Thanks for stopping by! Make sure to subscribe to my monthly newsletter for content not on my blog. And, don't forget to get my recipes in your inbox!
Today I’m excited to share a guest post with you from Maggie, author of She Let Them Eat Cake. She started chatting with me on Twitter and we quickly became friends. Maggie is warm, caring, and talented beyond measure.
I always look forward to seeing what Maggie has whipped up and today is no exception. Bagels. My first bagel making experience was in Fundamentals of Baking and it wasn’t easy to make them look good – and those were made with wheat. I’m sure you’ll agree that Maggie’s bagles sans gluten, dairy, and eggs are a work of art.
If you want to chat with us on Twitter, you can follow Maggie here. Make sure to subscribe to her RSS feed as well – I love seeing her in my Google Reader.
Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Egg-Free Bagels from Maggie at She Let Them Eat Cake
I’ve been participating in Amy’s Slightly Indulgent Tuesday’s for a few months now. In fact I base my blogging schedule around it because I admire Amy so much and love the chance to connect with Amy and her readers once a week.
The Love of A Wife & Mom Heals
I’ve only been blogging for 9 months and I’ve learned so much in that short time period. I originally started blogging because my husband encouraged me to do so. I’ve been baking gluten-free goodies for him for about 6 years since he was diagnosed with celiac disease.
But in December our 3 year-old son was diagnosed with a gluten, dairy, and egg sensitivity, and that obviously changed everything.
Since then all of my recipes have been made with him in mind. We are all on the same diet for simplicity and safety’s sake. I don’t want to fight that Why can Mommy eat that but I can’t? battle. And I don’t want anyone getting sick because of gluten crumbs in the almond butter.
Eating Healthier Gluten-Free
None of us seem to miss what we’ve lost because we feel better and we’ve noticed the changes in everyone. Food has become our fuel, our energy source.
Most of my baking focuses on every day foods that we might otherwise miss out on living on a healthy gluten-free diet. Today I decided to include my recipe for gluten-free, dairy-free and egg-free bagels.
Who doesn’t love a bagel?
Really, they’re much easier to make than you think. Especially after diving in the first time. They get easier. It’s just like baking bread. It seems scary but it’s not. And the result? Homemade bagels with healthier ingredients.
Imagine being able to bite into freshly made gluten-free bagels that YOU made? It’s really one of life’s greatest foodie pleasures.
This recipe was adapted from Canadian Living Cooks by Maggie of She Let Them Eat Cake.
Ingredients
- 1 tsp evaporated cane sugar
- 1 cup warm water
- 1 tbsp active dry yeast
- 5 tbsp of ground flax mixed with 6 tbsp water (subbed for 2 eggs)
- 1 tbsp sunflower oil
- 4 – 5 cups of your favorite all-purpose mix (**see note below)
- 2 tbsp evaporated cane sugar
- 2 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 16 cups water
- 2 tbsp evaporated cane sugar
- 1/4 cup sesame seeds
- 1/4 cup non-dairy milk (I used unsweetened almond milk)
Instructions
- In the bowl of your mixer, add warm water and 1 tsp of sugar. Stir to dissolve the sugar. Add 1 tbsp yeast. Let sit for 10 minutes, until the yeast is doing that poofy thing.
- Using a whisk, add the flax and water mixture and oil. Whisk until combined.
- Using your mixer, or by hand, stir in the following: two cups of the flour, 2 tbsp sugar, 2 tsp sea salt, and 1 tsp baking soda. Mix until well combined.
- If you’re using your mixer: Using the kneading hook, knead dough for 10 minutes adding enough of the flour to make a dough that is not too sticky. You should be able to knead this dough by hand if you wanted to.
- If you’re kneading by hand (which I have done with this dough): Place dough on a well-floured surface and knead for 10 minutes incorporating as much of the flour as required. Place dough in a well-greased bowl and cover. Let rise for 1 and a half hours (dough should double in bulk).
- Divide dough into 12 even-sized pieces (bigger than a golf ball but smaller than a tennis ball). Roll pieces into balls, placing under a dish towel as you go. Flatten each ball and then, using your index finger, poke a hole in each ball and gently stretch the hole so it is about 2 fingers wide. At this point the balls should start looking like bagels.
- Place bagels on a well-greased cookie sheet and cover for 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400 degrees and prepare the poaching liquid by boiling the water. When it comes to a boil, stir in the sugar. Slip bagels in 3 at a time and cook over medium heat for 1 minute. After 1 minute, flip and cook for another minute. Remove and set on cookie sheet. I used a slotted spoon for this.
- Place sesame seeds on a plate and put milk in a small bowl. Using a pastry brush, wipe each bagel with milk and then press firmly in sesame seeds. Return to baking sheets and cook for 20 minutes, flipping after 10 minutes. Transfer to cooling racks and let cool.
- Store in an air-tight container on your counter for two days. Slice and freeze any remaining bagels.
Notes
**The flour mix in this recipe contains 2 cups brown rice/sorghum/quinoa flour, 2 cups tapioca flour, 2/3 cup millet, and 3 tsp xanthan or guar gum.
Jenn
posted on June 2, 2010 at 7:28 am
I was JUST saying how I was craving bagels today….thanks so much for posting this I am going to have to make this!!
[Reply]
Iris
posted on June 2, 2010 at 7:30 am
Maggie, you make your own bagels!? I am so impressed! I want to see more pictures of them!
[Reply]
The Celiac DIva
posted on June 2, 2010 at 9:52 am
The bagels look so yummy! I’m impressed! And your blog is so cute!
[Reply]
gfe--gluten free easily
posted on June 2, 2010 at 11:25 am
I’m a big Maggie fan, too, Amy! (I found her on Twitter via Lauren I believe.) What a mouth-watering guest post! I can’t say I’ve really missed bagels, but after seeing Maggie’s photo and reading her recipe, now I want ONE!
Thanks so much to you, both.
Shirley
[Reply]
Kelly Holderby
posted on June 2, 2010 at 11:49 am
Can’t wait to try these. GF breads have been the hardest for me to make and be pleased with. My daughter loves bagels and I keep trying to give her GF versions of bread. So far she’s not been too impressed. This recipe just may do what the others haven’t! Thank you.
[Reply]
Alta
posted on June 2, 2010 at 12:06 pm
These sound great. I haven’t been much of a bagel fan – back in my gluten-eating days, bagels always sat in my stomach like a rock. I hated the way they made me feel. Now I know why…duh…but I still have that association with them, which makes them not my favorite thing! I should try these and see if that changes!
[Reply]
Maggie Savage
posted on June 2, 2010 at 7:41 pm
Thank you everyone! And thank you Amy for featuring me and my recipe – such a treat.
[Reply]
Amy Reply:
June 2nd, 2010 at 9:34 pm
@Maggie Savage, Thank you, Maggie! I am in awe of your beautiful bagels. The most impressive part is that you boil them like they do with gluten bagels. Can’t wait to give them a try.
[Reply]
Zoe @ Z's Cup of Tea
posted on June 3, 2010 at 8:14 pm
Amazing! These are the best-looking gluten-free bagels that I’ve seen! They look very close in appearance to wheat bagels. I’d love to try these.
[Reply]
Maggie Savage Reply:
June 4th, 2010 at 6:53 am
@Zoe @ Z’s Cup of Tea, Thank you! I think they look so much like wheat bagels because of the flax. It really wheatens them up (I think I just invented a word). Let me know if you do get the chance to try them Zoe.
[Reply]
Jenn
posted on June 4, 2010 at 1:24 am
I gave these a try last night, but they didn’t come out, I suspect it is either because I used real eggs instead of flax seed (I don’t know where to buy flax seed) or it was my GF flour mix. I also do not know where to buy evaporated cane sugar so I used regular sugar instead – but I doubt this was the culprit.
Is it implied that the GF flour mix should include xanthan gum? This was the mix I used –
2 part quinoa flakes
2 part potato starch
1 part white rice flour
1 part amaranth flour
The dough split a lot on kneading, but it looked good rising, and then when I started to shape them it gave the tell tale cracking signs – I repaired the cracks as best as I could, but when I boiled them they just opened up and I had issues with the bagels dissolving in the water even at the gentlest of simmers and the baked result was quite crumbly and not really sliceable.
But I’m not giving up! I definitely want to try these again to get them right, I really want to eat tasty bagels! Should I try a different GF mix? Do I need to ask my American friends to send me flax seeds and xanthan gum to make this work? I’m open to any thoughts and suggestions!
[Reply]
Maggie Savage Reply:
June 4th, 2010 at 7:00 am
@Jenn,
I am so glad that you tried these and came back to tell us about your experience. I hope you were able to eat them at least. Or make bread crumbs?
I think the crumble is a result of the mix you used. Definitely get your friends to send you some xanthan or guar gum! I love the sound of your mix – what do you usually use that with? MIne doesn’t have quinoa flakes. Here’s mine:
2 cups brown rice/sorghum/quinoa flour
2 cups tapioca flour
2/3 cup millet
3 tsp xanthan or guar gum
I hope this helps Jenn. Thanks so much for giving them a go!
[Reply]
Jenn Reply:
June 4th, 2010 at 7:10 am
@Maggie Savage, Thanks – yes they were edible, just not really as bagels
I think they will make some tasty breadcrumbs, esp. since I threw some italian herbs in them!
I will get on accessing some xanthan gum stat!
I’ve recently started using quinoa flakes because they seem to be fairly hygroscopic and really help with the “stickiness factor” in handling doughs – the combo has worked in the past for thin crust pizza dough and pitas – I think next time I may cut down the ratio of quinoa flakes, maybe this dough needs to be stickier to start given how these are made.
Don’t worry I will def. try again! Thanks again for sharing, and hopefully one day I’ll be able to make them as beautifully as you did!
[Reply]
Amy Reply:
June 4th, 2010 at 7:42 am
@Jenn, This happens to me quite often when I’m working with a new bread recipe. It even happens at school when Chef is right there in the kitchen. There’s an old saying – the bread knows how many times you’ve baked it. It couldn’t be more true.
I so admire your honestly and tenacity. If anyone was willing to take on the bagel challenge, I knew it would be you.
Linda Reply:
August 16th, 2010 at 8:14 am
@Maggie Savage,
IS that 2 cups of each brown rice, sorghum and quinoa? I am new to this and still easily confused…
[Reply]
Maggie Savage Reply:
August 16th, 2010 at 8:22 am
@Linda, Thanks for checking in! No, it’s 2 cups of brown rice or sorghum flour or quinoa flour. I find these 3 flours can be used interchangeably in most recipes. Hope that helps! Let me know if you have more questions. Good luck with the bagels.
Jenn
posted on June 6, 2010 at 1:29 am
Fortune brought me to a store that sold guar gum yesterday – I made them again, and they were PERFECT! Thanks so much for sharing such a great recipe!
[Reply]
Dana
posted on June 30, 2010 at 12:04 pm
I’m confused
Recipe says 4-5 cups flour and 16 cups of water.
But the directions says 2 cups flour.. when I put all these cups of water? …
[Reply]
Maggie Savage Reply:
June 30th, 2010 at 12:27 pm
@Dana,
The 16 cups of water is for the poaching liquid, it doesn’t get mixed in with the flour. The 2 cups is for the initial dough and then you add in the remaining flour once you’re kneading (which will be approximately 2-3 more cups of flour). Hope this helps! Try reading through the recipe one more time and I think it will make more sense. Thanks for checking in!
[Reply]
Dana Reply:
July 2nd, 2010 at 2:14 pm
I would like to thank you, I did it!!!
I eat this morning wonderful tasty bagels (-:
[Reply]
Maggie Savage Reply:
July 2nd, 2010 at 8:47 pm
@Dana, Yay! That’s so great Dana. Thanks for coming back and letting us know.
Ellen (I Am Gluten Free)
posted on July 7, 2010 at 10:14 pm
I’ve been making bagels per my blog for a few years, but I’m always happy to see a new recipe. Can’t wait to try it!
[Reply]
Jennifer
posted on July 14, 2010 at 4:19 pm
I am new to SF/GF. If I don’t have evaporated cane sugar what can I use? I have agave nectar, stevia, sugar in the raw, honey and maple syrup. Thanks in advance!
[Reply]
Amy Reply:
July 15th, 2010 at 10:17 am
@Jennifer, I think sugar in the raw would work – it’s a solid so it won’t change the consistency much. The first amount of sugar is just to activate the yeast; I assume that the rest is for flavor. If you use honey, it’s not too much liquid to add so it should work.
[Reply]
Maggie Savage
posted on July 15, 2010 at 6:46 am
Hi Jennifer – I’ve only made these with cane sugar but I think you could try an alternative or completely omit it since it’s such a small amount. I use honey in my bread recipes and that works just fine. Let us know how your bagels turn out!
[Reply]
Jennifer
posted on July 15, 2010 at 9:00 am
Maggie- Thanks I was thinking honey or agave but wasn’t sure. We literally just became GF/SF yesterday. Still trying to navigate my way through baking!
[Reply]
Maggie Savage Reply:
July 15th, 2010 at 10:53 am
@Jennifer, You’re welcome Jennifer. You’re in good hands with Amy so SF & GF should be an easy transition!
[Reply]
Karen
posted on September 15, 2010 at 12:19 pm
I made these bagels this morning and they were ok. I forgot to add the Xanthan gum (didn’t know you added it to your mix) Ooops but they were good. I’ll try again with the xanthan gum next time.
[Reply]
Amy Reply:
September 15th, 2010 at 12:24 pm
@Karen, The xanthan gum is essential…I’ve forgotten it a few times in other recipes, too.
[Reply]
Maggie Reply:
September 15th, 2010 at 12:29 pm
@Karen, Thank you so much for letting us know! The gum is a must! If you don’t have xanthan you could use guar gum – that’s what I use most of the time. Also, I’ve only made them with my mix. Did you use another mix? I’d love to know what you used. Thanks again!
[Reply]
Karen Reply:
September 15th, 2010 at 12:54 pm
@Maggie,
Yes I used my own mix (didn’t know what mix you used) mine was
2 cups brown rice flour
2/3 cups potato starch
1/3 cup tapioca.
I use this for my bread and my son and I enjoy it:)
[Reply]
Maggie Reply:
September 15th, 2010 at 7:07 pm
@Karen, Thanks! Mine is so similar. 2 cups brown rice or sorghum, 2 cups tapioca or arrowroot, 2/3 cup millet or quinoa and 3 tsp guar or xanthan gum.
I hope your son likes the bagels too! All this talk is making me crave them, I think I know what I’ll be baking this weekend! Please come back and let us know how they turned out once you try them with xanthan or guar.
Catherine
posted on October 22, 2010 at 8:59 am
Hi there,
I printed this recipe off quite a while ago, but finally made the bagels yesterday afternoon. They were a success! I haven’t had wheat bread for close to a year and they were so much better in texture than the bread like bagels they sell at the grocery store.
I used your flour mix – funny thing is now that I’m finally starting to use millet flour our bulk store (in Canada) has decided to discontinue it.
I will definitely make these again (oh and I cheated and used white sugar, but next time I will experiment with a better sweetener like agave or maple syrup.
Thank you for the recipe!
[Reply]
Maggie Reply:
October 22nd, 2010 at 11:20 am
@Catherine, Thanks so much for coming back to tell us about your bagel adventure! The bagels I can buy at my grocery store (I’m in Canada too!) are made with standard gluten-free flours. I think it really helps to use flours like sorghum and quinoa as they add so much flavour. Don’t you love millet flour? I love its colour. I’m so happy these were a success for you!
[Reply]
Sunnie
posted on January 29, 2011 at 8:20 am
How can you sub agave for sugar? Thank you
[Reply]
Maggie Reply:
January 29th, 2011 at 8:58 am
@Sunnie, I would omit the 2 tbsp of sugar and try 1 tbsp agave. I haven’t tried it that way, but this is what I’d do if I was using agave. Let us know how they turn out!
[Reply]
April
posted on April 12, 2012 at 9:52 pm
I was also wondering about substituting a liquid sweetener like honey or agave for the cane. I am very allergic to cane. Has anyone tried this and how did it turn out?
[Reply]
Kaity
posted on June 12, 2012 at 10:07 am
Epic fail!
My dough didn’t raise. I’ve been baking GF for years and never had an issue. everything went fine in the mixing; the yeast did its foaming thing and and I tripple checked that I didn’t forget any ingredients and my dough grew maybe half it’s size. I baked them anyways to see what they would do and they taste great but have a horribly dense, not at all airy texture. I’m thinking maybe next time I’ll put the dough in the bread maker on the kneed and raise settin so it has a little extra heat to help in the raising. Any suggestions?
[Reply]
Maggie Reply:
June 12th, 2012 at 5:07 pm
@Kaity,
That’s usually the best indicator. Did you make any changes to the recipe?
It’s hard to say what happened, especially since the yeast did it’s foamy thing
[Reply]
Amy Reply:
June 12th, 2012 at 10:22 pm
@Kaity, You must be an incredible gluten-free baker!! I still run into glitches, especially when I’m trying a new recipe.
It sounds like a temperature issue to me. Rising time is a general rule but on hot days dough rises faster and on cool days it rises slower. I prefer a slower rise if I have time because it develops more flavor.
If you swapped out any ingredients that would cause a problem too. I’ve found that gluten-free breads need to have protein to hold the structure. Otherwise they can’t rise as well because there is no gluten to trap the air.
[Reply]
Erin
posted on July 21, 2012 at 5:59 pm
I’m guessing the millet used in the flour mix is millet FLOUR and not whole millet. Is that correct?
[Reply]
Maggie Reply:
July 21st, 2012 at 6:41 pm
@Erin, You guessed right
Millet flour! Though millet the actual grain would be a great idea…I might have to play with that!
[Reply]