Christmas Tree Bread – Gluten Free Wholemeal Tear and Share Rolls
This gorgeous Gluten Free Christmas Tree Bread is a seasonal showstopper. Made with wholemeal tear and share rolls, it’s perfect for any Christmas gathering… And best of all… No one will EVER know it’s gluten free, so EVERYONE can eat it. Rice free, corn free and can be made oat free and dairy free.
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Seasonally delicious Christmas Tree Bread – Tear and share rolls for sharing
I am so pleased to be able to share my Gluten Free Christmas Tree Bread… It’s a perfectly formed, seasonal treat, whether you are gluten free or not… It’s made with wholemeal gluten free rolls that are baked together, but so they pull apart easily for a wonderful Christmas tear and share. I’m pretty impressed with myself. I honestly don’t count myself as having much artistic creativity. Yet somehow, I managed to create gluten free pull-apart Christmas Tree Bread that not only looks beautiful and eye-catching, but tastes incredible too.
And if you are already worrying about how you could possibly feed gluten free bread to wheat-eating guests… 😱😱… Stop right there! Because no one will EVER know these rolls are gluten free. And that means you can serve them to everyone! (Sssshhh 🤫… You don’t even need to tell them)… Either way, you can guarantee they’ll be super-impressed not only with your baking skill, but because your Christmas Tree Bread looks and tastes stunning.
Ingredients matter – Why it’s important to follow the recipe when making these tear and share rolls
I know that I say this in pretty much every bread recipe post… But ingredients and the way you use them matters! The recipe is your game-plan for getting each bake right… Follow it to the letter. If you don’t, the result will not be the same. And that includes using the flour blend as stated. It’s unique to the recipe and the gluten free flours used have been balanced for structure, protein and their ability to provide the texture and shelf-life that all good bread needs.
I’m not however, going to write loads here about each individual ingredient or part of a process to make the recipe, as my Christmas Tree Bread is an adaptation of my previous Artisan Gluten Free Rolls. I absolutely recommend you popping over an having a read of that post… It’s where you’ll find all the important stuff to guide you through making perfect gluten free Christmas Tree Bread too.
What will you learn from my earlier Gluten Free Artisan Rolls post?
Just in case you’re thinking you can’t be bothered to read my earlier post… Here’s a quick list of what’s covered that might be helpful to know…
- What you need to know about the flour blend and possible substitutions of individual flours for dietary reasons.
- The importance of Psyllium Husk and Flax in the recipe.
- Why it’s important to get the Egg Size right (it’s also helpful to cross reference with my International Egg Size and Weight Comparison Chart).
- Tips and photographs to help guide you through the process of making the dough… Through to shaping it into rolls, proofing and baking.
- How to Store your tear and share rolls.
Is this gluten free Christmas Tree Bread recipe safe for people with Coeliac Disease?
Yes. Absolutely. There are no gluten containing ingredients in my recipe for Christmas Tree Bread and that makes it 100% safe for people with Coeliac Disease (Celiac Disease). As always though… Remember to check all package ingredients lists for any possible risk of cross-contamination or ‘may contain’ warnings.
For anyone unable to eat oats… Rest assured that my gluten free Christmas Tree Bread can also be made oat free.
AND… It is also completely corn free and rice free!
Can I also make these Tear and Share Rolls dairy free?
Yes. As well as being gluten free, oat free, corn free and rice free, my Christmas Tree Bread can easily be made dairy free too. Just make a straight sub of the dairy milk for a good dairy free alternative milk powder/milk.
Unfortunately, the recipe does contain eggs, so is not a vegan bread. However… It is possible that my recipe for gluten free vegan wholemeal bread may be adaptable for these rolls. I’ll be honest… I haven’t actually tried it myself, but someone out there might be brave enough to give it a go.
Making the bread dough into a Christmas Tree
The recipe provides enough dough for up to 2 Christmas Tree Breads (dependent on how large the rolls are). Here’s my top tips for making the best Christmas Tree…
- Wear lightly-oiled food-safe gloves when rolling the dough into balls. It honestly makes rolling way easier.
- Remember that the dough balls will get larger when they proof… So, make the dough balls about half the size of your intended final rolls.
- Use a large baking tray to lay out the dough balls into a Christmas Tree shape. And line the tin completely with good quality baking paper.
- Start laying the dough balls on the tray from the TOP piece of the Christmas Tree Bread. One… Followed by two on the next row… Followed by three and so on. That way you will know how much room you have on the tray and can adjust the size of the dough balls if needed as you go.
- Leave a little gap between each ball (a couple of centimetres is good) to allow for rising. As the dough-balls rise they will push together and support each other to gain a little height… And once baked, will stick together ‘pull apart’ style.
- After the Christmas Tree dough balls have proofed, gently glaze the tops with egg-wash (mixture of beaten egg and a little milk). This will give them a beautiful shiny and golden surface and also provide the stickiness needed to add some seeds and decoration.
Flavour it up… Add-ins to make your Christmas Tree Bread extra special
One of the great things about my gluten free wholemeal artisan rolls recipe is that it works brilliantly with add-ins and different flavours. The Christmas Tree Bread pictured here, has chopped sundried tomato added to the mix. But there are so many options for add-ins. Just be sure not to over-load the dough as less is usually more (and too much could affect the rise). How about trying…
- Chopped nuts… Walnuts are particularly delicious.
- Sultanas and other dried fruit.
- A sprinkle of grated cheese in the dough.
- Chopped sundried tomato.
- A teaspoon or two of herbs (dried or fresh) added to the mix.
- Seeds and pine nuts in the dough.
- Brushed with garlic butter.
- A little chilli or spice.
- Cinnamon or ginger.
- You could even try sweet with chocolate chips (I haven’t tried this yet… but I really need to).
Best ways to share Pull Apart Christmas Tree Bread
My gluten free Christmas Tree Bread is suitable for sharing any which way you choose. But here are some of our favourites…
- Dipped into and slathered with Baked Camembert.
- A bread centrepiece for the Christmas party buffet table.
- Served to the table alongside the main Christmas Dinner as the ‘bread course’ or with soup and starters.
- Placed on the table at the end of the meal to accompany the cheese course.
Ready to try my Gluten Free Christmas Tree Bread?
And that’s it. The recipe for my gorgeous gluten free Christmas Tree Bread is below. As I said above… If there is anything you are unsure of, please check the previous Gluten Free Artisan Rolls post for detailed information and photos of the bread-making process. For a white dough version, you can also use my recipe for fluffy White Gluten Free Bread Rolls. And if there is anything else that you need to know which isn’t covered there, just shout and I’ll try to help. Leave a comment below or contact me by email.
If you do make this tear and share bread, I’d love to hear how you got on… And if you’re on social media, share a photo too? I love seeing how your bakes turned out. The best places to find me are on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and Twitter.
And don’t forget… If you need extra Christmas Inspiration, there’s loads of recipes in our dedicated Gluten Free Christmas Index. For everything else, the Main Index is a great place to start exploring… It’s the hub to access ALL of our 400+ amazing FREE gluten free recipes.
🎄 Happy Baking and Merry Christmas 🎄
** © 2019-2024 Kate Dowse All Rights Reserved. Do not copy or re-publish this recipe or any part of this recipe on any other blog, on social media or in a publication without the express permission of Gluten Free Alchemist. Or use for commercial purposes without prior agreement**
Gluten Free Christmas Tree Bread – No Oat No Corn – Recipe 1
Key equipment
- large baking trays
- airtight container (to mix dry ingredients)
- whisk (hand or electric) + dough hook attachment (optional)
- kettle/microwave
- measuring jug
- vinyl gloves (to make handling dough easier)
- Oven
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 100 g sorghum flour
- 100 g teff flour (I use white teff flour)
- 160 g tapioca starch
- 40 g buckwheat flour
- 40 g potato starch
- 18 g milled (ground) flax seed
- 35 g ground psyllium husk grind in a blender (not 'psyllium powder')
- 6 g fine sea salt (= 1 tsp)
- 4.5 g bicarbonate of soda (= ½ tsp)
- 3 tbsp dried milk powder or 2 tablespoons coconut milk powder
- 7 g INSTANT dried yeast I use Allinsons Easy Bake – Note : This is an INSTANT yeast
Wet Ingredients
- 3 large eggs combined weight in shells 195-200g (at Room temperature UK large (Canadian ‘Extra Large’; Australian ‘Jumbo’; and US ‘Extra or Very Large’)
- 3 tbsp sunflower oil or alternative such as olive
- 1 tbsp runny honey (24g)
- 1½ tsp lemon juice
- 370 g/ml hand-warm water This is just hand warm and NO HOTTER
To shape and decorate
- olive oil to oil hands
- 1 egg + a little milk for egg wash
- edible seeds to sprinkle and decorate optional – (sunflower/poppy/pumpkin/sesame)
Instructions
To make the gluten free dough
- Mix together the dry ingredients (flours, flax, psyllium husk, salt, bicarbonate of soda, milk powder and yeast) in an airtight container and shake vigorously to blend.
- Line a couple of baking trays with good non-stick baking paper.
- In a large bowl, lightly whisk together the eggs, oil, honey and lemon juice to combine.
- Add the hand-warm water and whisk through with the other wet ingredients. It should foam on the top.
- Next, add the dry ingredients and beat well to blend (preferably using an electric whisk with a dough hook attachment). If you don't have a dough hook, use a sturdy silicone/wooden spoon and beat hard until well blended. The mixture should look like a runny porridge when done (see photo in main blog post).
- Place the bowl to one side and leave to stand untouched for a full 10 minutes. This is important and will enable the flours to absorb the liquid and hydrate fully.
- After hydrating, beat the mixture hard again (with dough hook or spoon) until stiff and holding its shape. The dough ‘batter’ will resemble very thick porridge (see photo in main blog post).
Shaping the dough into rolls and Christmas Tree Bread
- Make sure your large baking tray(s) are prepared by lining with baking paper.
- Preferably wearing close-fitting vinyl food gloves, lightly oil the hands with a tiny drop of olive oil.
- Pull off a piece of the rough-looking dough (judging the size as the dough piece = about half of the intended roll size) and gently work it into a smooth piece of dough in your hand.
- Next shape the dough pieces one at a time into small balls (lightly re-oil hands as required).
- As you roll each ball, carefully place onto the baking sheet(s), making a Christmas Tree Shape. Start at the top of the tree with one dough ball… Then two on the next row, three on the third and so on. Be sure to leave a gap of about 2 cm between each ball, so there is room to rise. If the balls are too large, stop and make them smaller, starting again from the top. Leave room on the tray for a small 'stump'.
- At the bottom of the Christmas Tree, make some small 'sausage shaped' rolls and place them to make the 'stump', again leaving space to rise.
- When all the dough balls are shaped into the Christmas Tree(s), lightly drape a large piece of clingfilm over the top (be sure the rolls are not restricted) and place the trays in a warm place to prove for about 40 minutes to an hour (dependent on room temperature), until the dough rolls are nearly double in size.
Egg-wash and decoration
- While the rolls are proving, prepare the egg-wash by lightly beating an egg with a little milk.
- Pre-heat the oven to 190 C/375 F/Gas 5. Be sure to place a heat-proof dish at the bottom ready to add boiling water before baking (boil a kettle in advance). OR set the oven to steam at three x 5 minute intervals once the rolls are ready to bake.
- When the dough has risen, lightly brush the rolls with egg-wash and (if using) sprinkle or decorate with edible seeds.
Bake the rolls
- Just before baking, carefully fill the heat-proof dish with boiling water (or check the oven's steam setting) and then place the dough Christmas Tree(s) into the oven.
- Bake for between 14 and 18 minutes (approx), until golden brown and well-risen.
- Remove from the oven and transfer the tear and share to a wire rack to cool.
- Can be eaten warm or cold.
- Best eaten within a couple of days. Store in an airtight bag at coolish room temperature/cool larder (NOT the fridge) or freeze on the day of making.
Notes
- Chopped nuts… Walnuts are particularly delicious.
- Sultanas and other dried fruit.
- A sprinkle of grated cheese in the dough.
- Chopped sun-dried tomato.
- A teaspoon or two of herbs (dried or fresh) added to the mix.
- Seeds and pine nuts in the dough.
- Brushed with garlic butter.
- A little chilli or spice.
- Cinnamon or ginger.
- You could even try sweet with chocolate chips
Nutrition
© 2019-2026 Kate Dowse All Rights Reserved – Do not copy or re-publish this recipe or any part of this recipe on any other blog, on social media or in a publication without the express permission of Gluten Free Alchemist
** © 2019-2024 Kate Dowse All Rights Reserved. Do not copy or re-publish this recipe or any part of this recipe on any other blog, on social media or in a publication without the express permission of Gluten Free Alchemist. Or use for commercial purposes without prior agreement**
Gluten Free Christmas Tree Bread – With Oat Flour Recipe 2
Key equipment
- large baking trays
- airtight container (to mix dry ingredients)
- whisk (hand or electric) + dough hook attachment (optional)
- kettle/microwave
- measuring jug
- vinyl gloves (to make handling dough easier)
- Oven
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 250 g Gluten Free Alchemist Rice Free Blend B see NOTES for B blend and flour ratios
- 60 g tapioca starch (additional to above)
- 130 g gluten free oat flour To make at home : grind GF oats in a blender
- 18 g milled (ground) flax seed
- 35 g ground psyllium husk grind in a blender (not 'psyllium powder')
- 6 g fine sea salt (= 1 tsp)
- 4.5 g bicarbonate of soda (= ½ tsp)
- 3 tbsp dried milk powder or 2 tablespoons coconut milk powder
- 7 g INSTANT dried yeast I use Allinsons Easy Bake – Note : This is an INSTANT yeast
Wet Ingredients
- 3 large eggs combined weight in shells 195-200g (at Room temperature UK large (Canadian ‘Extra Large’; Australian ‘Jumbo’; and US ‘Extra or Very Large’)
- 3 tbsp sunflower oil or alternative such as olive
- 1 tbsp runny honey (24g)
- 1½ tsp lemon juice
- 370 g/ml hand-warm water This is just hand warm and NO HOTTER
To shape and decorate
- olive oil to oil hands
- 1 egg + a little milk for egg wash
- edible seeds to sprinkle and decorate optional – (sunflower/poppy/pumpkin/sesame)
Instructions
To make the gluten free dough
- Mix together the dry ingredients (flours, oat, flax, psyllium husk, salt, bicarbonate of soda, milk powder and yeast) in an airtight container and shake vigorously to blend.
- Line a couple of baking trays with good non-stick baking paper.
- In a large bowl, lightly whisk together the eggs, oil, honey and lemon juice to combine.
- Add the hand-warm water and whisk through with the other wet ingredients. It should foam on the top.
- Next, add the dry ingredients and beat well to blend (preferably using an electric whisk with a dough hook attachment). If you don't have a dough hook, use a sturdy silicone/wooden spoon and beat hard until well blended. The mixture should look like a runny porridge when done (see photo in main blog post).
- Place the bowl to one side and leave to stand untouched for a full 10 minutes. This is important and will enable the flours to absorb the liquid and hydrate fully.
- After hydrating, beat the mixture hard again (with dough hook or spoon) until stiff and holding its shape. The dough ‘batter’ will resemble very thick porridge (see photo in main blog post).
Shaping the dough into rolls and Christmas Tree Bread
- Make sure your large baking tray(s) are prepared by lining with baking paper.
- Preferably wearing close-fitting vinyl food gloves, lightly oil the hands with a tiny drop of olive oil.
- Pull off a piece of the rough-looking dough (judging the size as the dough piece = about half of the intended roll size) and gently work it into a smooth piece of dough in your hand.
- Next shape the dough pieces one at a time into small balls (lightly re-oil hands as required).
- As you roll each ball, carefully place onto the baking sheet(s), making a Christmas Tree Shape. Start at the top of the tree with one dough ball… Then two on the next row, three on the third and so on. Be sure to leave a gap of about 2 cm between each ball, so there is room to rise. If the balls are too large, stop and make them smaller, starting again from the top. Leave room on the tray for a small 'stump'.
- At the bottom of the Christmas Tree, make some small 'sausage shaped' rolls and place them to make the 'stump', again leaving space to rise.
- When all the dough balls are shaped into the Christmas Tree(s), lightly drape a large piece of clingfilm over the top (be sure the rolls are not restricted) and place the trays in a warm place to prove for about 40 minutes to an hour (dependent on room temperature), until the dough rolls are nearly double in size.
Egg-wash and decoration
- While the rolls are proving, prepare the egg-wash by lightly beating an egg with a little milk.
- Pre-heat the oven to 190 C/375 F/Gas 5. Be sure to place a heat-proof dish at the bottom ready to add boiling water before baking (boil a kettle in advance). OR set the oven to steam at three x 5 minute intervals once the rolls are ready to bake.
- When the dough has risen, lightly brush the rolls with egg-wash and (if using) sprinkle or decorate with edible seeds.
Bake the rolls
- Just before baking, carefully fill the heat-proof dish with boiling water (or check the oven's steam setting) and then place the dough Christmas Tree(s) into the oven.
- Bake for between 14 and 18 minutes (approx), until golden brown and well-risen.
- Remove from the oven and transfer the tear and share to a wire rack to cool.
- Can be eaten warm or cold.
- Best eaten within a couple of days. Store in an airtight bag at coolish room temperature/cool larder (NOT the fridge) or freeze on the day of making.
Notes
- Chopped nuts… Walnuts are particularly delicious.
- Sultanas and other dried fruit.
- A sprinkle of grated cheese in the dough.
- Chopped sun-dried tomato.
- A teaspoon or two of herbs (dried or fresh) added to the mix.
- Seeds and pine nuts in the dough.
- Brushed with garlic butter.
- A little chilli or spice.
- Cinnamon or ginger.
- You could even try sweet with chocolate chips
Nutrition
© 2019-2026 Kate Dowse All Rights Reserved – Do not copy or re-publish this recipe or any part of this recipe on any other blog, on social media or in a publication without the express permission of Gluten Free Alchemist
This pull apart bread looks great. Thanks for the thorough write-up on bread, accompaniments and method.
Thank you so much. You are very welcome x
Love the look of your festive tear n’share bread. It would be ideal to serve with a Christmas cheese board; everyone could just dig in and help themselves! 🙂
Thank You Kacie. It’s perfect with a cheese board.
Happy New Year xx
It looks gorgeous and festive! I bet the bread tastes amazing, too. Thank you for sharing at Fiesta Friday party!
Thank you Jhuls. You’re very welcome.
Have a great Christmas xxx
Your Christmas Tree Bread is amazing! Thanks so much for sharing with us at Full Plate Thursday, 567 and hope you have a very Merry Christmas!
Miz Helen
Thank you so much Helen.
Wishing you a great Christmas and all the best for 2022.
Thanks for all the work you have put into hosting over the last year xx
So lovely, a perfect festive centrepiece!
Thank you Carrie
Have a great Christmas xx
I love your festive take on a tear and share bread, this would make a great centerpiece on any Christmas dinner table.
Thank you so much Lesley.
Merry Christmas and all the best for 2022. x
How very clever. That looks absolutely stunning Kate. Would love to see something like this on my festive table. Just thinking it would be lovely with a boxing day leftovers soup. Or any number of other things come to that.
Wishing you and yours a happy and healthy Christmas.
Choclette x
Thanks Choclette
I really enjoyed making it and am now looking forward to making it again over the Festive break.
Have a wonderful, healthy and peaceful Christmas and wishing you all the best for 2022. xx
Thanks for sharing at the Lazy Gastronome’s What’s for Dinner party. Have a fabulous rest of the week!
You’re welcome. You too x