Blueberry Gluten Free & Vegan Bagels

I really thought this recipe would be an easy one to figure out.. boy was I ever wrong. they were worth the effort though I must say. The good news is that they are quite easy to make! You can quite literally just throw everything Into the mixing bowl (of using the dried blueberry option!)

If you are new to working with yeast breads this would be an excellent recipe to start with as this dough doesnt need to rise at all during its proofing process. In fact the only reason I bothered to proof it at all is to create some good bready flavor!

These bagels can be made in just about an hour. They have an incredible chewy texture, fantastic flavor and crispy bottoms. We absolutely love them & I know you will too!

Lets go over the ingredients!

Better Batter Gluten Free Orginal Blend

This flour blend continues to amaze me. It can do so many things better than most other blends that I have tried. As a result its extremely popular. Usually its available on Amazon and at Walmart. Lately I have been ordering it from the Better Batter website directly. When they sell out- they tend to restock pretty quickly. Check back within a day or two if they are sold out when you look. I buy it in bulk now (20 lbs at a time) as I cant risk running out. I use it in too many recipes that we love.

What if you cant get your hands on it? This may be the case if you live outside the US. My friend Nichole from Gluten Free on a Shoestring has figured out a mock recipe for better batter. Her version should work great in this recipe! The owner (Naomi) of better batter has confirmed that the mix is similar to the official version.

Better Batter so kindly offered me a 35% off promo code to share with all of you! This can be used as often as you would like for every single purchase made directly on BetterBatter.com Use the code: BakingAngell35

Expandex

This bread is truly only possible because of the magic of expandex. It is a modified form of tapioca starch that was formulated to improve gluten free baking. The word Modified tends to worry people- so let me explain further. Essentially they studied tapioca and removed portions of it leaving only the parts that would allow for it to cause amazing elasticity (aka its name) in gluten free recipes. This flour allows me to get an incredible rise with everything I use it in. It traps the air bubbles in the dough just like regular flour with gluten does! Its honestly incredible. If you eat any processed or store bought foods you have eaten many forms of modified starch. Its nothing new- its just semi new to the home baker. Its non gmo and I typically get it from the brand Judee’s on amazon. Under no conditions can you sub it out for another regular starch.

Outside of the US there is a product called Ultratex 3 I have not worked with it but from what I understand its comparable! I would use that in the exact same quantity as the expandex amount that I call for.

Superfine Rice Flour

There is a very very big difference between regular rice flour & superfine. Superfine is ground- well super finely. This changes the absorption abilities of the flour dramatically. So its very important to use superfine is its called for! If you want to save some money & have an asian market near you I have found their rice flour to be excellent! It will not be labeled as superfine but its ground as finely as superfine.

If you want to order it online- I would suggest the brand Authentic Foods. Brown or white superfine rice flour will work interchangeably in this recipe (and in most).

Superfine Brown Rice Flour: https://amzn.to/3jt1q5b

Superfine White Rice Flour https://amzn.to/3jrMSmv

Organic Cane Sugar Sugar- REAL Sugar is important. Its what feeds the yeast and makes this bread possible. I do not recommend swapping in a liquid sweetener as that could throw off the recipe. Please don’t use any keto sugars or even coconut palm sugar. It may not work as well.

Additionally its important to know that there is a difference in regular cane sugar compared to organic. Most of the time regular is ground MUCH finer which can really change the results of a recipe. The finer a sugar is ground the more moisture it adds to a recipe. I am in the habit of using organic so that’s what you will find in my recipes for the most part. Make sure its organic if you want to have the same results.

Yeast

Any brand will do for this recipe! Just make sure its labeled as Quick Rise or Instant (or any other words meaning the same thing!)

Double Acting Baking Powder

If you need to make these bagels corn free to use a corn free version of standard baking powder. I do not believe there is a corn free version available of double acting baking powder unfortunately. Double does typically work best- but these bagels will still turn out great even if you are unable to use it!

Removing the bagels from the boiling water

Boiling the bagels may seen intimidating but I promise its really easy! I have one of those spider strainers/skimmers. Its perfect for gently lifting the boiled bagels out of the hot water. Using tongs probably will not work- as the dough could break! I would definitely buy a spider strainer or another small strainer to use or else you could run into issues.

Working with the Yeast

If you have not used your yeast recently (or its not new) and you would like to make sure its active then I would recommend warming your milk to a Luke warm temperature (no hotter) and mixing in the yeast and a portion of the sugar into it. Set it aside for 5-10 minutes. As long as it starts to bubble and froth you know its good to go. 

I use my yeast often and know its alive and well so I skip this step and throw everything in the mixing bowl all at the same time.

Important notes about fresh vs. dried blueberries 

I made these bagels 6 times and learned through the process that breaking down the blueberries was a bad idea. It created gummy chunks in the bagels. It is important to stir them in by hand as using the stand mixer will break them down. I found it was easiest to oil my hands and gently fold them into the bagel dough. 

Rinsing the fresh blueberries then mostly drying them off with a paper towel then dusting/cpating them with the superfine rice flour really helps them stay in the bagel dough & helps prevent excessive gumminess in the spots around the blueberries.

Dried blueberries will be the easiest to work with and create the most consistent results. If you use dried blueberries you can just use them as is- no need to dust them in the extra flour & they can be thrown in with the dough and the stand mixer can mix them in. I did not test out frozen blueberries as I know they release even more juice than fresh- which would just cause more gumminess. 

Proofing

When you proof the dough- it is not going to rise much if at all. That is ok! The goal is to help the dough develop some great bready flavor & to allow it to develop some air bubbles and yeast growth so that they bake properly.

Gluten Free + Vegan Blueberry Bagels

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Author: Brittany Angell

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These delicious chewy bagels are quite easy to make! For the simplest version use dried blueberries! If you prefer other dried fruits feel free to experiment!

IngredientsUSMetric

Bagel Dough

• 250 grams Better Batter Original Blend
• 40 grams Superfine Rice Flour (White or Brown)
• 85 grams Expandex
• 220 grams lukewarm water
• 2 Tsp Fast Acting/Instant Yeast
• 73 grams of Organic Cane Sugar
• 54 grams Mild Flavored Oil (avocado, vegetable ect.)
• 1 3/4 tsp Salt
• 1 Tsp Double Acting Baking Powder
• 1 cup dried blueberries. OR 35 grams Fresh Blueberries (about 1 1/4 cups) *Read notes below about dusting fresh blueberries in flour.
• Egg wash: 1 legg + 1 tbsp water whisked . OR Vegan egg wash: 2 Tbsp Dairy Free Milk + 1 Tbsp liquid sugar such as maple or agave whisked.

Instructions

1. Preheat oven 200 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment & set aside.
2. Add to the bowl for a stand mixer all of the flour (including the expandex), water, yeast, sugar, oil, salt and baking powder. Mix on low then high for 1-2 minutes until a smooth thick dough forms.
3. Add the blueberries: If using fresh- rinse them off, mostly dry them & toss them in superfine rice flour. Carefully stir them in (using oiled hands works best). without breaking them too much. If using dried blueberries you can simply pour them in & turn the mixer back on until they are incorporated. Turn off the oven & open the door a crack.
4. Oil a medium or large glass bowl. Place the prepared dough into it & cover with ceran wrap. Place into the oven & set the timer for 45 minutes. Keeping the oven door open for about 5 minutes only then closing it.
5. After the 45 minutes remove the glass bowl from the oven. Turn the oven on to 400 degrees. Place a medium or large pot filled with water on the stove and turn the burner on to high to bring the water to a rapid boil.
6. Shape the bagels: Sprinkle superfine rice flour onto your work surface. Dump the dough on top & cut it into 6 equal sized pieces. Adding more flour as needed carefully roll each pieces of dough into a smooth ball. Flour your fingers and add a hole to the center of each one. If during this process any fresh blueberries pop out of the dough press them back in and smooth the dough with some water around them to help them stick.
7. Place the prepared bagels on the parchment lined baking sheet. Once the water is rapidly boiling add the bagels 1-2 at a time to the pot & let them boil for 40-45 seconds. Place them back on the parchment lined baking sheet. Brush with egg wash or vegan egg wash. Place into the preheated oven & bake 23-24 minutes until golden brown & firm to touch.
8. Store at room temperature in a sealed container once cool or freeze for another day. Warm up or toast to soften them.

Notes

Yeast

If you have not used your yeast recently (or its not new) and you would like to make sure its active then I would recommend warming your milk to a Luke warm temperature (no hotter) and mixing in the yeast and a portion of the sugar into it. Set it aside for 5-10 minutes. As long as it starts to bubble and froth you know its good to go. 

I use my yeast often and know its alive and well so I skip this step and throw everything in the mixing bowl all at the same time.

Important notes about fresh vs. dried blueberries

I made these bagels 6 times and learned through the process that breaking down the blueberries was a bad idea. It created gummy chunks in the bagels. It is important to stir them in by hand as using the stand mixer will break them down. I found it was easiest to oil my hands and gently fold them into the bagel dough.

Rinsing the fresh blueberries then mostly drying them off with a paper towel then dusting/cpating them with the superfine rice flour really helps them stay in the bagel dough & helps prevent excessive gumminess in the spots around the blueberries.

Dried blueberries will be the easiest to work with and create the most consistent results. If you use dried blueberries you can just use them as is- no need to dust them in the extra flour & they can be thrown in with the dough and the stand mixer can mix them in.

I did not test out frozen blueberries as I know they release even more juice than fresh- which would just cause more gumminess.

Proofing

When you proof the dough- it is not going to rise much if at all. That is ok! The goal is to help the dough develop some great bready flavor & to allow it to develop some air bubbles and yeast growth so that they bake properly.

Did you make this recipe?

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