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I’ve been wanting to try and make proper gluten free bagels for a long time now and I’m so excited to have finally cracked this recipe!
I always thought making gluten free bagels would be difficult but it’s actually super easy!
The only difference between making bagels and bread really is the fact you have to boil the bagels before baking.
But this is such an easy process, I can’t believe I never tried making proper New York-style gluten free bagels before!
Topped with my homemade ‘Everything’ bagel mix, poppyseeds, sesame seeds or just plain, these bagels are going to become your new lunch staple.
The best gluten free bagels
So how do you make gluten free bagels?
For starters, these are proper bagels – unlike my ‘cheat’s’ gluten free bagels made with a simple yoghurt and flour mix.
Making bagels is similar to bread, in that you create a basic, yeasted dough.
But the difference is once the dough has proved and you have crated your bagel shapes, you need to briefly boil them.
Boiling the bagels helps to create that amazingly chewy crust when you then glaze and bake them.
I always thought this would be fiddly to do, or the bagels would just disintegrate, but trust me, it’s seriously easy.
Just 40-60 seconds on each side is all these bagels need in the water before they’re good to go.
What ingredients do you need?
There’s a full printable recipe card down below, but for the shopping list you’ll need the following:
- 400ml warm water
- 4 tsp sugar
- 14g dried quick yeast
- 600g gluten free bread flour
- 2 tsp xanthan gum
- 2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 4 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 egg (beaten, for brushing)
I always use the FREEE gluten free white bread flour which is a mixture of rice, potato and tapioca flour.
This flour does already have some xanthan gum in it but I always add more.
This is really crucial to achieving the right texture in the bagels – without it the mixture will be very sticky and difficult to handle.
This recipe is actually dairy free as well which is great if you have multiple allergies.
If you wanted to make these bagels vegan, you could brush them with a little dairy free milk instead of egg.
The glaze might not be exactly to the same shine levels but it will serve the same purpose!
Which yeast is gluten free?
I am based in the UK and there are several yeast products here which are gluten free and readily available.
I always use either the Allinson’s Easy Bake Yeast or the Dove’s Farm Quick Yeast.
You can also use the Allinson’s Time Saver Yeast, though be aware that you may not need to prove the dough for as long if you use this.
All of these yeasts are gluten free in the UK.
The Dove’s Farm one is certified gluten free and found in the free from aisle.
The Allinson’s yeasts are free from gluten and can be found with the ‘regular’ baking goods.
Testing if your yeast is active
It’s very important with any gluten free bread-based recipe that you activate the yeast before using it.
To do this, all of my recipes start by mixing the yeast with warm water (or some of them with milk) and sugar.
When left in a warm spot for 5-10 minutes, the yeast should form a frothy top a bit like the head on beer.
This means your yeast is active and you’re good to go!
If your yeast doesn’t froth up after 10 minutes, it’s likely it is dead and you’ll need to discard it and start again.
Sometimes yeast can go out of date so this could be a reason for it not frothing.
You also need to make sure the water is warm – not hot.
When you pop your finger in it, it should be a warm, comfortable temperature, around the same as your skin.
How to make gluten free bagels
Don’t forget there’s a full printable recipe card below with the ingredients and method.
But here I’ll outline a few of the key stages of this recipe with some step-by-step photos.
There’s also this handy video tutorial I made to show you exactly how easy these gluten free bagels are to make!
Once you’ve activated the yeast and mixed up the dough, you’ll need to leave it in a warm spot to prove.
The dough should puff up and indent when you press it – it will feel kind of light and fluffy, not as dense as it did before.
To make the bagels, first break off a chunk of dough (around 125g) and roll it into a ball.
Flatten the ball slightly with your hands – it can help here to lightly dust your hands with gluten free flour to stop the dough sticking.
Then use your thumb to press a hole through the centre of the bagel.
Smooth the edges over and then place this uncooked bagel to one side – repeat until you have a whole tray of them.
Boiling your bagels
The next step is to boil the bagels – this helps to get that awesome, chewy crust.
Hopefully while shaping your bagels you’ve brought a pan of salted water to the boil.
You want to drop 2-3 bagels in at a time, enough so that they’re not touching they float to the surface.
I cook them for 40-60 seconds on one side, then use a slotted spoon to turn them over and cook for another 40-60 seconds.
Use the spoon to remove them from the pan and onto a lined baking tray.
If you’re doing this in batches, I cover over the boiled bagels with a damp tea towel to ensure they don’t dry out too much while the others are cooking.
Baking your bagels
The final stage is to the bake the gluten free bagels.
Brush them with egg wash and the topping of your choice, then simply bake them until they’re golden on top.
Once baked, you’ll want to leave them to cool a little before eating.
It’s important to always do this with fresh gluten free bread products – eating them warm is fine but not hot.
This gives the gums time to settle and finish off the bake perfectly!
My gluten free bagels recipe
So here is it, my perfect gluten free bagels recipe, ready to be baked and slathered in cream cheese!
This recipe makes nine bagels but if you want to adjust the size to make them bigger or smaller, make sure you adjust the cooking times accordingly.
Smaller bagels will need to boil and bake for less time, and vice versa.
If you make this recipe and love it, please do let me know by tagging me on my Instagram or using #theglutenfreeblogger. I love seeing your bakes!
And please do leave a review to let others know you loved it too! It would mean the world to me.
Gluten Free Bagels
These classic gluten free bagels are made with a simple yeasted dough, which is boiled before baked in the oven. Proper chewy. New York-style bagels!
Ingredients
- 400ml warm water
- 4 tsp sugar
- 14g dried quick yeast
- 600g gluten free bread flour
- 2 tsp xanthan gum
- 2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 4 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 egg (beaten, for brushing)
For the topping:
- 2 tbsp sesame seeds
- 2 tbsp poppy seeds
- 1/2 tsp onion salt
- 1/2 tsp garlic granules
Instructions
- First you need to activate the yeast. Add the warm water to a jug and stir in the sugar. Add the yeast, stir and then cover with a tea towel. Leave in a warm place for 5-10 minutes to activate. When the yeast is ready it should have frothed up a bit like the head on a beer.
- Add the gluten free flour. xanthan gum, salt and baking powder to a large mixing bowl and mix with a wooden spoon.
- When the yeast is ready, pour the mixture into the flour mix. Add the oil and then beat with a wooden spoon until it forms a thick, sticky dough which starts to come away from the sides.
- Loosely cover the bowl with clingfilm and place in a warm spot for around 1 hour until the dough has expanded in size.
- When the dough has proved, bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Preheat an oven to 220'C / Fan 220'C / Gas Mark 7. Mix the topping ingredients together in a bowl and set to one side.
- While the water is coming to the boil, shape the bagels. To do this, break off a chunk of dough around 125g in weight. Lightly flour your hands and use them to roll the dough into a flat-ish ball. Use your thumb to make a hole in the centre of the dough and place to one side. Repeat until you have 9, equal-sized bagels.
- When the water has come to the boil, keep it on a gentle boil are carefully lower a 3-4 bagels at a time in the water - they should float to the top after a few seconds. Boil for 40-60 seconds then use a slotted spoon to turn them over and cook for another 40-60 seconds on the other side.
- Once the first batch of bagels have boiled, use the slotted spoon to remove them from the water and onto a lined baking tray with at least an inch between them. Cover with a damp tea towel while you repeat the process with the rest of the bagels.
- Once they are have all boiled, brush the bagels with beaten egg. Sprinkle generously with the bagel topping and then bake for 20-25 minutes until golden on top.
- Once cooked, remove from the oven and leave to stand for at least 30 minutes before eating.
Notes
- These bagels are best eaten on the day of baking. Eat them hot or cold, or slice them in half and toast them. You can also freeze them for up to 6 months.
- You can omit the toppings if you want and just brush with beaten egg - or choose a seed of your choice!
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
9Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 346Total Fat: 14gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 12gCholesterol: 21mgSodium: 1080mgCarbohydrates: 49gFiber: 5gSugar: 10gProtein: 7g
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Need some more gluten free baking inspiration?
Want to have a go at some of the other gluten free baking recipes on the blog?
Give some of these other gluten free bakes a try and see what you think!
There are plenty to choose from – here are a couple of easy baking tutorials to get you going:
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And if you have any recipe suggestions, please let me know in the comments what you’d like to see next!
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Like this Gluten Free Bagels recipe?
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Yay! I miss bagels so much and have been experimenting with how to make them get *that* chew! Can’t wait to try these. One quick note: NY bagels are boiled in a baking soda solution (appr. 1tbls in a medium pot) to give them their coat. Is there a reason no gf recipes suggest this? Does it do something to the gf dough that it wouldn’t to reg?
(Also, coconut oil is also a great vegan substitute. Found it works a bit better than alt milk.)
Great recipe thank you!! Mine turned out a bit too dense☹️ Oh well. Will try again
One conversion shows 600 g of flour equals 2.5 cups of flour; another shows 4.75 cups. It’s difficult to determine how to convert the grams and ml to cups and ounces.
4.75 cups is definitely closer than 2.5 cups. For a recipe like this that uses a gluten free blend compared to all purpose though, you’re much better off going with metric if you can. For gluten free flour, Google says it could be up to 5 cups.
Mls to ounces should be direct however?
I don’t see ratios for the bread flour mixture? I really want to make these but want to get the right amounts of each flour!
I have tried so many store bought bagels that a gluten free and it hasn’t been the same. I am a Jersey girl who loves her bagels but after being diagnosed with a gluten intolerance its been hard to find bagel place with gluten free bagels. I haven’t tried making my own bagels but after reading the recipe and your blog my confidence has been building up! I can’t wait to try it out!
Ahhhh I really hope you like these!!!