This gluten free bagel recipe yields a lovely, big, soft chewy bagel with a golden brown crust. It contains no dairy, gums, or refined sugar. Yes, you can have warm, fresh bagels!
My inspiration for this recipe was Sue Jennett's gluten free bagel recipe on Sue's Gluten Free Baking @ Home. Sue used to have a gluten free bakery, and she has generously shared her recipes with us on her website. You can hear Sue talk about all things celiac and gluten free on A Canadian Celiac Podcast. Her interviews and discussions are helpful for anyone with gluten free or celiac concerns, not only Canadians.
These gluten free bagels are boiled and baked like other bagels, but instead of a rising period, there's a freezing step. Sue's bagels are terrific, but I made a few changes to suit my own dietary preferences.
Ingredients
- Raw Sugar - There's not much sugar in this gluten free bagel recipe, but I use unrefined raw sugar to keep them a little healthier.
- Tapioca Flour - Tapioca flour and tapioca starch are interchangeable. They are different names for the same thing.
- Soy Flour - I use organic soy flour to avoid genetically engineered soy.
- Psyllium Husk Powder - I've noticed that psyllium husk has a binding, viscous quality. The powdered form slips nicely into gluten free baked goods to help hold everything together as gums do in gluten free baking and as gluten does in wheat breads.
- Lard - You could replace this with shortening. I prefer lard for the richness it provides and because it's less processed than shortening.
- Yeast - Use either instant yeast or active dry yeast.
- Everything Seasoning - For a gluten free everything bagel, you can either buy Everything but the Bagel Seasoning or make your own with my Everything Seasoning recipe.
Instructions
Start by putting lard, in chunks, into ½ cup boiling water to melt while you assemble the other things.
Dissolve a teaspoon of raw sugar in warm water (100 degrees F/38 degrees C) in a mixing bowl. Sprinkle the yeast over it and let it sit while you mix the flours.
Combine the flours in another large mixing bowl.
Beat the egg whites into the liquid in the mixing bowl. Then mix in the dry flour mixture and the melted lard blend. Continue stirring it all together until everything is well combined and the dough is coming away from the sides of the bowl.
With wet hands, shape the batter into 8 equal balls. Flatten each a little.
Press your thumbs through the centre, creating a hole.
Alternately turning and squeezing the dough in your wet hands, shape it into the desired bagel shape. Once they're shaped, set them on a baking sheet and freeze them for at least two hours.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add some sugar to it. Add the frozen bagels, two to four at a time, to the boiling water. Add only as many as fit easily and allow the water to maintain a good boil. Poach them until they float to the surface, about a minute or two. You might need to nudge them with your lifter to make sure they aren't stuck to the bottom of the pot. Once the bagels have floated up from the bottom, remove them with a slotted spoon and place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Brush the bagels with an egg wash. Sprinkle seasoning or seeds over the bagels, as desired.
Bake the bagels until they're golden.
Recipe FAQ's and Tips
Use extra egg yolks to make lemon curd or just throw them into some scrambled eggs in the morning.
Once these bagels have cooled completely, you can store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days.
Yes, the bagels will freeze well in an airtight container for a month. I would recommend slicing them before freezing.
More Gluten Free Baking Recipes
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Recipe
Gluten Free Bagels
Ingredients
Lard Mixture
- ½ cup boiling water
- ⅓ cup lard
Yeast Mixture
- 1 teaspoon raw sugar
- 1 cup warm water 100° F (38° C)
- 1 tablespoon instant yeast
- 2 large egg whites
Flour Mixture
- 2 cups white rice flour
- 2 cups tapioca flour
- ½ cup organic soy flour
- 2 tablespoons psyllium husk powder
- 2 tablespoons raw sugar
- 2 teaspoons fine sea salt
Boiling
- 8 - 12 cups boiling water
- ⅓ cup raw sugar
Egg Wash
- 1 egg white
- 1 tablespoon water
Topping
- 1 tablespoon Everything Seasoning Or sesame seeds OR poppyseeds
Instructions
- Measure ½ cup boiling water into a pyrex measuring cup. Add the lard to it, and set it aside to melt.
- Add a teaspoon of sugar and a cup of warm water to the bowl of a stand mixture. Sprinkle the tablespoon yeast over the surface, and let it sit about 5 minutes while you combine the flours.
- Whisk the six flour mixture ingredients together in a large mixing bowl.
- Using the mixing (flat) paddle on the stand mixer, slowly blend the yeast mixture, adding in the egg whites. Increase the speed a notch or two. When the eggs have been mixed in, add the dry flour mixture. Then mix in the melted lard/water mixture until the batter balls up and comes away from the sides.
- Have a bowl of warm water handy for wetting your hands. (The one you mixed the flours in will work fine.) With very wet hands, form the dough into 8 equal balls. Flatten each ball a little, poke your thumbs through the centre creating a hole. Turn the bagel around in your hands, squeezing as you go, to shape each bagel.
- Set the finished bagels on a baking sheet and put it into the freezer for at least 2 hours.
- Bring a large pot with 8 to 12 cups water to a boil. Add ⅓ cup sugar to the water. Preheat the oven to 425° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Carefully drop the frozen bagels, two to four at a time, into the large pot of boiling water. Add only as many bagels as have plenty of room in your pot and allow the water to maintain a rolling boil. Leave them in the water until they float to the surface (1 -2 minutes). You might need to nudge them with your lifter to make sure they aren't stuck to the bottom of the pot. Remove the bagels with a slotted spoon and set them onto the parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Whisk egg white and water together for egg wash, and brush some over the top of each bagel. Sprinkle each one with Everything Bagel Seasoning, poppyseeds, or sesame seeds, if desired.
- Bake for 25 - 30 minutes, until the tops and sides are golden brown.
Notes
- If you don't have a stand mixer, mix the batter vigorously by hand.
- Add only two frozen bagels at a time to the boiling water, so you can keep the water boiling.
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