Chewy, tender, gluten-free bagels?! OH yes — they’re here. After (quite) a few tests, we found a beautiful balance between wholesomeness and classic bagel goodness that we’re just in love with. These bagels are undetectably gluten-free and we can’t wait for you to try them!
Enjoy as breakfast sandwiches or slathered with (vegan) cream cheese. Just 9 ingredients required for bagel bliss, friends. Let us show you how it’s done!
Who Invented Bagels?
Today, bagels are a type of bread so well-known it’s hard to imagine a world without them (and let’s not, it’s too sad)! While the earliest known recipe for a bagel-like bread (called ka’ak) appeared in a 13th-century Arabic cookbook, bagels as we know them were popularized by Ashkenazi Jews in Poland in the 17th century, possibly even earlier.
The tradition of putting a hole in the middle of bagels is also hundreds of years old. It helps ensure more even baking and makes bagels easier to transport and display! The following is our vegan and gluten-free take on the concept.
How to Make Gluten-Free Bagels
First, gluten-free bagels need the right mix of flours. Brown rice flour, sorghum flour, and tapioca starch create the perfect balance of structure, fluffiness, and chew! Next we add both ground flax seeds and ground chia seeds, which makes the dough thick and easy to handle.
In addition to a balance of flours, bagels need yeast for the right texture as well as their classic bagel taste. After the yeast proofs (a.k.a. gets frothy from munching on a little sugar), it’s time to combine the wet ingredients with the dry and give the dough time to rise!
After rising, the dough is ready to form into the shape of bagels. We evenly divide the dough and shape each piece into a “roll” before creating a hole in the center. This is when they start to look like bagels, and yes, it’s very exciting!
Next, it’s time to boil! Boiling is what gives bagels their classic chewy texture and shiny exterior, and it also helps the toppings to stick. We tried skipping this step, but it’s just not the same, friends.
Once the bagels are boiled and topped with seasoning (like everything bagel seasoning, cinnamon sugar, or poppy seeds), it’s bake time. Baking the bagels is crucial for cooking the insides and creating the fluffiest result. YAY — bagels will be on the table shortly!
We hope you LOVE these gluten-free bagels! They’re:
Wholesome
Chewy
Tender
Versatile
Undetectably gluten-free
& SO classic!
We love topping them with vegan cream cheese, using for sandwiches, or enjoying as part of breakfast! They’re perfect for making a big batch on the weekend, then storing in the refrigerator or freezer and toasting when ready to eat.
Love Gluten-Free Recipes? Try these next:
If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo @minimalistbaker on Instagram. Cheers, friends!
Servings 8 (Bagels)
- 1 ¾ cup warm water
- 2 Tbsp cane sugar (organic for vegan-friendly)
- 2 tsp active dry yeast
- 1 ½ cups sorghum flour*
- 1 ½ cups tapioca starch (also called tapioca flour)
- 2/3 cup brown rice flour (plus more for dusting)
- 3 Tbsp ground chia seeds*
- 3 Tbsp flaxseed meal (ground flax seeds*)
- 2 tsp sea salt
TOPPINGS (choose one – optional)
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In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the warm water (100-110 degrees F / 38-43 C) and sugar until the sugar is dissolved. Whisk in the yeast and let it bloom on the counter for 10 minutes until frothy. If it doesn’t foam, start over — your water may have been too hot or the packet of yeast was expired.
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While your yeast blooms, in a separate mixing bowl, combine the sorghum flour, tapioca starch, brown rice flour, ground chia seeds, ground flax seeds, and salt. Whisk well to combine.
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Once the yeast has proofed, make a slight “well” in the middle of the flour mixture, add water/yeast mixture to the “well,” and use a wooden spoon to begin mixing immediately. The mixture will start out quite loose and liquidy, but should start to thicken as you mix. When the mixture has thickened slightly and has no lumps (~1 minute) cover it with a thin kitchen towel and let rise at room temperature for 1 hour.
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When the dough is almost done rising, bring 3 quarts of water to a boil in a Dutch oven or other large pot. Preheat the oven to 400 F (204 C) and line a large baking tray with parchment paper. Set nearby.
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While your water is coming to a boil, dust a clean work surface with a little brown rice flour. Turn the dough out onto the surface and divide it into 8 equal pieces (adjust amount if altering default number of servings). Shape each piece into a ball, adding a little flour to your hands if the dough is sticky. Then, shape each ball into a bagel by pressing your pointer finger into the middle of the ball and moving it in a circular motion to widen the hole. The hole of the bagel should be ~1 inch (2 ½ cm) in diameter, as it will shrink slightly when boiled. Dust your work surface once more so the formed bagels are easy to pick up.
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When the water reaches a rolling boil, carefully (we used a spatula) pick up each bagel and place it into the boiling water (we added 3 at a time). Boil each bagel for ~45 seconds per side, using a fork or tongs to flip each bagel. When ready to remove, use a skimmer or large slotted spoon to remove the bagel from the water, ensuring that all excess water drains off (we used a slotted spatula). Place the boiled bagel onto the prepared baking sheet and immediately top the bagel with 2 teaspoons of your preferred topping (if using). Repeat the process with the remaining bagels.
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When the bagels are done boiling, place them into the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes, until dry to the touch and just beginning to brown. Let cool on the pan for 10 minutes before slicing, toasting, and enjoying. Delicious with vegan cream cheese, jam, peanut butter, avocado, or hummus.
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Store in an airtight container for up to 3-4 days in the refrigerator, or in the freezer for up to 1 month.
*The closest sub for sorghum flour would be oat flour, but we haven’t tested it in this recipe.
*To make cinnamon sugar topping, combine 3 Tbsp coconut sugar or organic cane sugar with 1 tsp ground cinnamon and mix well.
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated without optional ingredients.
Serving: 1 bagel Calories: 249 Carbohydrates: 52.1 g Protein: 4.2 g Fat: 2.8 g Saturated Fat: 0.2 g Polyunsaturated Fat: 1 g Monounsaturated Fat: 0.5 g Trans Fat: 0 g Cholesterol: 0 mg Sodium: 5 mg Potassium: 152 mg Fiber: 3.7 g Sugar: 3.7 g Vitamin A: 0 IU Vitamin C: 0 mg Calcium: 10 mg Iron: 1.3 mg
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