
Keto Pull Apart Bread Rolls
These Keto Pull Apart Bread Rolls are soft and chewy with a crisp outside.
They have a delicious rich flavour with hints of Italian spice.
These rolls are made with yeast, which give them an extra bit of lift.
They do take a bit longer to bake, but don't be afraid! They are surprisingly easy. It's mainly just being patient as they rise that you'll need to worry about.
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These rolls are also packed with fats and protein so they'll leave you feeling full for hours after. Which is a great benefit when compared to traditional bread rolls.
The base of these Keto Dinner Rolls is made up of almond flour, vital wheat gluten and mozzarella.
Almond flour provides great flavour and adds bulk to the recipe while the vital wheat gluten is important in creating the gluten strands in the dough.
Now I do want to go a bit more into detail with the Vital Wheat gluten.
I constantly get asked if it's keto, what it is, where to buy it, etc. So I've written an entire article on it you can see here to learn more.
In summary, vital wheat gluten is the protein found in wheat. It's what creates gluten strands and provides the soft but chewy texture in bread and baked goods.
Vital wheat gluten is extracted and separated from the wheat so on it's own, it's only a protein with minimal carbs attached to it.
It's perfectly fine on a ketogenic diet if you track the NET carbs in this recipe like anything else.
The only people who absolutely should NOT consume it, are those with a gluten allergy or who are celiac.
If you are gluten-intolerant or celiac, see my tips below on substitutions you can try instead of vital wheat gluten.
Now, onto the next ingredient in these Keto Pull-Apart Bread Rolls!
These rolls contain mozzarella for a couple reasons..
- It imparts a delicious flavour to the dough and helps the rolls brown in the oven.
- It provides a stretchiness to the dough as gluten would without using a large amount of gluten flour (aka vital wheat gluten). When we use less vital wheat gluten, we can maintain a better flavour of dough.
Next I added active dry yeast to this recipe to allow the rolls to rise similar to traditional bread rolls.
Without this step the rolls tend to be denser and less enjoyable in-terms of texture.
We then have to add a tiny bit of sugar to feed the yeast (yes, yeast is a living thing!)
A dough will not rise if the yeast has nothing to consume, so this is why we add sugar. It is not for you and you do not need to worry about it affecting your state of ketosis!
I added a little powdered monkfruit/erythritol sweetener to the recipe as well to provide a touch of sweetness to the dough itself.
Lastly, I added xanthan gum, which also improves the texture of keto dough by helping with the elasticity, similar to vital wheat gluten. This ingredient is optional but does improve the texture of the rolls slightly if you have it!
These rolls make a great snack to take on the go (seriously they are super filling!) or a nice accompaniment to dinner, or even just a full-on meal if you are missing bread on keto!
Either way, I think you'll enjoy these Keto Pull Apart Bread Rolls!
Ingredients In Keto Pull Apart Rolls
- Almond Flour
- Vital Wheat Gluten
- Active Dry Yeast
- Xanthan Gum
- Powdered Monkfruit/Erythritol Sweetener
- Mozzarella (See my tips on choosing your mozzarella and how it can affect your recipe)
Tools I Used To Make Keto Pull Apart Bread Rolls
- Low Carb Substitution Guide – This is totally optional but if you like my recipes, I now have a $5 guide available with all of the substitutions I use to create every recipe on my site. You can use this to convert old traditional recipes and create new keto recipes! You can purchase it here and/or read more if you are interested.
I appreciate your support so much guys!
- Nutritional Food Scale – AKA my best friend. This little buddy has been with me for over 4 years and never fails. Perfect measurements and only needs the batteries replaced maybe once a year!
- Pyrex Bowl – I baked them in one of these bowls and it was the perfect size!
- Nonstick Olive Oil Spray – To grease your bowls and surfaces.
Tips For Making These Keto Pull Apart Bread Rolls
- If you can't get your dough to come together and find the mozzarella is separating, microwave the dough for 10s (no more at a time or you might kill the yeast!), knead it well with your hand, add another tablespoon of almond flour if it's still not coming together. Repeat this process until it does come together.
- When choosing your mozzarella for this recipe, pay attention to the moisture content. A higher moisture content means you'll need more almond flour, a lower moisture content means you'll need to add less almond flour to get your dough to form correctly. This isn't a big deal, it just means starting with less almond flour and adding a tablespoon or two more, as needed to get your dough to come together.
- DO NOT use pre-shredded or the traditional fresh mozzarella you can buy. Only use block mozzarella for this recipe or it will not work quite as well.
What If I am Gluten-Intolerant or Celiac?
- If you cannot use vital wheat gluten for this recipe, you can try substituting 1 tbsp ground psyllium husks instead (add a tiny bit more if needed if your dough is still too soft).
- Also increase the xanthan gum to 1 tsp rather than 3/4 tsp.
How To Store Low Carb Pull Apart Rolls
- Store these keto bread rolls in a ziplock in the freezer until you plan to serve them next. Re-heat them on a tray in the oven at 350*F until warm again or microwave for a quick snack.
- Storing them between layers of parchment paper can also help preserve them longer.
Keto Pull Apart Bread Rolls Recipe
Serves: 6 small rolls
Ingredients:
- ~14 tbsp almond flour, 100g (start with 85g – see tips as to why)
- 3 tbsp vital wheat gluten, 30g
- 1 1/2 tsp active, dry yeast (~3/4 of a packet)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp powdered monkfruit/erythritol sweetener
- 1 tsp sugar (NECESSARY TO HELP THE YEAST WORK, this will not affect the final nutritional outcome of your recipe)
- 3/4 tsp xanthan gum (optional, just helps with texture)
- 1/4 tsp each; garlic powder, oregano, basil, rosemary
- 1/8 tsp each; thyme, onion powder
- 1/8 tsp salt
- pinch of pepper
- 1 1/4 cup shredded mozzarella, 140g or 5oz
- 1 egg, whisked well
- 2 tbsp room temp. water
Directions:
- In a bowl, whisk together your dry ingredients, including; almond flour, vital wheat gluten, yeast, baking powder, sweetener, sugar, xanthan gum, spices, salt & pepper.
- In another microwavable bowl, add your mozzarella and microwave in 30s increments, stirring in-between until melted and smooth (~45s-1min).
- Add your egg and water to the mozzarella and stir as best as you can (it won't completely come together but doing this can help cool the mozzarella down a bit).
- Let this mixture sit for about 30s after stirring before adding your dry ingredients (as not to kill the yeast with the hot mozzarella).
- Stir everything well until a thick dough starts to form (using your hands towards the end can help). You'll notice your mozzarella may not want to fully blend. This can happen. See my tips above to solve this issue.
- Once you've got your mozzarella incorporated, use your hands to knead the dough on a greased, flat surface for 4-5min.
- After kneading the dough, move the ball to a greased bowl and cover it with Saran Wrap. Place it somewhere slightly warm or just draft free (I place mine near a fireplace that's been off or just in an oven that's OFF) for 1 hour.
- After one hour, you dough will be slightly fluffier! Take this dough out and divide it into 6 balls by pulling the dough apart and rolling each one in your hands (they don't have to be perfect!)
- Place the dough balls in a greased round dish that fits them all with just a bit of space in-between each one and cover with Saran Wrap/let them rise somewhere draft-free again for 20min.
- After 20min, you can pre-heat your oven to 350*F. This will allow the dough to rise for another 10-15min.
- Once your oven is pre-heated, bake the rolls for 25-33min or until golden brown on top. We prefer to let the rolls cool somewhat before serving them as it helps the middles firm up a bit but feel free to serve them warm! They are delicious either way! (We highly recommend serving with butter or brushing with garlic butter as you would any roll!) Enjoy your Keto Pull Apart Rolls!
Nutrition for 1/6th of recipe (1 roll): 212 calories | 15.2g fat | 2.8g NET carbs | 12.7g protein | 2.3g fiber
Store these keto bread rolls in a ziplock in the freezer until you plan to serve them next. Re-heat them on a tray in the oven at 350*F until warm again or microwave for a quick snack.
Storing them between layers of parchment paper can also help preserve them longer.
Keto Pull-Apart Bread Rolls
Ingredients
- ~14 tbsp almond flour 100g (start with 85g - see tips as to why)
- 3 tbsp vital wheat gluten 30g
- 1 1/2 tsp active dry yeast (~3/4 of a packet)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp powdered monkfruit/erythritol sweetener
- 1 tsp sugar NECESSARY TO HELP THE YEAST WORK, this will not affect the final nutritional outcome of your recipe
- 3/4 tsp xanthan gum optional, just helps with texture
- 1/4 tsp each; garlic powder oregano, basil, rosemary
- 1/8 tsp each; thyme onion powder
- 1/8 tsp salt
- pinch of pepper
- 1 1/4 cup shredded mozzarella 140g or 5oz
- 1 egg whisked well
- 2 tbsp room temperature water
Instructions
- In a bowl, whisk together your dry ingredients, including; almond flour, vital wheat gluten, yeast, baking powder, sweetener, sugar, xanthan gum, spices, salt & pepper.
- In another microwavable bowl, add your mozzarella and microwave in 30s increments, stirring in-between until melted and smooth (~45s-1min).
- Add your egg and water to the mozzarella and stir as best as you can (it won't completely come together but doing this can help cool the mozzarella down a bit).
- Let this mixture sit for about 30s after stirring before adding your dry ingredients (as not to kill the yeast with the hot mozzarella).
- Stir everything well until a thick dough starts to form (using your hands towards the end can help). You'll notice your mozzarella may not want to fully blend. This can happen. See my tips above to solve this issue.
- Once you've got your mozzarella incorporated, use your hands to knead the dough on a greased, flat surface for 4-5min.
- After kneading the dough, move the ball to a greased bowl and cover it with Saran Wrap. Place it somewhere slightly warm or just draft free (I place mine near a fireplace that's been off or just in an oven that's OFF) for 1 hour.
- After one hour, you dough will be slightly fluffier! Take this dough out and divide it into 6 balls by pulling the dough apart and rolling each one in your hands (they don't have to be perfect!)
- Place the dough balls in a greased round dish that fits them all with just a bit of space in-between each one and cover with Saran Wrap/let them rise somewhere draft-free again for 20min.
- After 20min, you can pre-heat your oven to 350*F. This will allow the dough to rise for another 10-15min.
- Once your oven is pre-heated, bake the rolls for 25-33min or until golden brown on top. We prefer to let the rolls cool somewhat before serving them as it helps the middles firm up a bit but feel free to serve them warm! They are delicious either way! (We highly recommend serving with butter or brushing with garlic butter as you would any roll!) Enjoy your Keto Pull-Apart Rolls!
Notes
Tips For Making This Keto Bread Rolls Recipe
- If you can't get your dough to come together and find the mozzarella is separating, microwave the dough for 10s (no more at a time or you might kill the yeast!), knead it well with your hand, add another tablespoon of almond flour if it's still not coming together. Repeat this process until it does come together.
- When choosing your mozzarella for this recipe, pay attention to the moisture content. A higher moisture content means you'll need more almond flour, a lower moisture content means you'll need to add less almond flour to get your dough to form correctly. This isn't a big deal, it just means starting with less almond flour and adding a tablespoon or two more, as needed to get your dough to come together.
- DO NOT use pre-shredded or the traditional fresh mozzarella you can buy. Only use block mozzarella for this recipe or it will not work quite as well.
- Store these keto bread rolls in a ziplock in the freezer until you plan to serve them next. Re-heat them on a tray in the oven at 350*F until warm again or microwave for a quick snack.
- Storing them between layers of parchment paper can also help preserve them longer.
What If I am Gluten-Intolerant or Celiac?
- If you cannot use vital wheat gluten for this recipe, you can try substituting 1 tbsp ground psyllium husks instead (add a tiny bit more if needed if your dough is still too soft).
- Also increase the xanthan gum to 1 tsp rather than 3/4 tsp.
Ingredient Links
- Almond Flour
- Vital Wheat Gluten
- Active Dry Yeast
- Xanthan Gum
- Powdered Monkfruit/Erythritol Sweetener
- Mozzarella (See my tips on choosing your mozzarella and how it can affect your recipe)
Prudence
Thursday 17th of December 2020
I made these last night and while they were crispy on the outside and soft on the inside they flattened out while baking. My dough rose during the proofing, so I don't believe it was a yeast issue. I am wondering if my pan was too large though, which didn't allow the rolls to climb each other during baking. I am wondering, what size pan you used. Thank you for the great recipes. Your quick pizza crust has become a favorite.