With a crisp outside and chewy inside these boiled gluten free plain bagels are more than just a roll with a hole. No fancy ingredients required!
A New York bagel, of a kind
When I first started developing recipes for bagels, I was inclined to make a true New York bagel: one that has a relatively tight crumb, and is intensely chewy. That’s the kind of bagel I grew up in NY eating from the local bagel store in town. The kind where teens worked after school.
When I lived in New York City, I ate at places like Ess-a-Bagel and H&H Bagels. They had bigger, puffier bagels.
They were still chewy, but they also had a much more airy crumb. To me, they tasted fluffy. But they’re not truly fluffy. These gluten free plain bagels are like those bagels of my young adulthood.
They’re not the roll with a hole that you get from somewhere like Dunkin Donuts (bless their hearts). No one aspires to that sort of bagel, not even Dunkin Donuts.
Same goes for all of the packaged gluten free bagels you can buy—at least all of the ones I’ve tried. They are bagel-shaped bread.
These bagels are amazing fresh out of the oven. Pile a chunky chicken salad on one, and try to conceal your pleasure before you even take a single bite.
They’re also awesome toasted. First of all, why would anyone do that with a true fresh bagel?
But if you’re planning to toast your bagel, you may as well make a big batch, let them cool completely, slice them through the middle, and freeze them. Defrost at room temperature, and toast to perfection.
How to shape a bagel
Bagels are sometimes shaped by rolling out a cylinder of dough, about 1 1/2-inches thick and then joining the ends together to create a round. That is not the way I shape or recommend shaping bagels.
If you shape your bagel like that, the edges may separate during boiling or even during baking. Plus, a bagel tastes no different if it’s shaped that way. Maybe it’s just for showing off? We do not need that.
I prefer to shape my bagels the easy way. Create a round of your portioned piece of dough as you would any other round of dough.
A smooth round piece of bread dough is shaped by cupping your hand around the dough, with the pinky edge of your hand resting on the surface and your hand in a C shape (or a backwards C if you’re right handed like I am). Move your hand around in a circle, maintaining contact with the surface on the side of your hand at all times.
Then, poke a floured finger into the center and rotate the dough around that finger in concentric circles. If you’re a visual learner and are sighted, watch the how-to video. You’ll get the hang of it.
Why bagels must be boiled and then baked
After the shaped pieces of dough rise just enough (you only want it to rise to be about 1 1/2 times its original size), you’re going to boil them in a molasses bath. That’s just 6 cups water with 1 teaspoon kosher salt and 1 tablespoon unsulphured molasses brought to a rolling boil.
If you have a cakey bread dough, no amount of boiling is going to give you a chewy dough. But if you have the right recipe with the proper balance of regular pantry-style gluten free ingredients like this recipe, boiling your shaped and risen bagels will keep them from rising too much in the oven.
When the bagels’ oven rise is just a bit restricted, you are rewarded with a chewy bagel. Be sure not to let them rise too much once they’re shaped, or your bagel dough will soak up water like a sponge and disintegrate during boiling.
Ingredients and substitutions
Dairy
The dairy in this recipe comes from butter and milk powder. The milk powder you use can be nonfat dry milk or whole milk powder. Whole milk powder makes a slightly richer result.
To replace the milk powder with a dairy-free alternative, coconut milk powder should work. I like Native Forest brand, but there are many others available now, including Anthony’s brand.
In place of butter, vegan butter should work. I like Miyoko’s Kitchen or Melt brand vegan butters best.
Eggs
If you can’t have egg whites, you can try replacing the egg white with an equal amount, by weight, of aquafaba, which is the brine from a can of chickpeas. Try beating the aquafaba until foamy with a whisk before adding it to the dough.
In place of the egg wash on the outside of the bagels, try using melted butter or cream!
Tapioca starch/flour
There is no other starch that I can recommend as a perfect substitute for tapioca starch/flour. It provides structure, stretch and a smoothness to the dough that I’ve really come to rely upon in many bread recipes.
HELLO! I’m Nicole! I make gluten-free food enjoyable & affordable. If they can make it with gluten, we can make it without. That’s a promise!
I don’t advise substituting coconut milk powder for the powdered milk. I tried that tonight as I’m lactose intolerant and the bagels came out soooo soft. I couldn’t scoop them up off the proofing pan and when I dropped them into the water, they fell apart. Sigh. I weighed all the other ingredients out so it must have been the subbed milk powder. I’m baking dough blobs and pieces instead of bagels.
There’s only 1/4 cup milk powder, Cheryl, so although that may have affected the result a bit, it’s not likely that it’s entirely responsible. I’d have a look at your flour blend, as well, and whether you made other substitutions (ex: tapioca starch/flour).
I don’t have regular tapioca starch, but do have the modified tapioca start that you use in your other recipes. Can I use this tapioca starch instead?
They are not interchangeable. They are completely different ingredients.
I do like your recipes but i can’t have yeast of any sort so how do i make yr bagels can i make them the same as yr bread wth egg whites
I’m afraid there is no substitute for yeast in a yeast bread recipe, Rose.
I’ve made this recipe 3 times already (once everything bagel style, once montreal-style with a honey bath instead of molasses, and once pretzel-bagel adding 1/4 cup of baking soda to the molasses bath, because I deeply miss good pretzels). Turned out amazing every time! Crazy question though, do you think it would work to replace the milk powder with regular whole milk and decrease the amount of water? Not a word of a lie, this recipe has changed my life for the better.
Hi, Val, it sounds like you were well past due for a real bagel. So happy to oblige! No, I’m afraid you can’t do that swap. You need the milk powder. I have a separate recipe for soft pretzels, and one for pretzel rolls, so you should try those, too! Imagine what your life might be like then. ?
The first time I made these, I was half asleep and accidentally made them with arrowroot instead of tapioca. I think I had tapioca in the flour, but all the extra was arrowroot. They were delightfully chewy! However, that much arrowroot well… my GI system didn’t appreciate it. I’ve made them since with tapioca properly, and today I’m going to try them with half arrowroot and half tapioca.
Can you suggest any dairy free alternatives? Unfortunately I am allergic to all animal milks and the derivitives. .
Please see the Ingredients and substitutions section of the post, Jody, for all the information I can offer!
Most people with egg alergies can use duck eggs with no problems. Also because of an A1 milk protien allergy, we substitute powdered goat milk. For whey protein isolate, would goat milk whey protein isolate work? We love your website thank you for all the hard work
Powdered goat milk is fine in place of powdered cow’s milk, Jim. I’m honestly not sure about goat milk derived whey protein isolate, but since it’s still casein, I imagine it should work if it’s actually a protein isolate, not concentrate. This recipe doesn’t call for whey protein isolate, though.
What would make the yest aggressive in this recipe? I weighed everything by grams, and after 24 hours in the fridge, the 4 qt container exploded.
I’m afraid I have no idea, Sara! If you made any ingredient substitutions, or overmeasured the yeast or even the water. Too much moisture creates too high a hydration ratio, which makes the rise too intense. That’s my guess. Water can be measured by weight easily, as it’s the only liquid that has the same weight as volume. 1 fluid ounce of water = 1 weighted ounce (28 grams).
Hi Nicole, I am making your bagels, and I have made your sandwich bread before and I always run into the same problem: my dough never gets a thick consistency in the stand mixer like yours does. I’m not sure what I’m doing wrong because I follow your recipe and measure by weight! I’m hoping you can help me out. Thank so much and I love your recipes!
There are only two things I can think of, Haley: 1. Are you using one of my recommended flour blends? They are far from created equal! 2. Are you ingredients the proper temperature? If some of the ingredients are cold, they will not combine properly. Without knowing more, I’m afraid those are my only guesses!
Made these with dry coconut milk rather than milk powder and they turned out beautiful. I will definitely make them again, as they most likely won’t last. Thank you Nicole for another easy and yet delicious recipe. You make my GF life so much easier.
I’m so happy to hear that, Plamena. Thank you so much for sharing your experience, and for the kind words!
I’ve tried this recipe once from your GFoaS recipe book but they weren’t quite right, more bread-like and softer outside rather than I’d hoped BUT there are may tips here where I might improve. Still a novice GF baker.
Why oh why didn’t I listen to you, oh flour whisperer? ? I used Bob’s One to One and couldn’t shape the bagels. I’m letting them rise and then will put them into the oven to see if they will be edible. Might try boiling a few of the rolls too. Going to read more closely which of your flour types I need for this. … for next time.
LOL because you wanted to believe! I was where you are, many years ago. We all have to learn in our own special way, Jen. For me, as it may be for you, it’s often the hard way. Bob’s Red Mill flours are just not good quality, at least not consistently. Everyone in the industry knows it, too, but they still have their market share…
I am assembling ingredients for this recipe. Is Instant Non-fat dry milk powder the same thing as the dry milk powder in the recipe?
You can use them interchangeably. That’s why I didn’t specify, Gina. :)
I plan on trying this recipe but I have a question about the flour mixture. I accidentally bought Better Batter flour blend which includes xanthum gum and tapioca starch. Your recipe says not to include the xanthan gum if the flour already contains it but what about tapioca starch? Do I still add the 1/2 cup? If not, should I just add an extra 1/2 cup of the flour blend?
Thanks!
Hi, Suzy, I don’t consider that an accident! Better Batter is my most recommended all purpose gluten free flour blend. Please see the flour blends page for full information (linked in the recipe). Not all flour blends already contain xanthan gum, which is why I indicate that you don’t add that as an ingredient if it’s already in your blend. The tapioca starch is different. That’s a separate ingredient, independent of the ingredients in your blend. I know it can be hard not to overthink things, but trust yourself! You’ve got it right, just as it’s written. :)
I made these yesterday, I halved the recipe, but followed everything per weight measurements (used your better batter gf flour mix, and everything else as per written). They looked and smelled amazing! My only problem was after they came out of the oven, they deflated. They taste awesome, but they are more like thin bagel chips, vs what your pictures show. What could I have done wrong?
It sounds like they were underbaked, Jenelle! Baking times vary, which is why I provide an internal temperature. Other than that, you may have made a mathematical error in halving, and there are plenty of other ways to have deviated from the recipe as written and I’m afraid I can’t possibly know where!
I made these bagels as written and they are spot on! Delicious, thank you for sharing!
I’m so glad, Gina! Thanks for sharing your success. ?
Can’t wait to try this!! Curious….have you tried any mix ins like seeds, onions: , etc?
Thanks,
Tammra
I would not recommend mixing anything in to the bagel dough, Tammra. But definitely feel free to sprinkle anything you like on top before baking, after the egg wash!
Can I use fresh yeast instead of instant yeast?
I would imagine you probably could, Nancy, but I don’t know the conversion if there is a standard conversion, so I don’t have any advice, I’m afraid.
I miss H&H Bagels with a passion… I a SO excited to try this recipe!
These look enticing, but I have no stand mixer and no paddle attachment. Should I just find a different recipe?
Is there a substitute for the sugar in this recipe?
No, Mary. There is nearly none in it. I recommend just using the small amount.
These look wonderful. However, I can’t tolerate xanthan gum. ?
Do you know if there is a substitute that will work well in this recipe?
I’m afraid not, Wendy. You must use gums.
Can you use aquafaba for the “egg wash”, also?
Have you tried it?
I’m glad you asked, Amy, because I meant to mention how to replace the egg wash in the Ingredients and substitutions section! I recommend using either melted butter or cream in place of the egg wash if you can’t have eggs. I’ve added that to the text.
Is there a substitute for the molasses in the water?K
Nothing will provide the same richness and color, really, but if you can find dark honey, that might be okay.