Fluffy bread rolls that are keto, low carb, and gluten free. These savory soft rolls can be eaten by themselves or used for sliders and sandwiches.
These bread rolls start with a variation on the popular Fathead dough recipe. But instead of making a pizza, breadsticks or bagels, I turned the dough into these fluffy bread rolls.
What is Fathead Dough?
Fathead dough is a low carb/keto dough that is made out of cream cheese, mozzarella cheese, eggs and a flour substitute. It started out as a pizza crust recipe published by Tom Naughton while he was creating the movie Fat Head. The recipe became an internet viral sensation and has since been adapted and modified for recipes beyond pizza crust, such as breadsticks, garlic bread rolls and bagels.
Texture of the Bread Rolls
This bread does not taste exactly like regular yeast bread. Keep in mind it is a bread made almost entirely out of cheese and almond flour. However, it is fluffy like bread rolls and it is sturdy enough to be used for sandwiches and sliders.
Ingredients for Keto Bread Rolls
There are only a handful of ingredients for this recipe and each of them is important to the final product.
Cream Cheese
Use a full-fat cream cheese. The cream cheese melts with the mozzarella and helps to create a spreadable, elastic dough.
Mozzarella Cheese
Use a low moisture part skim mozzarella. This will prevent the dough from being too wet. It’s also best to use part skim because there is already a lot of fat going into this recipe and you don’t want the rolls to be oily.
Almond Flour
Use super fine almond flour. The super fine texture mimics regular flour better and will prevent any grittiness.
Coconut Flour
This recipe uses a combination of coconut flour and almond flour to replace regular wheat flour. Each one works differently so do not substitute one for the other. Coconut flour is highly absorbent. The few tablespoons added to this recipe will prevent the dough from being too wet and will also give the rolls a fluffier texture.
Baking Powder
Use an aluminum free baking powder. The recipe does use a little more baking powder than I normally use to help the bread rise. You should not taste the baking powder though and using aluminum free will help make ensure that.
Eggs
The eggs act as the binding agent and create the structure for the bread.
How to Make Keto Bread Rolls Dough
- First, the cheeses are melted together. The appearance will look like a dough.
- The cheese dough is then blended with the eggs, flours and baking powder. The best method for blending the dough is with a food processor. It is quick, easy and produces a very uniform and smooth dough. You can also roll the dough by hand or with a mixer but it will take more effort and time.
- The dough is then divided into 8 equal parts and rolled out into smooth balls.
Adding an Egg Wash Finish
Before the rolls go in to bake, I added an egg wash finish. The egg wash finish helps the exterior of the breads develop more color and gives them a little sheen.
Reheating Tips for the Bread Rolls
These bread rolls should be eaten hot. When they cool down, the cheese condenses and the rolls become hard. You can reheat leftovers in the microwave, toaster oven or oven.
Topping Ideas
I left the bread rolls plain other than the egg wash finish. However, you can also add toppings like sesame seeds, everything bagel seasoning, parmesan cheese. You can also brush the tops with melted butter right before serving.
Recipe now updated with video!
Keto Bread Rolls
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups part skim low moisture shredded mozzarella cheese
- 2 oz full fat cream cheese
- 1 1/3 cups super fine almond flour*
- 2 tbsp coconut flour
- 1 1/2 tbsp aluminum free double acting baking powder
- 3 large eggs one egg is reserved for egg wash
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a small bowl, whisk together almond flour, coconut flour and baking powder. Set aside.
- Add mozzarella and cream cheese to a large microwave-safe bowl. Cover the cream cheese with mozzarella (this will prevent the cream cheese from overheating and making a mess in your microwave). Melt in the microwave at 30 second intervals. After each 30 seconds, stir cheese until cheese is completely melted and uniform and resembles a dough in appearance (see photo for reference). This should only take around 1 minute total cooking time. Do not try to microwave the full time at once because some of the cheese will overcook. You can also melt the cheeses over the stove in a double boiler.
- Allow cheese dough to cool slightly (only a few minutes) so that it is still warm to the touch but not too hot. If the cheese is too hot it will cook the eggs. But don't let the cheese cool down completely because then it will turn hard and you will not be able to blend it with the other dough ingredients.
- Add cheese, 2 eggs (remember the third egg is for the egg wash finish at the end only), and almond flour mixture into a food processor with dough blade attachment. Pulse on high speed until the dough is uniform. The dough will be quite sticky, which is normal.
- Scoop out dough with a spatula and place onto a large sheet of plastic wrap. Cover the dough in plastic wrap and knead a few times with the dough inside the plastic wrap until you have a uniform dough ball. Lightly coat your hands with oil and divide dough into 8 equal parts. Roll each dough between your palms until it forms a smooth round ball. Place dough balls onto baking sheet, spaced 2 inches apart.
- Add the final egg to a small bowl and whisk. Generously brush the surface of rolls with egg wash.
- Bake rolls for about 21-23 minutes in the middle rack of your oven, or until rolls are golden brown. Rolls are best eaten hot.
Video
Notes
- These bread rolls should be eaten hot. When they cool down, the cheese condenses and the rolls become hard. You can reheat leftovers in the microwave, toaster oven or oven.
- *Some of the links contained in this post are affiliate links. Much like referral codes, this means I earn a small commission if you purchase a product I referred (at no extra charge to you).
Nutrition
The nutrition information provided are only estimates based on an online nutritional calculator. I am not a certified nutritionist. Please consult a professional nutritionist or doctor for accurate information and any dietary restrictions and concerns you may have.
Very easy to make and so delicious. A perfect compliment to any meal.
I’m so glad you enjoyed them!
Very good and so quick. The texture is more like like a muffin than a roll. Definitely Satisfies the craving for bread – best bread substitute I’ve tried. Nice warm with butter but I actually like them cold the next day.
They are a bit bland, could use a little salt.
Glad you like them!
After trying several keto bread roll recipes, including some big keto recipe sites, I came back to this one because this is the easiest to make, and the rolls have the best texture, mouth chew, look, and flavor. So good, thank you.
I’m so glad you like this recipe!
I LOVE this recipe. Have been craving bread and this is awesome. I, too, added garlic to the recipe and after putting on the egg wash, sprinkled the rolls with sea salt! Yummy. Thank you for sharing this recipe..
Bonnie
We are happy you enjoyed it!
Easy and good! But mine had a bit of a bitter taste to them. Wonder if I left something out on accident. Any thoughts?
It might be your baking powder. Did you make sure to use aluminum free?
These rolls are fantastic. The recipe is much easier and faster than the fathead dough recipe I’ve tried before. They keep well in the fridge and toast beautifully as leftovers. Well done. Thank you!!
I’m so glad you like the rolls!
These were so good, even my kids gobbled them up
That’s great! Thanks for letting us know.
Can these frozen and made only a couple at a time?
You can freeze fathead dough, but we have not tried it with this recipe and can’t say how it will work.