Hole in One

Gluten-Free Bagels

My proudest baking endeavour to date: gluten-free bagels. Attempted and nailed No Gluten, No Problem's recipe, substituting the artisan flour with Doves Farm Gluten Free Bread Flour and still opting for the extra xanthan gum. I nearly omitted the second egg white in the initial dough but thankfully Paul came in to the kitchen and pointed out that I evidently suck at counting to two. I added the second egg-white before the divide and shape, which made everything alarmingly slick but once incorporated it was fine. Crisis averted. The recipe provided some excellent tips, namely proving in a hot, damp oven, and the pre-boil flash baking; steps that might be tempting to curtail but I'm convinced they add to the authenticity of these bagels. That being said, nothing will ever beat a Montreal bagel in my heart and if I could recreate that perfectly circumferential contour, I'd be immensely pleased with myself as texture and crust of these bad boys are otherwise damn near perfect, even as a gluten-free bagel.

Next time, let's try doubling the batch. While the effort was well worth it even for just four, it seems silly not to make more when I know they will turn out and be eaten. Half the process is allowing them to rise and bake so it's enough down time to read a few chapters, and admittedly not clean the kitchen. File this one under 'Repeat'.