Gluten Free Breakfast Rolls

Over break, my best friend Tanna spent the night (more like 4 days) at my house for the first time. She recently moved here from a small town in Iowa, and we instantly clicked! The problem with having friends is that my Grandma doesn't like people who are picky with food (especially Filipino food).

So, of course, before asking Tanna to come over, I had to ask her what her preferences on food were. She told me she liked everything, but the only problem was that she has a disease that prevents her to eat things with gluten, so she has gluten free everything! I talked to my Grandma, and she understood and didn't see it as a big problem. So, to help Tanna feel a little more included, I woke up early to make one of her favorite things for breakfast; Biscuits!

2 tablespoons butter

2 to 3 tablespoons of gluten free all purpose baking flour

4 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon table salt

3 teaspoons sugar

1/2 cup shortening

1 egg

1 1/4 to 1 1/3 cups of milk

Tanna and I had a lot of fun rolling up the dough and sticking it in the oven, which was told to be mixed well and thick, then to be kneaded 20 times on a floured surface before rolling them into small balls and sticking them onto a slightly greased baking sheet (p. 219). 

My Grandma made this really weird egg paste (picture above) to put on top of the bread, and we were sort of confused as to what it was, but we weren't complaining. She then put the paste over the bread, and we stuck it into the oven at 450 degrees for 10-15 minutes until they were golden brown.

They didn't come out very fluffy or thick, but they were still delicious! Tanna loved them, and my sisters did too! They especially liked peanut butter and jelly in the middle, and my Grandpa stuck some ham in between the bread at lunch to make a sandwich.

My question is; why didn't it turn out thick and fluffy like it was supposed to? The picture from the recipe was very different from the outcome. Was it from something we did wrong possibly?