Magic Rolls – Eades Low Carb Comfort Foods

You all know I love my bagels and bread, so on the lower carb days I was just not having any bready type things.  I have made oopsie rolls in the past, but they are a little fragile.  Then I came across this cookbook at the library (and I do like Dr. Eades blog).
The Low-Carb Comfort Food Cookbook

This is their recipe for magic rolls.

They remind me very much of pate a choux (aka cream puff dough), only less flour (replaced with gluten) and they don’t get a big air pocket in the center.

Ingredients:

  • 3/4 cup plus 2 TBSP of water
  • 6 TBSP of butter (3/4 stick)
  • 1/4 cup of white whole wheat flour (or any flour, really)
  • 3/4 cup of vital wheat gluten (Bob’s Red Mill)
  • 3 eggs
  • pinch of salt (my addition)
  • 1 egg white (optional)

Heat oven to 425 F.  Line 2 half sheet pans with parchment paper.

Mix water (3/4 cup + 2 tbsp) and butter in a saucepan over medium heat until butter melts and simmers.

In a bowl, mix together the gluten and the flour.  Add a pinch of salt if desired.

Add this mixture to the pan and stir and mash until all of the dry material is absorbed.

Remove from heat, let rest for a couple minutes, and beat in the eggs one at a time.

It will seem lumpy after the first egg, but don’t worry about that.  Don’t use an electric mixture or you will work too much air into the batter, although a paddle attachment of a stand mixer would work on slow speed.

More egg added:

After mixing in the eggs, the batter should be somewhat stiff, but soft.

Here is where the optional egg white comes in. If the batter is too dry and really stiff, add the egg white.  If the dough mounds well on a cookie sheet, don’t add the egg white.  I did not need to add it.  I think it depends a little on the size of the egs.

Using a disher or spoons, mound the batter onto the cookie sheet into 6 mounds on each sheet pan for a total of 12 rolls.  I used a small disher and did 2 scoops for each roll.  I think that is just shy of 1/4 cup?

See how it settles a little, but still holds it shape and doesn’t spread out much?  That is what you want.  I lucked out on my first try!  Leave space because they get big in the oven!

Bake at 425 for 25  minutes.

I was really surprised to see these all puffed up!

Remove from oven and move to a rack to cool.  If you don’t eat these all the same day, freeze the rest in a zip bag.

This is one sliced open:

Fun, eh?  John had one toasted with butter and he loved it!  I was surprised that he liked them so much.  I can see doing a lot of fun things with these, like making a danish or french toast.  Or even adding something like parmesan cheese and spices to the batter before baking.

Nutritional stats:

Based on making 12 rolls per batch (egg white included in this calculation):

Calories: 107

Fat: 6.8 g

Carbs: 3.3 g

Fiber: 0.3 g

Protein: 7.9

These seem pretty much like a danish or cream puff in texture.  They are sturdy enough to be used as sandwich bread:

Split and toasted with cream cheese.  I think I liked this best:

This could easily be turned into a dessert as well.  Definitely a keeper recipe.

95 thoughts on “Magic Rolls – Eades Low Carb Comfort Foods”

  2. Helen

    I’m definitely not one to care about carbs per se but these look interesting enough that it makes me want to try them! Also, now I’m intrigued with the cookbook. Since I just got two new cookbooks in the mail… I wonder if Mr. Helen would notice if I bring another home? 😀

  4. Kelly

    Definitely going to make these. So low in carbs and they look tasty too! I hope you add this to your permanent recipe links at the top. 😉

  6. Vicki M.

    Oh, yummy! Looks like a good stand in for regular bread. I wonder, if you were to spread it thin over a large area, if it could be used to make a low carb pizza…

  13. Pubsgal

    Ooooo! These look really good! (And to think, I had that cookbook sitting on my side table for 4 weeks and didn’t even try one thing. Naughty Pubsgal.)

  16. debby

    Finally! Very impressive stats too! Have to say when I was reading the recipe that I thought they would be too ‘pricey.’ And darn if I wasn’t at the store today, staring at Bob’s RedMill stuff, and I forgot to buy the gluten. Tomorrow is supposed to snow. Would have been a perfect day for baking.

    And can I just add that I laughed so hard at Vicky M’s comment. I mean, she is right. But after my failed experiments at making pizza lately…

    I used to LOVE cream puffs, so these sound really great to me. Topped with a little sweetened laughing cow and some fresh strawberries = LOVE! Thanks for sharing, Lori. the pics are really helpful when you are making something unfamiliar.

    1. Lori Post author

      They are quite easy, Debby. And pretty much like cream puffs. Split and toasted is best. I like the idea of the strawberries and laughing cow!

  17. Fran

    They look great. Unfortunately it’s difficult to get some of the ingredients here in Holland and we have different measurements. Translating and recalculate the measurements is too much work for me but otherwise I try them!

    Guess what I’m going to do today: lunchdate at Bagels & Beans!
    Of course I will be thinking of you when I’m there!

  19. Rachael

    Low carb cookbook? WOOHOO!!! What a concept! Can’t wait to try it. It is hard for me to imagine that anything without a great deal of carbs could be good.But I will try anything (well almost anything) that is said to be healthy. I still have yet to go get a bagel. I think today is the day! I can’t wait! 🙂

  21. Bethlin

    OMG, I didn’t even realize there was such a thing as lower-carb rolls. I can not WAIT to make these this weekend. I always crave bread bread bread during a certain time of the month; this will be a fantastic addition to my arsenal to fight the weight gain those cravings inspire.

  23. Jody - Fit at 53

    YUM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Lori, I am not quite into using butter like you are experimenting with now & all eggs rather than a mixture of eggs & egg whites… do you think there is a way to modify those 2 ingredients & still get a good roll like yours?

    I knew you would get a kick out of seeing the Pixie pic on my blog today! 😉

  24. Ang

    Oh my, the thought of buying straight gluten strikes fear in my heart! lol! I may try the gluten free ones you linked though! 🙂

  26. Heidi @ Fighting with Food

    I wish I had that recipe during the holidays – they look so yummy and like a ton of fun to make! I think the flattened batter would scare me, but that puffing.. it’s just cool!!
    Thank you for the recipe and for leading me to Dr. Eades blog, Lori. I’m already intrigued.

  28. Liann

    I stumbled upon your site a few weeks ago and have been intrigued ever since. As soon as I saw this receipe I knew I had to try them. I am so glad I did! They were super! Thank you for sharing!

  29. Ash

    These look great! Awesome nutritional stats too…

    I don’t have vital wheat gluten though…and it’s not something I use regularly.

    What purpose does it serve? Your recipe calls for 3/4 cup…so if I were to replace it with something else, I assume it would make a big difference in the final product, lol.

    1. Lori Post author

      I would just make them as pate a choux then, with flour instead of the gluten. It will have less protein, and I am not sure of the exact amount of flour you would need, but probably pretty much just subbing it. If you do use all flour, then you would likely need the extra egg white.

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  32. Roberta

    Hey Lori. I’ve been wanting to give these a try, but due to a gluten intolerance, I need to find a way to make these gluten free. Obviously puff pastries are difficult to get right without the extra gluten. My question is what would I use to substitute for the VWG, and still keep the fluffy texture of these buns?
    I use Bob’s Red Mill All Purpose Gluten Free Flour when baking.

  33. Roberta

    Thanks Lori. Im not a big revolution roll fan.. I actually think they’re pretty gross!
    Im thinking I’ll try just a straight sub with the gluten free flour, and let you know how they turned out.

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  35. Jo

    Hi. Thanks for the pics. They really helped. I just found this recipe in the preview of the book on Amazon.com. I made them today and think they have a lot of potential but were a bit ‘eggy’ for my taste. Perhaps my eggs were too large because I didn’t use the extra egg white and the dough wasn’t very stiff at all. Perhaps because it’s a raining here today. I’ve never baked with wheat gluten flour before and don’t know if it’s sensitive to humidity like regular flour is. Or maybe I over mixed the dough.

    I noticed a small difference between your version and the book, you use 1/4 c flour & the book uses 1/3. Did you change that on purpose from experience? I also wonder if you ever tried it with just two eggs?

    I also liked it best toasted with cream cheese but my son said it worked great as a hamburger bun, too.

    1. Lori Post author

      It could be the size of the eggs. It sounds like a moisture issue.

      I don’t know why I used 1/4 cup of flour unless I read the recipe wrong in the book or I had an older edition of it, maybe? I don’t have the book out from the library to check.

      I did 2 eggs once when I halved the recipe and used 2 eggs with no whites. I it worked out fine.

  36. Jo

    Hi. They were much better today, after being frozen and reheated in a 350* oven for 5 minutes. Even my husband enjoyed a buttered roll with his soup at lunch, so the recipe is definitely a keeper!

    I didn’t know different brands of vital wheat gluten had different amounts of carbs so the carb content of the rolls will vary depending on the brand used. I’ve been emailing manufacturers to get carb contents when not available on websites. Here’s what I’ve found:

    Carb content per 1/4 cup:

    Arrowhead Mills = 12g (this is the one I used)
    Azure Farm = 12g
    Honeyville Grain = 9.75g
    Bob’s Red Mill = 6g
    Pleasant Hill Grain = 4g
    King Arthur = 4g

    I don’t know if there are any others, and I don’t know which brand Mary Eades used in her recipe, but I think I’ll try either King Arthur or Pleasant Hill Grain next time and see how that works.

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  38. Jan

    I just made a batch of these. My hubby didn’t even wait until they were cool to grab one and bite into it. His reaction? “Mmmmmmmm….” LOL

    Thanks for sharing Lori 🙂

  39. janetha @ meals and moves

    i just whipped up a batch and i don’t know how you got 12 just shy of 1/4 cup each.. i wonder if i did something wrong because my batter didn’t get near that much volume! oh well, i got 9 rolls and into the oven they go.. cannot wait to try them!

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  41. TerryG

    Mine turned out to be Magic Pancakes instead of rolls. My dough was too thin to make a mound so my measuring cup must be bigger than yours. I didn’t let the butter/water actually simmer either so maybe that was part of the problem. Taste was okay but butter and a touch of something else (maybe peanut butter or something) made it more like a bread or roll.

    I’ll try again using less water.

    1. Lori Post author

      You do want the batter to be thick enough to hold up when you scoop it out. I think the difference in results has to do a lot with the size of the eggs.

  42. Luana

    I just made these today and think they’re great! The only problem I had was my batter was a bit too thin, so I added a bit more flour and some flax and I baked them in a muffin-top pan as I didn’t think they’d hold up on a baking sheet. They puffed up beautifully and are great for a sandwich or burger. I think maybe my eggs were too big, as after the second egg it was probably the right consistency. Next time I make them if it’s like that after the second egg, I’ll stop. This is the best low-carb bread item I’ve made and I’ve tried quite a few.

    1. Lori Post author

      Glad you like them! It really does seem so egg-size dependent. I can do them on a baking sheet, but I know others find the batter can be runny.

  43. Tina

    I was SO excited to make these today…I took them out of the oven and was disappointed 🙁 They were HOLLOW inside!! Any idea why? I used 3 medium eggs, and an egg white. I cooked them for about 25 minutes, they were done on the outside but a little gooey on the inside so I popped them in the oven for about another 5 minutes…the insides were done but they’re hollow 🙁

    1. Lori Post author

      That’s interesting that they hollowed out. This recipe is very similar to pate a choux, which is basically cream puffs and those do get hollow in the middle.

      I have never had that happen when I make them, although occasionally there will be an air pocket.

      I guess the plus side is that you can fill them up with lots of sandwich filling!

  44. Tina

    Thanks for your reply-I just tried making them again today, and AGAIN they were hollow inside 🙁 And it seemed a little gooey on the inside too. The outside was crispy, so I can’t figure out what is going on. I omitted the egg white this time since the batter seemed like it didn’t need it, and I followed the directions to a T. I wanted some yummy bread that looks like yours, not hollow bread 🙁 Maybe I’m cutting into them too early? Thanks again 🙂

    1. Lori Post author

      Boy, I really don’t know what could be the culprit. The only other thing I can think of is maybe you are using a different type of vital wheat gluten? I use the Hodgson Mill brand.

  45. Tiffany

    I figured out what I was doing wrong! Your ingredients list at the top says 6 tablespoons for butter, but in the directions, you state to add 2 tablespoons to the water, but never use the other 4 tablespoons. Now, they are not hollow! Yeah!

    1. Tiffany

      oops! I read it again, and this is what I had to do to get it right… I omitted the extra 2 tablespoons of water, and lessened the butter to only 2 tablespoons. I kept all 3 eggs, though. They were perfect!

  46. Megan

    So I’ve attempted these twice now and my dough stays wet and lumpy. I’ve baked them and they dome out a little on the hard/lumpy side and flatter. Kind of somewhere between and oopsie and a biscuit. What could I be doing wrong? It’s like the dough is gummy wet and lumpy…

    1. Lori Post author

      The batter should be smooth before you portion it out. It takes some good mixing once you add the eggs to smooth out the batter.

  47. Camilla

    Mine are hollow inside. The most I’ve been able to get out of a batch that aren’t hollow is about 5. They are great when they aren’t hollow but it’s just too bad I can’t get these to come out every time. I’ve made them about 5 times now and right from the book. I wish I could talk to someone who could help figure out what’s wrong.

  49. iris

    Just made the rolls and wow..They look just like the photos. Only problem is I only got 8 out of the mixture. Now, I was using for the water a glass measuring cup. For the dry ingredients I used non glass measuring cups. I think next time I will use the glass for all ingredients and see if I get more from the mixture.
    Not much of a taste, very bland, not sure how to fix that. My husband ate 2 while they were cooling. Never cooled actually.
    And the best was how easy the prep was..

    1. iris

      I made the rolls again today to show my daughter who does atkins and I messed up. Too liquidy and they came out looking like large oatmeal cookies. She still liked the taste and texture.I know what I did wrong and will do it when I am not being questioned by anyone..lol

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