Gluten Free Vegan Bagels

I believe bagels are one of the HARDEST things to duplicate flavor and texture when trying to do it gluten free and vegan. I mean a lot of baked goods are tough to mimick gluten free in general but adding vegan in the mix makes it extra complicated. There has only been one brand of bagels I've found I really love and truly compares and that is Sami's Bakery. But not everyone (like me!) can afford to buy those things all the time so I'm happy to provide another option! This recipe was adapted from the Fork & Beans bagel recipe, I just swapped out a couple things and viola! These turned out GREAT and all my kids loved them! While they aren't the traditional bagel chewy, fluffy glutinous goodness, they ARE delicious and A BAGEL!

​This batch makes 6 small bagels so if you need more just double it.

I added some thoughts below on swaps on flours because I think some of them can be substituted and sometimes we just don't have every kind of GF flour! 



NOTES ABOUT FLOUR SUBS:
​
On the FORK & BEAN website she goes over each kind of flour category & how to make flour blends. Being gluten free for 3+ years has been difficult at times and finding this has guide been a lot of help for me! There are 3 categories for gluten free flours : light, medium and heavy flours. TYPICALLY you can substitute them within that category. I will list those below. 

LIGHT (STARCHES): ARROWROOT, POTATO (not flour!), TAPIOCA & CORN
MEDIUM: CHICKPEA, MILLET, OAT, QUINOA, WHITE RICE, SORGHUM
HEAVY: ALMOND, BROWN RICE, BUCKWHEAT, COCONUT and also TEFF & AMARANTH (I never use those)

For this recipe I used what I had on had so I do not know what the end results will be when subbing them out. But I would stay in the LIGHT and MEDIUM categories if doing so.


INGREDIENTS:

WET

• 1 cup warm water
• 1 1/2 tsp dry active yeast
• 1/2 tsp coconut sugar
• 3 Tbsp ground chia seeds or flax meal  (measure AFTER grinding)
• 1 Tbsp coconut oil, melted
• 2 tsp apple cider vinegar or lemon juice

DRY

• 2/3 cup GF oat flour
• 2/3 cup quinoa flour
• 2/3 cup potato starch
• 1 tsp baking power
• 1 tsp pink salt
• 1/2 tsp baking soda

EVERYTHING TOPPING MIX:

• 1 Tbsp hemp seeds
• 1 Tbsp poppy seeds
• 1 Tbsp dried onions
• 1 Tbsp oats
• 1 Tbsp sunflower seeds
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp garlic powder

DIRECTIONS:

1. Add the yeast and coconut sugar to the cup of warm water and allow to foam up, about 10 minutes.
2. Add the ground chia or flax, coconut oil, and vinegar, mix and let sit about 5 minutes to thicken.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together all the dry ingredients. Pour in the yeast mixture into the flour mix and stir until combined. If too wet, add a little more oat flour (about 1-2 Tbsp). If too dry add a touch more water (1-2 Tbsp). I found I needed to use my hands to get it all incorporated. I kneaded the dough in the bowl for about 3-4 minutes until it was well combined.
4. Divide into 6 small balls and smooth out with your hands. Form each ball into bagel form by creating a hole in the middle by using your index finger and shape it with your fingers.
5. On a baking sheet covered with parchment paper, set all the bagels on there and cover.  Allow to rise for 40 minutes. (mine didn't rise TOO much like regular wheat flour does so don't panic if they don't look too much bigger).
6. Add all your topping ingredients to a bowl and set aside.
7. When your rise time is about up, preheat the oven to 375.
8. Fill a medium sized pot with about 4 cups of water and bring to a boil. Gently place 1 bagel at a time into the boiling water and boil on each side for 30 seconds. Use a slotted spoon to scoop out of the water.
9. Carefully place back onto the parchment paper and sprinkle the topping mix. Please do this one at a time so the bagels don't dry out and the mix doesn't stick.
10. Bake for 20 minutes, remove and allow to cool on a wire rack. When ready to eat, slice in half and use your favorite toppings! You can also toast these and slather with butter! Store in an air tight container and these are best if used within 24 hours.