I grew up eating bagels (and cream cheese) in New York City. The bagels I tasted last time I visited the city in 2015 did not resemble what I remember eating when I was young. New York City bagels are boiled before baking and that gives the outer crust its firmness, shiny veneer and chewy interior.

I am SO excited because I found a recipe for bagels that is as close as can be to the original WITHOUT gluten, grain, yeast, sugar or fats! They contain no eggs or dairy and they taste great! These bagels hit the spot; eating a beloved food from childhood conjures precious memories and sensations which makes them all the more fun to eat!

I am so grateful to Amanda @ The Curious Coconut who posted this bagel recipe on-line. The original included gelatin. I adopted her recipe using Irish moss gel (made from Irish moss seaweed. See recipe below) I also substituted her coconut flour for chestnut flour which reduces the fat slightly; both flours work well. The original pumpkin can be substituted with other steamed, pureed vegetables. And baking soda dissolved in lemon or lime juice can be substituted for baking powder.

Irish moss seaweed may be a little tricky to find. In Australia, you can order it from Essential Ingredient on-line or purchase it in any of their stores. In other countries, it may be available on-line.

If you are a bagel lover, I hope you enjoy these as much as I do!

Bagels

Adopted from Amanda @The Curious Coconut

This makes 6 large bagels or 12 small bagels

Ingredients

60 grams sifted organic chestnut flour

490 grams cassava flour (very finely milled)

2 tsp Himalayan pink salt

3/4 cup steamed + blended pumpkin, cauliflower or carrot

1 1/2 cups homemade vegetable soup stock (no salt or oil added) or filtered water

4 tbs Irish moss seaweed gel*

1 tsp baking soda

1 tbs lemon or lime juice

onion flakes or garlic granules (for topping)

Method

Preheat oven to 220c and put a large lidded pot of water on the stove top to boil.

Steam vegetable of choice.  Measure and sift the flours and add to a bowl with the salt.  Mix together.  

In a blender, add the steamed vegetable, Irish moss gel and soup stock.  Blend on high.  

Juice a half lemon.  in a small bowl, place the baking soda and add 1 tbs of lemon juice.  Mix thoroughly so all the baking soda is fully dissolved.  It will froth and expand.

Add both the vegetable liquid and the baking soda to the flours and mix together.  

Form the dough in to a ball and place on a clean counter.  Cut in half to make two equal balls.  Then make three equal balls from each half so you have six equal sized balls of dough.  Roll each ball of dough in  to a thick cylinder with your hands and loop them back on themselves to make rings joining the two ends.  If you want to make 12 smaller bagels, cut each of your six equal balls in half and roll out as instructed above.

Place each bagel on a large slotted spoon and lower in to your boiling water.  Keep the lid on the pot if the water stops boiling.  Depending on the size of your pot, boil one, two or three bagels at a time for 3 minutes.  Each bagel should have enough room so they are not touching.  The bagels will rise to the top.  If they do not rise after a minute, give them a gentle nudge as they may be stuck to the bottom of the pot.  After 3 minutes, remove the bagels with your slotted spoon and place on a baking sheet lined with baking paper.  Sprinkle with your desired topping.  Repeat until all your bagels are boiled.  

Bake the bagels in the preheated oven for 30 minutes if you are making 6 large bagels and 20 minutes if you are making 12 small bagels.  

Cool thoroughly on  a wire rack until they are at room temperature.  Store in the freezer or refrigerator in an airtight container.  

*Irish Moss Seaweed Gel

Ingredients

15 grams of Irish moss seaweed

filtered water for soaking

1/4-1/2 cup filtered water

Method

Weigh 15 grams of dried seaweed and place it in a strainer and give it a thorough rinse.  Place in a bowl, generously cover with filtered water and soak overnight.

In the morning, strain the seaweed and rinse thoroughly again.  Place the seaweed in a blender; use a smaller twister jar or the equivalent if you have one. If you do not have a twister jar, be prepared to stop the blender every few seconds and scrape down the gel.  Begin with 1/4 cup of filtered water.  Run on high adding up to 1/2 cup of water if needed.  Only use as much water as you need to form a thick, clear gel.  Blend until you have a paste with no grid or tiny pieces remaining.  You may need to run the blender a couple of times on the high setting.

Store in a sterilised jar in the refrigerator for several weeks.