These gluten free asiago bagels are made in the Starbucks style, with Asiago and Parmesan cheeses. They're soft and fluffy inside, chewy outside.
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These are not chewy on the inside, crispy on the outside New York bagels. It's not like I really take that much pride in being from New York. It's just that … it's what I know. You know? And even though contrary to popular belief we don't really have a ton of great pizza in New York (well, we do in my house, but youknowwhatImean), we do have great bagels.
Even just a couple hours away in other cities in the northeast, like Philly, they just don't know how to make a bagel. Mostly, they make rolls with holes. but a roll with a hole does not a bagel make. The first rule of bagel-making (gluten free bagels or not) is that you gotta boil the bagel. If it isn't boiled first, it's just not a bagel. Full stop.
Boiling bagels before baking them is what makes for a thick and chewy crust during baking. It creates something of a moisture-barrier, and keeps the bagels from rising too much in the oven.
That'sย part ofย how they are slightly dense on the inside. But the shorter the boiling time, the thinner the crust and the more they will rise in the oven (so-called “oven spring,” discussed more fully in Gluten Free on a Shoestring Bakes Bread).
The bagel recipes in Bakes Breadย are for making true New York Bagels. They're chewy and slightly dense, with a nice thick crust. Bagels. Slice them, toast them, smear them, *sigh* eat them.ย
But it has come to my attention … that not everyone wants a Real New York Bagel. Some of you would really prefer what you get in, say, Starbucks: a light and fluffy bagel, with a crust, sure, but a thin one.
And the inside? Fluffy as could be. And since I'm at your service, and this is not AllAboutMe, I present to you Super Fluffy Asiago Gluten Free Bagels, just like at Starbucks.
These bagels have more moisture, and the dough is even slightly enriched (true bagels are lean lean lean) with a bit of butter and cheese. Plus, they're boiled more quickly. Look at how fluffy they are inside!
You don't even allow the dough to proof overnight in the refrigerator. How's that for speedy?! For me, even though I work from home, it's still much, much easier to make gluten free bread dough ahead of time and allow it to proof slowly in the refrigerator for a couple days before baking it.
That way, I get that nice, tangy yeast development (remember Bread FAQ#12!), and I don't have to wait around for that first rise. It happens while I'm living the rest of my life. But many of you want more bread doughs that you can make and bake in the very same day.
Can you make the bagels without the cheese? You sure can!
Just leave it out of the dough, and don't sprinkle it on top. ;) One way or another, though, you neeeeeeed to have a REAL gluten free bagel. Those ones they sell in packages in the grocery store? C'mon. They're rolls with holes.
If you don't want to make bagels with our gluten free bread flour, try our recipe for classic gluten free bagels made with an all purpose gluten free flour blend. They're amazing!
Gluten Free Asiago Bagels | Like Starbucks
Equipment
- Stand mixer fitted with dough hook
Ingredients
For the starter
- 1 ยผ cups (175 g) gluten free bread flour (you must use this blend; click thru for full details)
- 1 teaspoon (3 g) instant yeast
- 2 ยฝ tablespoons (30 g) granulated sugar
- 9 ยฝ fluid ounces warm water (about 95ยฐF)
For the dough
- 2 cups (280 g) gluten free bread flour plus more for sprinkling (you must use this blend; click thru for full details)
- โ teaspoon (2 g) instant yeast
- 1 teaspoon (6 g) kosher salt
- Starter
- 2 tablespoons (28 g) unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1 ounce finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
- Molasses bath for boiling (6 cups water plus 1 tablespoon molasses plus 1 teaspoon kosher salt)
- Egg wash (1 large egg, at room temperature, beaten with1 tablespoon water)
- 6 ounces Asiago cheese grated (or another semi-hard cheese)
Instructions
Make the starter.
- Place all the starter ingredients in a medium-size bowl, and whisk until well combined. The mixture will be thick and shapeless. Cover and set the bowl aside in a warm, draft-free location to rise until doubled (about 40 minutes).
Make the dough.
- Once the starter has finished rising, place the bread flour and yeast in the bowl of your stand mixer, and use a handheld whisk to combine well. add the salt, and whisk to combine.
- Add the risen starter, butter, and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese to the bowl, and mix on low speed with the dough hook until combined. Raise the mixer speed to medium and knead for about 5 minutes. It will be sticky dough, but will become stretchier and appear thinner as the mixer kneads it. Spray a silicone spatula lightly with cooking oil spray, and scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl or proofing bucket large enough for the dough to rise to double its size, and cover with an oiled piece of plastic wrap (or the oiled top to your proofing bucket).
- Place the dough in a warm, draft free location to rise until nearly doubled in size (about 1 1/2 hours).
- To make the dough easier to handle, after it has finished rising, place the sealed dough in the refrigerator to chill for 30 minutes before handling.
Shape the bagels.
- Once the dough has finished its first rise, line a large, rimmed baking sheet with unbleached parchment paper, grease it lightly with cooking oil and set it aside. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Knead until smooth by scraping the dough over on itself using a cake turner or bench scraper, sprinkling with more gluten free bread flour lightly as necessary to prevent sticking.
- Divide the dough into six parts. Shape each piece of dough into a round, and then poke a hole with a well-floured finger vertically into the center of the round dough. Move your finger in a circular motion to widen the hole so that it does not close during proofing.
- Place each piece of bagel-shaped dough on the prepared baking sheet about 2 inches apart, cover with oiled plastic wrap, and set in a warm, draft-free location to rise until nearly doubled in size (about 45 minutes to 1 hour, depending upon the environment).
- About 25 minutes before the dough has finished rising, preheat your oven to 375ยฐF.
Boil the bagels.
- Dissolve 1 tablespoon of molasses and 1 teaspoon of kosher salt in 6 cups of water (approximate measurements are fine here). Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high to high heat.
- Once the dough has finished rising, place the shaped bagels a few at a time into the boiling bath for only 30 seconds per side.
- Remove the bagels with a strainer and return them to the baking sheet.
Bake.
- Brush the boiled bagels with the egg wash, and sprinkle generously with about 3/4 of the grated Asiago cheese. Repeat with the remaining bagel dough.
- Place the baking sheet in the center of the preheated oven and bake for 15 minutes. Remove the bagels from the oven and quickly sprinkle the remaining Asiago cheese over the nearly-baked bagels. Rotate the baking sheet, return the bagels to the oven and continue to bake until they are golden brown all over and the cheese is melted (about 5 minutes more). To brown the cheese a bit, place it under your ovenโs broiler for about 1 minute.
- Allow to cool on the pan briefly before serving.
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Thanks for stopping by!
Hi, Iโm Nicole. I create gluten free recipes that really work and taste as good as you remember. No more making separate meals when someone is GF, or buying packaged foods that arenโt good enough to justify the price. At Gluten Free on a Shoestring, โgood, for gluten freeโ just isnโt good enough! Come visit my bio!
Emily W says
Hi Nicole, I checked at our health food store and they were unable to help me with unflavored whey protein isolate. Is this the same as powdered milk? If not, is there a substitute? Very new to this, sorry for the ignorance!
Nicole Hunn says
It’s not the same as powdered milk, Emily. I recommend you buy NOW Brand whey protein isolate on amazon. Here is a link to all the items in my baking pantry and where I buy them: https://glutenfreeonashoestring.com/stock-your-gluten-free-pantry-baking/
Wendy says
Hi Nicole, I’m super excitecd to try this! Can this dough rise in the fridge for 12 hrs just like the other bagles?
Nicole Hunn says
You sure can, Wendy!
lewcianci says
Nicole, I love your site and the recipes you list, but when you use things like Expandex Modified Tapioca starch, you severely limit the amount of people that can actually make your recipe :(
Theres nowhere I can get that stuff in Australia…
Nicole Hunn says
I’m sorry you’re having trouble finding Expandex in Australia, lewcianci, but I’m afraid that I have no way of knowing what is and is not available in other countries with any level of confidence, and I’m afraid that I have to use everything in my disposal, within reason, when developing recipesโparticularly for my cookbooks. I have worked very, very hard to make sure that non-U.S. readers know how to use Ultratex 3 (which is another type of modified tapioca starch) in my recipes in place of Expandex (scroll down to #6 in that link). I believe that others in Australia have been able to find Ultratex 3. Perhaps you can find that.
Cathy says
Can I sub anything for the potato flour in the high quality mix? I like using the pectin since it seems to add a nice consistency to the finished product.
Nicole Hunn says
I’m afraid not, Cathy. Pectin is already in the blend, and it is not a substitute for potato flour.
Cathy says
Ok I will just do the simple version then. That is what I have been using from your book and it has worked well in the bread flour blend. I love the better than cup for cup blend too. It makes great scones.
JoJo says
I’ve been wanting to make blueberry bagels so bad, and found this recipe. Do you have any advice for adding blueberries? Should I use a little less water maybe? Can’t wait to try making these!
Nicole Hunn says
You’ll really have to experiment, JoJo, as blueberries have a lot of moisture. I actually think you’d do better using the bagel recipe in Bakes Bread, rather than this one.
JoJo says
Thanks! I’ll check that out, and maybe do some experimenting tonight!