These whole grain gluten free bagels are crusty on the outside, chewy on the inside like a real New York bagel, with the chew of whole grains.
As a card-carrying New Yorker, I am greatly offended by bagel-shaped bread that has the nerve to masquerade as a bagel. This is a bagel. And a whole-grain-y one to boot. A bagel isn't a bagel if it isn't boiled first, and baked after. It might be gluten free bread, but it ain't no bagel.
I've been experimenting with a special ingredient, Expandex modified tapioca starch. It holds things together, gives a great texture, and even helps the bagels crisp in the oven, and forms a really important part of the gluten free bread flour blend that we use in other bread recipes.
The bagels have risen. Carefully lower them into boiling sugar water, two-by-two. The bagels can be frozen in a single layer on a baking sheet after being boiled and before being brushed with the egg washed and baked. When ready to bake, simply defrost in the refrigerator overnight, and continue with the rest of the recipe as directed.
They can also be frozen after being baked. Do not store leftover bagels in the refrigerator, as they will become stale.
If you don't have (and don't want to get) Expandex, replace with an equal amount Better Batter by weight. The dough will be more difficult to handle, and the end result will have a looser crumb and won't be as crispy outside.
Whole Grain Gluten Free Bagels
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 â…› cups (428 g) all purpose gluten free flour please click thru for appropriate blends
- 2 ¼ teaspoons xanthan gum (omit if your blend already contains it)
- 25 grams Expandex modified tapioca starch
- 3 tablespoons (38 g) whole grain teff
- 9 tablespoons (68 g) gluten free oat flour
- ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 2 tablespoons (25 g) granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon (9 g) instant yeast
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 4 tablespoons (56 g) unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon (21 g) unsulphured molasses
- 2 (50 g) egg whites at room temperature
- 1 ½ cups (12 fluid ounces) warm milk about 95°F
- Molasses bath for boiling (about 1 tablespoon unsulphured molasses, dissolved in 6 to 8 cups water)
- Egg wash (1 egg + 1 tablespoon lukewarm water, beaten)
Instructions
- In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, place the flour, xanthan gum, Expandex, teff, oat flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, sugar and yeast.
- Whisk with a separate handheld whisk to combine well. Add the salt and whisk again to combine.
- Add the butter, vinegar, molasses, egg whites and milk, and mix on low speed with the paddle attachment until the dough starts to come together.
- Switch out the paddle attachment for the dough hook, and knead the dough on medium speed for about 5 minutes.
- The dough should be smooth and stiff, and only slightly tacky to the touch.
- Transfer the dough to a large piece of lightly floured unbleached parchment paper.
- With a bench scraper, divide the dough into 8 equal parts.
- Take the first piece of dough, and roll it back and forth on the parchment paper into a cylinder about 6 inches long and 1 inch in diameter.
- Coil the dough into the shape of a bagel, with one end overlapping the other by about 1 inch.
- Press down a bit on the ends to seal. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet and set aside.
- Repeat with the remaining pieces of dough. Spray the bagels lightly with warm water, cover the baking sheet with plastic wrap and place in a warm, draft-free area to rise until the dough is about 150% of its beginning volume (about 40 minutes).
- While the dough is rising, preheat your oven to 375°F.
- In the last 15 minutes of rising, place the 2 tablespoons sugar dissolved in 6 to 8 cups water in a medium-sized pot.
- Place the pot on the stove and bring to a rolling boil over medium-high heat.
- Once the dough has risen, remove the plastic wrap.
- Carefully place the bagels, 2 at a time, in the boiling sugar water.
- Allow to boil about 90 seconds, then gently turn over in the water and boil for another 90 seconds.
- Remove the bagels to the parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Repeat with the remaining bagels.
- Brush the tops of the bagels generously with the 1 beaten egg.
- Place the baking sheet in the center of the preheated oven and bake for about 30 minutes, rotating once during baking, or until the bagels are a deep golden brown and sound hollow when tapped.
- Remove the bagels from the oven, and allow to cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes.
- Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before serving.