I love this recipe. I’ve been making it for a long time, so, not new, but I get lots of requests to share it because they’re so tasty. They’re probably the best bagels you’ll ever have. Like all bread, bagels are really easy to make, but they take a few hours to make because of all the rising time needed.

I have a video on my Facebook page, if you need to see what the texture of the dough should look like. I also have lots of helpful tricks on there, like, you really need to use bottled water if you live in the desert. (If you live in New York, you can totally use the tap water. It’s awesome.)

There are about 7-9 grams of protein in each of these bagels, which is way better than regular commercial bagels that have basically no protein and make you feel all bloated and icky after you eat them. Also, my last batch, I switched the white flour to whole grain (unbleached) flour, and it worked great. I don’t know if that adds protein but it makes them slightly better for you, I think. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

2 1/3 cups flour – white, whole grain, unbleached, etc.

1 cup soy flour – do not use more than 1 cup or your bagels will be flat

1 tbsp oil

2 tbsp honey (you can use sugar or molasses, but honey is the best)

2 tsp yeast

1 1/8 cup water  (use bottled water and heat to between 110 – 115 degrees F. Yes, use a thermometer. Warmer is better.)

1 tsp salt (optional)

1 tbsp. wheat gluten (optional -some people swear by it but I don’t find much difference

Directions:

1. Put everything in a bowl and mix. I use my big KitchenAid stand mixer because it’s easy- 5 minutes on the lowest setting with the bread hook and it’s perfect. But you can do this by hand, too; you’ll be kneading a lot. You want the consistency to be smooth and elastic. If it’s too wet or sticky, add flour; too dry, add water but only by drops at a time.
2. Put dough in a bowl that’s been coated with oil – I use spray oil for this. Cover the dough with some oil also, throw a tea towel or some cover over the bowl and let it sit for about 45 minutes – an hour. This is the first rise. You’ll know it’s done when it’s about doubled in size and when you push two fingers into the dough, the dough stays indented.
3. Remove dough from bowl, knead a few times and let rest 5 minutes on a board that you’ve thrown some flour on.
4. Divide the dough into parts. I usually divide into 8 even parts by twisting the dough in half, then each piece in half, etc, until I have 8 pieces. But you can make them any size you want.
5. Roll the pieces into balls. Then push your thumb or a finger through the middle and stretch the dough out. I usually twirl the dough around my finger to create a loop of dough that looks like a bagel. Do all of the pieces.
6. This is the point where I put toppings on my bagels. I’ve found that doing it here helps the toppings stay on when you eat the bagels later. I wet my fingertip and run a little bit of water over the top of a bagel, then flip it upside-down into your toppings. I like chia seeds – they’re really good for you and taste good. But you can use whatever. (You can also decide to do this right before baking- you might do that if you’re adding onion flakes or something that’s not seeds.)
7. Second rise: put your bagels on a sheet that’s been lightly oiled (so the dough doesn’t stick) and let them sit in a covered space for about 20 minutes. They should noticeably rise again. I usually just stick the tray into the oven without heat on.
8. Boil them. Yes, really. Real bagels are boiled. You need a big pot that you can have about 4 inches of water in, with enough room for the bagels to float around. They will rise a bit more in the water so they need space to float. Get the water really boiling, and start by placing a bagel topside-down. Boil for 30 seconds, flip the bagel over, and boil for another 30 seconds. That’s 30 seconds on each side, but don’t go too much longer or they’ll get tough. Also, I usually add a bunch of honey to the water just to add a little flavor. You don’t have to add anything to the water, but you can.
9. Bake: after boiling, bake them at 400 degrees F for about 20 minutes, or until they’re golden brown. I like to put them on parchment paper on the baking tray, so that the bottoms stay evenly brown and don’t get too dark.
10. I have tried making bagels with quinoa flour but honestly, it’s a pain to use that flour and they just don’t taste as good. I haven’t found anything yet that compares to these.