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| bagels |
I still miss the warm toasty flavour of granary bread when I eat my usual bagels. I also note that people seem to find it hard to get enough fibre in their diet on a gluten-free diet, presumably because the foods available in the shops are made from highly processed starches. Here is a lovely and flexible recipe for a seedy high fibre well flavoured-bagel. adjust the quantity of linseeds to suit your own guts - they have a powerful bulking action.
I started with the usual bagel recipe and added a variety of seeds and other flavourings. I have made this several times, and have varied it each time, so do amend the recipe to include your favourite seeds. I have made this with mixtures of the ground buckwheat sprouts I grew last week, with quinoa that I rinsed and toasted then ground, with pumpkin and sunflower seeds, and with brown linseed.
Ingredients and method
400ml warm water (avoid highly chlorinated - if you don't filter your water and it smells very chlorinated let it sit a while to let the chlorine disperse)
1-2 tsp of yeast depending on how much of a hurry you are in
1 tsp of date syrup or other sugar
mix these together and let them froth. I do this even with the instant yeast you can add dry to flour. I like to see my yeast working before I go any further.
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| yeasty water |
250g urid lentil flour
mix with the yeasty water and leave the covered batter to rise for a couple of hours in a warm place
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| double in size - see the air holes |
30-50g linseeds -(depending on how 'therapeutic' for your bowels you want this bread to be!)
75g pumpkin seed
50g quinoa, buckwheat etc
100g skin-on almonds (substitute with more seeds/quinoa etc if nut intolerant)
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| mixed seeds |
grind these in your blender until as smooth as you want.
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| ground seeds |
Add the seeds and one egg (not essential if egg intolerant) to the dough
Add about 20g date syrup / 2 tbsp (or suitable brown syrup eg treacle, honey etc)
1/4 tsp vanilla (yes - it helps)
1/4 tsp tamarind paste
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| add seeds and flavourings to dough |
Beat dough until mixed.
Add in enough tapioca flour to make a firm but still very slightly damp dough. If you touch it very lightly some should stick to your fingers. Beat thoroughly.
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| slightly too wet |
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| a little dough sticks |
Leave to rise. I put mine to rise in the oven with some hot water in a dish to give a moist atmosphere. Otherwise cover with a damp cloth or plastic wrap. As it rises the tapioca flour will absorb more water and the dough will be easy enough to shape with floured hands.
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| texture of risen dough - see the air holes |
Shape into bagels. Use a light touch so that you dont knock all the air out. Place on floured tray to rise again. The dough will feel odd and slightly bouncy. We like about 100g for each bagel.
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| shaped bagels |
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| risen bagels |
When risen, boil for 30 secs each side, drain and place on baking sheet. I read somewhere that you should plunge into iced water after this stage, so I tested it, but we preferred the ones that were just drained.
Add seeds on top if wanted.
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| sesame seeds |
Bake in a hot oven (180C) until golden.
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| texture of finished bagel |
These produce a bagel which has an even texture, no cloying texture, toasts well, holds its shape, freezes well, and tastes great.
Cool, freeze until needed if not going to be eaten within two days.
There are a lot of steps in this but mostly the dough does its own work while you get on with other things. Slow risen doughs are easier to digest, and the timing between each stage isn't critical. Increase the yeast or warmth (up to but not beyond 40C) to speed the process up. If you can't finish in one day just put the dough at whatever stage it is at in the fridge and carry on the next day.
