Gluten-Free BAGELS

I am home for the holidays. Growing up, on New Year's Day we'd have split pea soup and usually we'd eat bagels from the bagel store with lox and cream cheese.

I haven't been home for New Year's in many years, so I was very excited for our traditional meal, until I realized...

Oof, no bagels.

Even after five years of gluten free it's still that punch in the gut when you realize you can't have a special thing.

But no punch so hard as the actual punch of eating gluten!

Anyway, so why not try? Why not MAKE BAGELS!

At Christmas we make a Swedish bread—glazed over with sugar and full of cardamom—that we eat with lots of butter (and eggs and bacon) on Christmas morning.

Post-gluten, as I'll refer to it, my mother (also gluten-free) and I made the Christmas bread with the Gluten-Free Pantry's Sandwich Bread mix.

So, I figured I'd start simple with these bagels. I'd start with the bread mix.

This is a really easy way to make bagels, all it requires is the mix, a mixer (you could do it by hand, but get ready to stir!) and about two hours (mostly waiting!)

Here's what I did: using this blog The Fresh Loaf as my starting point, I followed the directions on the back of the bread mix box. (Any sandwich bread mix should do, but I recommend Gluten Free Pantry for flavor and soft texture.)

My friend Marlie (pastry chef extraordinaire and blogger at Marliese's Sweet Treats) told me that what "makes" a bagel is boiling and malt powder. Well, we can't eat malt. The Fresh Loaf suggested using honey instead.

So while I mixed the oil, water, yeast and flour mix in our standing mixer (as per box instructions) I added a drizzle of dark honey and a drizzle of molasses. (Why not?)

I let the bread rise on top of the oven (for warmth, the split-pea soup was simmering) for 40 minutes (as per the mix).

I sprinkled some potato starch on a board (I'm sure any other gluten-free flour would be fine) and rolled some small balls of the risen dough. Warning! It is very sticky. I used a LOT of flour. I punched a hole in the middle of the dough for the hole. (Rolling a log and trying to connect the ends was simply not happening.)

I preheated the oven to 500.

Then put the little guys on a tray and cover them with a damp cloth to let them rise for another twenty minutes.

Then prepare a shallow pan of water. (You could use a larger pot, but I was afraid they would be too fragile. I think they'd survive a big pot, if that's what you have.) You are supposed to add a teaspoon of baking soda (to alkalize the water) and then bring it to a boil.

Meanwhile, oil two baking sheets.

I boiled the bagels for about a minute each, flipping them over with tongs halfway through. (Next time I'd try boiling them longer, in the hopes it'd make them chewier.)

Place on the oiled baking sheet and top (sesame seeds!) while wet. I also sprinkled some salt on after tasting the first batch. (They needed a little salt.)

Bake five minutes at 500.

Rotate the tray.

Bake another five minutes at 450.

Keep your eye on them! That's some high heat right there.

DONE.

They weren't as bagelly as I'd hoped for but they were sweet and chewy and delicious with cream cheese. And one hundred times better than any bagel in a bag or freezer I've encountered. I think they'll be great toasted tomorrow.

Happy New Year!