Pull-Apart Keto Bread Rolls

Name: Pull-Apart Keto Bread Rolls
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 35 min
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); 2 eggs, large (room temperature); 2 egg whites ( room temperature ); 1/4 cup / 50g butter (melted); scant 1/4 cup / 50g Greek yoghurt; 1/3 cup / 80ml lukewarm water

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These pull-apart Keto bread rolls are made with yeast, which makes them pillowy-light and extra fluffy. They're delicious at breakfast with sugar free jam and work equally well as keto dinner rolls.

Hand taking a pull-apart keto bread roll from a tray with more rolls.

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).

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 recipe that is a worthy substitution!

These buns are soft, airy and taste delicious. No, they don't taste exactly like traditional white buns. But they come pretty close. And even better, they are only 2.1g net carbs per bun.

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Ingredients
Instructions
Substitutions
Recipe FAQs
Storage
More Keto Bread Rolls And Buns
Recipe

Ingredients

To make low carb rolls with yeast, we need certain, slightly unusual, ingredients. Why?

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?

Here are the ingredients I used:

Dry Ingredients

Almond flour - I used 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 with 1 ¾ cups of almond flour as it is more absorbent.
Whey protein powder - This gives the low carb rolls a fluffy and light texture.
Psyllium husk powder - Also helps create a soft bread texture.
Baking powder and yeast - For a good rise.
Inulin - A prebiotic, soluble fibre. It is gently sweet and has amazing health benefits. Here's an informative article. Inulin is FANTASTIC to make low carb yeast dough rise.
A generous pinch of salt

Wet Ingredients

Eggs - We are using eggs and additional egg whites. Beat them until fluffy. This adds air and lightness to the buns.
Butter - Melted and cooled
Greek yogurt - Should be room temperature. The yogurt makes the rolls rise more and gives it that milk bun taste.
Water - Should be lukewarm.

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

Instructions

Let me show you how to make keto yeast rolls. Here are the basic steps. For detailed instructions and nutrition details, scroll down to the recipe card.

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.

wet ingredients for keto bread rolls in a bowl

STEP 2

Blend the eggs, egg whites and melted butter in a food processor until fluffy. You can also use a large mixing bowl and a handheld electric mixer.

Once the yeast is activated, add it to the mixture and blend to combine.

Combine all dry ingredients in a separate bowl.

wet and dry ingredients for keto bread rolls in a bowl

STEP 3

Now add the first half of the dry ingredients - whey, almond flour, psyllium, salt, baking powder - plus the Greek yoghurt. Blend until combined.

mixed dough for keto bread rolls in a bowl and a fork

STEP 4

Add the second half of the dry ingredients. The dough thickens quickly. 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!

keto bread rolls before rising in a baking tray and parchment paper

STEP 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 bread rolls because they will double in size.

STEP 6

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).

Place the lot back in your warm place of choice for 50-60 minutes to let the dough rise.

keto bread rolls in a round baking tray before baking

STEP 7

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 around 22-25 minutes.

Note - I did NOT cover the rolls in the images and found they turned just a little too dark for my liking. Covering them with a foil dome should make them just perfect.

pull-apart keto bread rolls with a brown crust after baking

Katrin's Expert Tips

Honestly, this is a NO SHORTCUTS recipe. 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.

Trust me on this one. I made my Keto hot cross buns using the same basic recipe and my eggs were still on the cool side. The result? The buns tasted great, but did not rise as much as these keto yeast rolls.

a keto bread roll sliced in half on a plate with a knife

Substitutions

If you don't have inulin, 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 most of it would likely 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 using around ⅓ the amount of flour works well. This is because coconut flour absorbs more liquid than almond flour.

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 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar as well.

Recipe FAQs

What can I use instead of the whey protein powder?

The best substitute is egg white protein powder.

Why are my rolls purple?

Some psyllium husk powder brands turn pruple when baked. This does not affect the taste. I have used Green Origins and Just Natural without issues. The NOW brand is also supposed to be fine.

Why do you omit 2 egg yolks and what can I do with them?

The egg taste is in the yolks and with 4 egg yolks, the rolls taste "eggy". I hate food waste as much as you do and use the leftover egg yolks for keto mayonnaise.

Storage

I like to store these rolls in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Gently reheat them in the microwave or pop them in the toaster.

You can also freeze them for up to 3 months! If I do this, I always slice them in half first. This way, I can pop them in the toaster straight from frozen.