Gluten Free Sourdough Bagel Recipe

In my house friday nights were (and still are) "bagel night", which involves freshly baked sourdough bagels. I'm not sure how this tradition started but as soon as I started a gluten free diet I knew I would have to come up with an acceptable alternative.

After many failed attempts (some had a tendency to disintegrate when boiled and others simply tasted 'special'), I came up with these which could easily pass as 'normal' bagels.

Ingredients:

• 100g Cornflour
• 100g Potato flour
• 50g rice flour
• 10g tapioca flour
• 15g buckwheat flour
• 1 tsp xantham gum
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 heaped tsp yeast*
• 1 tsp salt
• 25g ground almonds
• 5 tablespoons of sourdough starter*
• 1 egg
• 150ml warm water*

To finish: 1 egg and any toppings (sesame seeds...etc)

*(I use sourdough (gluten free) in most of my gluten free bread based bakes as I feel it improves the texture but I don't put enough in to really effect the taste. You could choose not to include sourdough, in which case you would want  to add a little bit more yeast and water*.)

Method:

1. Combine the flours, gum, sugar, yeast, salt and almonds in a bowl and mix well.
2. Add in the egg, sourdough. Then add the water gradually until you get the 'dough' (this tends to be somewhere between dough and sticky mashed potato)
   
   
   

3. Let this rise for around an hour.
4. Pre-heat the oven to 200C and put a large pan of water on to boil. To prepare to shape the bagels I get a bowl of water (to put my hands in before handling the dough because it prevents sticking better than flour or oil) and some baking paper to put the handfuls of dough on.

5. Shape a handful of dough into a flat-ish roll on the baking paper and make a whole in the middle. I usually make 4 or 5 bagels.

6. Cut the baking paper around each bagel so it's slightly bigger than the bagel.

7. Once the water is boiling carefully put a bagel into the water. Let it boil for 45sec-1min each side and then put it onto a baking tray.  Repeat with each bagel.

8. Brush the bagels with the egg and add any toppings.

9. Bake until golden brown

These can be eaten fresh or toasted and will keep for a few days.