrin Nürnberger says
Yes, I would use the same amount of either sugar or honey. And you replace psyllium powder with twice the amount of psyllium husks.
Denise McIntyre says
what is inulin and where do I get it
Katrin Nürnberger says
Inulin is a prebiotic fibre that is gently sweet. I bought mine on Amazon.
Mo says
Would it be possible to substitute psyllium for oat fiber?? I have all the ingredients except for that and I really want to make these.
Katrin Nürnberger says
Hi Mo, I have never used oat fiber so I'm not sure now absorbent it is. My guess is you may need to use more oat fibre in place of the psyllium because I have not come across anything that soaks up moisture quite like psyllium.
Tracy F says
Hi... want to first say that I love your blog and all your amazingly wonderful recipes that you so graciously share with your blog readers. Is there anything that can be used to substitute for they “whey powder”? I am allergic to whey protein as it is typically made from A1 producing cows. I can only use A2 type dairy products and have not yet come across an A2 type protein powder. I also can’t use chicken eggs as I can only use duck eggs. Excited to make these but worried the lack of protein powder will impact the results. I do use grass fed beef collagen powder but was not sure if this would work the same
Thanks much,
Katrin Nürnberger says
I haven't tried this myself yet, but a common substitute for whey protein powder is egg white protein powder. I am not sure whether collagen powder will yield the same result, I don't think it bakes up as fluffy as the whey. Maybe there are other vegan protein powders that are also suitable?
Carolyn Stoker says
What can I substitute for protein powder which I can’t get where I live?
Katrin Nürnberger says
You could go for more almond flour, although my guess is that the batter won't be as light and fluffy.
Rita says
Just had these for dinner, they were excellent, I would never known they weren’t traditional rolls if I hadn’t made them myself. Finally, ‘real bread’! Thank you for all your efforts!
Caroline Nielson says
Can I use something other than butter?
I’m trying out dairy free for a while due to allergies.
Maybe coconut oil or avocado oil perhaps?
Katrin Nürnberger says
I would use coconut oil, it firms up at room temperature just like butter. If you use avocado oil, you may need less because it stays liquid.
Brenda W says
I made the psyllium husk mistake & checked the comments in time to double it. I added fresh minced rosemary & kalamata olives and these were awesome. Thank you! I ordered psyllium husk powder so next time less drama lol