If you're celiac or have gluten sensitivity, chances are you're avoiding many baked products, like the delicious bagels. And you probably miss them a lot! Cheer up, today we'll show you how to make New York-style gluten-free bagels that taste and look like the classic ones.
Coated with a generous sprinkle of poppy and sesame seeds, these delicious bagels have a crispy crust and a soft, chewy crumb. We made them with gluten-free flour, maple syrup, almond milk, and vegetable oil, meaning they're vegan and sugar-free too.
Also known as bajgiel or beigel, bagels take their name from the Yiddish word beygl, which means "ring". These doughnut-shaped bread rolls originated in Poland's Jewish communities and are now incredibly popular worldwide, especially in the United States. The basic recipe consists of yeasted bread dough shaped by hand into a ring. The bagel is first poached in boiling water and then baked at high temperature to give it its distinctive glossy and crispy crust.
For this gluten-free version, we swapped bread flour with a store-bought gluten-free flour blend. You can easily find it at your local supermarket in the gluten-free section. It's a mix of starches, rice flour, maize flour, and xanthan gum. The basic bagel recipe uses only water as a liquid, but we also included warm almond milk and vegetable oil to add flavour and help the crumb develop.
While you can find countless bagels variations, the New York-style bagel is definitely one of our favourites. It's made by boiling the bagels in water and barley malt syrup. As barley malt syrup is quite difficult to find, we opted for maple syrup, but you can also use honey if you're not vegan. Finally, the NYC bagels are traditionally topped with a blend of sesame seeds and poppy seeds or "everything bagel" seasoning.
Once ready, slice the bagels in half, toast them, and stuff them with sweet or savoury fillings. You can opt for vegan cream cheese and cracked pepper like they do in New York or top them with smoked salmon and avocado. There are limitless possibilities, so have fun finding your perfect topping combo!
Ingredients
| Instant Dry Yeast | 7 g |
| Warm Water | 200 mL |
| Maple Syrup | 1 tbsp |
| Gluten-Free Flour | 450 g |
| Salt | 2 tsp |
| Warm Almond Milk | 100 mL |
| Vegetable Oil (canola, sunflower, or olive oil) | 2 tbsp |
| Apple Cider Vinegar | 1 tsp |
| Poppy Seeds | 20 g |
| Sesame Seeds | 20 g |
Step 1
Add the yeast to a small cup, followed by 50 mL of warm water and maple syrup.
Stir well until the yeast is dissolved, and then leave it to foam undisturbed for 5-10 minutes (1).
Meanwhile, combine the gluten-free flour with salt in a bowl. Then, tip in the remaining 150 mL of water, warm almond milk, vegetable oil, vinegar, and the yeast mixture (2).
Step 2
Mix the ingredients with a spoon until they come together, and then work the mixture with your hands.
When it's compact enough, transfer it onto your worktop and briefly knead it into a smooth, pliable, and slightly sticky dough.
Now, roll it into a ball, place it into a greased bowl, and cover it with cling film.
Let the dough prove in a warm place for 45 minutes.
Step 3
Transfer the proved dough onto your worktop and lightly grease your hands.
Use a knife to divide the dough into 8 pieces, about 100g (3.5 oz) each.
To shape the bagels, roll each piece under your palm until you have a perfectly smooth ball without cracks.
Now, poke the centre with your index finger and gently wiggle it around to make a hole through the bottom (1).
Next, lift the bagel and insert both index fingers into the hole and rotate them as if spinning a wheel (2).
Keep doing this until the hole stretches to around 4 cm or 1.5 inches.
Step 4
Place the shaped bagels onto a tray lined with baking paper and loosely cover them with cling film.
Let them prove in a warm place for 30 minutes.
After this time, the bagels should have grown but not enough to close the hole.
Step 5
While the bagels prove, bring 1.5 L (2.5 pints) of water to a boil in a large pot.
You can optionally add 3 tablespoons of maple syrup and a pinch of baking soda for a crispier, caramelised crust.
Grease your hands and add one or two bagels to the water, lifting them with the help of a spatula.
Now, cook them for 1 minute on each side.
Step 6
Transfer the bagels onto a rack with the flat side down and let them drip excess water.
Mix the poppy and sesame seeds on a plate.
Once the bagels are cold enough to handle, press the top over the seeds to coat them nicely (1).
Then, move them onto a baking tray lined with parchment paper while you finish cooking and coating the others (2).
Step 7
Finally, bake the bagels for 25 minutes at 220°C (430°F).
The bagels are ready when the crust feels hard and the base sounds hollow when tapped.
Leave them to cool completely on a wire rack.
Slice these delicious gluten-free bagels in half and fill them with sweet or savoury fillings.
Tips
Make sure your gluten-free flour blend contains xanthan gum in it. If not, add 2 teaspoons of xanthan gum per 450g (16oz) of flour and mix all until well combined.
You'll know the bagels have proved long enough if they float to the top when added to the boiling water in step 5.
Store the bagels away once they have cooled down completely. Put them in a zip-lock bag and keep them at room temperature for 3-4 days. Alternatively, freeze them for 3 months.