Gluten-Free and Vegan Bagels

My childhood memories are littered with bagels – the soft, white, fluffy ones with crisp crusts dotted with poppy and sesame seeds, which we sliced open and spread with cream cheese, tuna or egg salad.

I don’t eat bagels very often anymore. They’re more work intensive to bake than bread and I haven’t any desire to buy them pre-made, as most store-bought gluten-free breads leave much to be desired.

However, I had some extra time during spring break to play and I really wanted to try these.

They certainly did not disappoint. I was expecting them to be dense, but they were light and had a nice, golden crust. There was a sweetness to them, though I’m not sure where that came from as there’s not a lot of sugar in the recipe. They were delicious fresh from the oven, but also amazing toasted and spread with raw honey or nut butter. And they were the size of ‘regular’ bagels, so you could easily make a sandwich with them.

Not quite like the bagels from my childhood, but a great substitute.

A few notes on ingredients: I could not find ‘light’ buckwheat, so I used regular. I suspect regular buckwheat is way thicker than light buckwheat, so I did not need to use the additional cup of sorghum flour. I used sesame seeds as my topping – but you can try whatever you want. I’ll probably mix some nuts and seeds into the dough next time, as a lot of my sesame seeds fell off after baking.

For step-by-step photos, visit manifest: vegan.

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Gluten-Free and Vegan Bagels
From manifest: vegan

1 tbsp xanthan gum
1 cup tapioca starch
½ cup cornstarch
1 cup sorghum
1 ¼ cup light buckwheat flour (or regular buckwheat flour)
up to 1 additional cup of sorghum plus extra for dusting workspace
1 tbsp yeast
3 tbsp vegan sugar
1 ¼ cups warm water
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp vinegar
3 tsp egg replacer mixed with 4 tbsp warm water
1 tsp sea salt

‘egg’ wash: 1 tsp cornstarch mixed with ½ cup cold water

Mix together dry ingredients (except for 1 additional cup of sorghum flour) and set aside.

In large mixing bowl combine yeast, warm water and sugar. Let yeast proof about five minutes, or until foamy. Once proofed, add olive oil, vinegar, prepared egg replacer and salt.

Gradually stir in flour mixture and mix until well combined. Your dough should be easy to handle. Beat on medium speed about 1 minute, or until dough becomes very sticky.

On low speed, mix in ½ cup more sorghum flour. Remove beater, scrape down sides of bowl, and using your hands, mix in up to ½ cup additional sorghum flour until your dough is once again workable. The goal is to get a soft and workable dough, not too dry. If you want any mix-ins, like raisins, chocolate chips, onions, garlic, add them in now.

Divide dough into six sections and shape into even balls. Dust your palms with sorghum flour if necessary to keep from sticking. Insert your finger into the middle of the ball to make a ring out of the dough.

Set aside in warm area and let rise about 30-45 minutes. Before the bagels begin to rise,  use your finger dipped in water to smooth the dough on the tops of the bagels.

Bring a small pot of water (with a few teaspoons sugar added) to a boil and preheat your oven to 375 degrees F.

Once bagels have risen, drop one at a time into the boiling water and let boil about one minute, flipping halfway. Using a spatula or slotted spoon, remove bagel from water and let excess water drain off. Place onto lightly oiled and cornmeal sprinkled cookie sheet, or silpat. Repeat with all bagels until every one has been boiled.

Prepare the cornstarch glaze by mixing the cornstarch and water and then microwaving (or boiling) until a thick gluey substance is made. Brush onto bagels and top with toppings.

Bake bagels in preheated oven for 25 minutes. Let cool briefly on wire rack and enjoy!