 |
| Gluten Free Zata'ar Rolls |
Gluten Free Zataar Rolls and a
Biscuit recipe
A.k.a. Middle Eastern Buns or Syrian Rolls
gluten free, egg free rolls, dairy free alternative
I’ve filled these rolls with a
flavourful boost of spices, but you can easily use the dough for a variety of
other things, like biscuits, cinnamon rolls, or sprinkle them with cheese and
garlic powder.
I’ve really missed Middle Eastern
food. I spent some time traveling in the
Middle East a few years ago and actually had cooking classes in Egypt,
back when I didn’t know I had a gluten problem.
Most of you probably don’t know that I have an MA in history, with a
focus on the modern Middle East. I’ve
been closely following what’s been going on with the Arab Spring of course, and
my heart goes out to the Syrian people right now. It is a beautiful country to travel in, the
amazing ancient sites were nearly empty, and people were incredibly friendly. It makes me so sad to think of the
destruction and death that has occurred there in the last year.
Let me just say that Syrian
food is some of the best food in the world, and is seriously underrepresented in
the western world. Even the Syrian
airline had the best airplane food I’ve EVER had. That airplane food beats out most restaurants
any day!!
Alas, a lot of popular Middle
Eastern food is built around flour and meat, two things I can’t or don’t
eat. So begins my journey to recreate
some of my favorite, and others newly discovered, Middle Eastern foods. Like my German fusion dishes (
dumplings,
cabbage rolls, spaetzle) I can’t claim my dishes as authentic, they’re more
like Middle Eastern fusion because they are not glutinous and don't contain meat. That said, numerous variations of these zataar
rolls are served in tiny bake shops in the streets
all over Syria.
Zataar (pronounced zata’ar) is a
popular spice mixture in the Middle East.
The combination varies, but it is usually a mix of spices such as sumac,
oregano, thyme, basil, marjoram and savoury, often with sesame seeds as
well. Sumac is a lemony flavoured fruit
that is dried and ground to a spice. Zataar
and Sumac are not always easy to find.
You can look for them in Middle Eastern shops, or some Asian stores, or
online. That said, be careful and
check the ingredients! I found zataar
recently at an Asian market, but it had roasted wheat in it.
Instead, you can create something
similar without the sumac or pre-made zataar.
It won’t have quite the same tang, but it is super tasty
nonetheless. If you’ve ever had Middle Eastern
food before, you’ll know that the cuisine does not shy from white flour, sugar,
and butter, things many of us often try to avoid!! I’ve added the option here of tossing in a
bit of healthier flour but the starches are necessary or else it upsets the delicate biscuit-y like texture
of the rolls (SEE NOTE UNDER INGREDIENTS FOR AN UPDATE) and makes them crustier so it’s difficult to add too much.
 |
| Gluten Free Herb Roll-ups |
Biscuit Ingredients:
½ c warm water
1 Tbsp yeast
1 tsp sugar
1c tapioca starch
1c cornstarch *
1 ½ c either sorghum, brown or
white rice flour, garbanzo bean flour, lentil flour or mix of flours
1 Tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 tsp xanthan gum
Rice flour for dusting
3/4 c milk or yogurt brought to room temp.
¼ c oil (canola olive or coconut)
1-2 Tbsp melted butter or dairy
free alternative
Zataar Mixture
4 Tbsp sumac (omit if you can't find it)
2 Tbsp thyme
1 Tbsp oregano
1Tbsp basil
½ Tbsp parsley
½ tsp salt
1 tsp sugar (optional)
*After several tries, I have found that the starches can in fact be cut way back, and I no longer use cornstarch (unless I could, by some miracle, find organic, GMO free cornstarch).
 |
| How to Roll Zata'ar Rolls |
Directions:
1. Grease a baking sheet and/or line with parchment paper.
2. Mix the water, yeast and sugar together and set aside to
rise. The yeast should begin to rise and
bubble (if it doesn’t, you might need new yeast or warmer water. The water should be warm to touch but not too
hot to touch).
3. In the meantime, mix the dry ingredients together.
4. Add the milk and oil and mix until blended (this will be
pretty crumbly). Add the yeast mixture
and mix approximately 3 minutes or so, until well blended. This will be a fairly gummy mixture.
5. Generously dust a flat surface with rice flour. Turn the dough out on to it and dust with
more rice flour.
6. Knead about 5 or 6 times to work a bit of extra flour in, so
the dough is not so sticky. Then dust
again and, using a rolling pin, roll the dough out about ¼” thick.
7. Brush about 1 Tbsp of the melted butter liberally over the
dough. Sprinkle liberally with the spice
mixture.
8. Very carefully, using a knife or spatula to help, lift the
edge of the dough nearest to you up and over to roll the dough. Roll all the way to the opposite edge so you
have a large log. Using a wet, sharp
knife, slice into rounds about 1- 1 ½” thick.
 |
| Gluten Free Zata'ar Rolls |
9. Lay the rolls out on the baking sheet, cut side up. Brush with more melted butter.
10. Allow the rolls to rise in a warm place, about 30
minutes. There are a few ways to do this
– place a bowl of hot water in the bottom of the oven and put the baking sheet
on a rack over top. Or, heat the oven to
250F, then turn it off and place the sheet inside.
11. After the rolls have puffed up somewhat, remove from the
oven. Heat oven to 375F, return the baking
sheet, and bake for about 20 minutes, until slightly browned on top and a bit
crusty on the sides.
These are wonderful
eaten warm!!!
