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28 April 2006

an old tradition made new


bagel with lox II, originally uploaded by shaunaforce.

Every Sunday morning, the last two years that I lived in New York, my friend Sharon and I had a definite Sunday tradition. We always rose late and sleepy on a Sunday, me in my bedroom close to Broadway, the street noise so familiar it had the lull of the ocean from seven stories up; Sharon in the middle bedroom of the apartment with the king-sized bed, the street noise muffled by the window facing east. Generally, we had both been out until two or three the night before. Sometimes we spent Saturday nights together — dancing our way to sweaty happiness with a group full of girls determined to dance without the boys intruding. Most of the time, we were both out with different people, listening to thrashing live music on the lower East Side or at a dinner party in Harlem. Coming home late on the subway, tired and alive from another week of living in the most sensory-overload city in the world, I always felt safe. I walked down Broadway at night by myself, knowing I was home. And knowing the safety of what awaited me on Sunday morning.

So, when we rose, Sharon and I greeted each other in the kitchen. Without saying anything, we went to our separate rooms for our shoes and wallets. Then, we descended the back elevator (the one that always smelled like a thousand corn chips) and walked the shiny tile floors of our building’s lobby to the front door. Turn right, then right again. Up Broadway, six blocks, past Mama Mexico, the Starbucks across the street, the dollar store, the greengrocers with the Italian ice cart in front in the summer, our favorite video store (the one that delivers in the snow), the Irish pub, and hundreds of people. There we were: 107th Street. Absolute Bagels.

Every Sunday, with the regularity of a chiming church bell, Sharon and I performed this ritual. Some mornings, we talked fast about our nights and the endless machinations of relationships and friendships. Most mornings, we didn’t need to talk. We just walked, side by side, uptown to our favorite place. Once inside, we waited in line, along with the rest of the Upper West Side, to buy our bagels. The word was out — this tiny shop run by Thais had the best bagels in the city. Wire baskets piled with fresh bagels lay within steamed-up glass cases. Every three or four minutes, a slightly-sweaty employee brought hot bagels to the cases on an enormous paddle. The man at the counter barked out the orders, and someone else snapped a paper bag and filled it with warm, chewy goodness. Sharon and I deliberated every week. Should we try the onion bagels? The sesame seed? The everything bagels, studded with seeds, dried onions, and little mouthfuls of herbs? Futile discussion, because every Sunday we called out our order like a well-worn litany, a text we had studied for years and knew by heart. Two cinnamon-raisin bagels, each. One with cream cheese and lox. The other with lox cream cheese. Two cartons of orange juice. When they put the warm bags, twisted up at the top into our hands, we turned on our heels and snaked our way through the crowd, past those still waiting to receive their communion. We emerged into the humid air, the sounds of the street, the towering buildings, the sliver of sky, the hum of humanity — our New York.

Then, we walked home, resisting the urge to break into the bags on the street, eat one of the bagels on the corner of 103rd. We waited, patiently. We raced up the seven flights as fast as we could make the elevator go. We burst through our front door. And then we assembled the ritual.

Paper bags flattened out, both bagels splayed. Sharon put on water for her King George tea. I made a pot of hot, strong coffee. I unwrapped the New York Times from its rubber band, and separated out the sections we had no intentions of reading. Secretly, I always enjoyed this small act. It had the satisfaction of ordering the world, laying out my pleasure, in a tactile fashion. We poured our orange juice into glasses. Then, we sat down. Every week, the only difference was this: do I eat the bagel with the lox first? or the bagel with the lox cream cheese first? This was the small delight awaiting me, that decision. Then, there was the eating.

lox with knife

The first bite was always the best, because our senses were keening for it. The salted oily texture of lox, the smooth milkiness of cream cheese, and the warm dense chewiness of a proper bagel. I’m pretty sure we both stopped in the middle of that first bite to look at the ceiling and exclaim at the taste. Every week. A sip of strong coffee, another bite of lox goodness, a glance at the Sunday Styles section, another bite. That first bagel went quickly.

We would sit and read, across the circular kitchen table from each other, the weak sunshine filtering in through the building across the street and the haze, into our kitchen. We would remark on news, read each other crazy stories, and laugh about ridiculousness that emerged from our heads. Most of the time we were silent. Unless one or the other of us drank too quickly or ate too big a bite. At that point, an enormous, rolling belch would erupt from one of our throats. We didn’t even comment on it anymore. We were that comfortable in our kitchen together, to let it all roll out.

(Sharon is a spectacular belcher. Dainty and feminine, with blonde hair and slender wrists — you would never know she had it in her. But spectacular she is, and she taught me how to belch without fear of embarrassing myself. My mother is still horrified.)

And so, our Sunday morning slowly unraveled, with section after section of the paper staining our fingers with ink, coffee cup drained, tea drunk to the dregs, and the second bagel just as satisfying as the first. Maybe more, because we ate it much more slowly. We sat, in companionable silence, reading and eating, feeling at home, together.

CUT TO:

INT — SEATTLE KITCHEN — MORNING

Sharon and I gathered again in a kitchen on a Sunday morning, this time in Seattle. The light coming through the windows was only filtered through green leaves this time. Sharon drank Irish Breakfast tea this time. The New York Times was missing the Metro section, since it doesn’t arrive bundled on the porches of homes outside of New York. And this time — of course — the bagels didn’t come from Absolute.

This time, I had made them.

The week before Sharon’s visit, I remembered our Sunday morning ritual, and I knew I needed bagels. Of course, I can’t eat traditional bagels anymore. But if there’s only one gift of this gluten-free life (and of course, there are many more), it has been my confident playfulness with food. I had never made bagels before finding out I should avoid gluten. But now, when faced with necessity, I felt comfortable throwing teff flour around and boiling dough for the first time. (In fact, I had been thinking about this for awhile. Urban legend claims that NY bagels are so indelibly good because of the tap water. On my trip to NY two months ago, I almost brought back a water bottle filled with the murky liquid. But I didn’t.) Turns out — this is fun. And surprisingly simple.

Of course, they didn’t taste like traditional bagels. But we were making a new tradition: me being able to eat bagels without having to take a two-hour nap afterwards. Nothing tastes better than good health, and sharing that with my friend.

We agreed — the plain bagels I made had no real taste. But these bagels I made with teff flour? They weren’t the consistency of traditional bagels, but they were chewy and pleasant. They tasted — strangely — like a dense, homemade wheat bread, with a hint of pumpernickel. They are smaller than NY bagels. They need to be toasted, twice, before they can be eaten. But they are, no question, an excellent receptacle for cream cheese and lox.

And for a Sunday morning with Sharon, they were a revelation. A new tradition.

gluten-free bagel IV

Gluten-free Bagels

Let me warn you properly — these do not taste like traditional bagels. I’m going to keep experimenting, but I just can’t imagine that any gluten-free recipe will ever yield the kind of chewy, dense texture of an Absolute bagel. However, they are chewy and tender, in their own way.

Normally, I’m not fond of egg bagels. In fact, that eggy yellow color was my first experience with bagels, in a Jewish deli in my southern California town. Even then, I just didn’t understand the taste. But I found that adding egg whites to this mixture binds the flours together better than not. And since they are egg whites, you will hardly taste the egg. Decide for yourself if you want to brush the tops of these with the yolks — it will make the bagels shiny, but it will impart a bit of that egg taste.

Finally, there is the boiling. Boiling the bagels before baking them gives the crust the crunch you want, before you find the softness inside. The molasses in the water yields a slight sweetness, almost imperceptible, which cuts the teff well. Besides, it’s fun to watch the bagels bobbing in the boiling water.

one packet dried yeast (Red Star is gluten-free)
one tablespoon brown sugar
three-quarter cup warm water
two cups brown rice flour
one cup tapioca flour
one cup teff flour
two egg whites (reserve the yolks for later use)
one tablespoon salt
one and one-half cup warm water
two tablespoons molasses

Place the yeast in a warm bowl, then gently pour in the water. Stir in the sugar until it is dissolved in the mixture. Allow the bowl of yeast to sit and grow, foam and rise, until it has doubled in size. (This should be about five to ten minutes.) If the yeast mixture does not expand, you have dead yeast. Start again.

Mix the gluten-free flours together, then add the yeast mixture, egg whites, salt, and water. Allow these to mix in your standing mixer for awhile, until they have formed a dough. This dough should be not too sticky, and not too dry. (Actually, in its ideal state, it has the same tender texture as a baby’s cheek.) Divide the dough into eight balls of equal size. Poke your finger through the center of each ball, then twirl the ball around and around your finger until you have created a bagel shape. (Enjoy this part — it’s a tactile pleasure.) Cover the bagels-in-waiting with a tea towel, then let them rest for an hour. (Remember that this is gluten-free dough, so it’s not going to rise, really. But it does like to rest before you pull and shape it into bagels.)

Pre-heat your oven to 425°. Fill your favorite saucepan with about four inches of water, then stir in the two tablespoons of molasses. Bring the beautifully murky water to a boil. Gently, place four of the bagel-shaped dough balls into the boiling water, and allow them to bob to the surface of the water. After one minute, turn the bagels over and allow them to boil for one minute on the other side. Remove the bagels with a slotted spoon and gently place them on a wire rack. Repeat this process with the remaning four bagel doughs.

Place parchment paper or a silpat on your favorite baking sheet. (You could also lightly grease the baking sheet, then sprinkle it with cornmeal.) If you wish, you can brush the tops of the bagels with some of the reserved yolks of the egg, mixed with just a touch of water. Place the bagels on the baking sheet and slip them into the oven. Bake for about twenty minutes, or until they are browned and have the thump of bagels.

32 Comments:

At 1:04 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Shauna,

For homemade bagels I've found tweeking the Bette Hagman recipe's work, especially the Sarah's bagels. For purchasing, Glutino's rock, but taste floury!

I'm becoming addicted to your GF blog :)

 
At 1:11 PM, Blogger Bonnie said...

You are so impressive! I burn water, so just the idea of all that you've done to make an even edible gluten-free bagel is just amazingly cool.

Keep up the brilliant work!

 
At 11:13 PM, Blogger Molly said...

Spectacular post, my friend. I can just imagine you two, sitting there with your Sunday Styles section - love the Sunday Styles section! - eating Absolute bagels (swoon!) and burping. My friend Keaton and I had a similar NY Times routine during our senior year of college, but less consistent, and with homemade scones instead. I miss that! But I don't miss the homework we had waiting for us in the afternoon. Oof.

Thank you for reminding me of those times, dear Shauna. If you need a taste-tester for a future batch of g-f bagels, you know who to call.

 
At 6:14 AM, Blogger Deb Schiff said...

Love the Global knife. I just recently received a few for a wedding gift and they're smashing!

I really enjoy your blog. Thanks for putting it out there. You take lovely photos and write about food and other life bits very well.

 
At 8:37 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Just a few weeks ago, I had purchased a big ol' bag of bagels for myself and two office mates. We were trying to start our own tradition: "Bagel Wednesdays." My doc called me later on that day to tell me I couldn't touch anything glutenous anymore. So now because of the timing I have bagels welded onto the back of my conciousness. I'm going to give that recipe a whirl. Thanks!

 
At 10:35 AM, Blogger ThursdayNext said...

I loved the descriptions of you and Sharon eating bagel breakfast Sunday mornings. Your tradition is quintessential New York! The line about waiting to receive communion was just wonderful.

As for the bagels, well, I had a hard time even eating a low carb bagel. ;)

 
At 4:42 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Your photos are truly beautiful, lucious.

 
At 11:09 PM, Blogger Chef said...

Shauna:
What a peaceful slice of NY life you have painted. You are such a great writer, that much is obvious. But I just have to point out something that you have done. You have violated the 1st law of Jewish bagel-eaters, the world over. You have participated in the HORRIFYING act of combining that most goyish of inventions (the cinnamon-raisin bagel) with lox. Oy. If you would like to be considered an honorary Jew--something you rightly deserve from the sweetness and nurturing you bestowed on your friend last week...then may I be so bold as to suggest a sesame bagel with that lox? We'll TAWK.

 
At 7:11 AM, Blogger Shauna said...

Mare, thanks for the tip. I have to admit that most of the Bette Hagman recipes I've tried just don't taste that good. But I can take a look at that one. Thanks for reading!

Bonnie, thank you, my dear. Although I find it hard to believe that a woman with as many talents as you can't do more than burn water!

Molly, my dear, why is it not a surprise to me that you and Keaton had a similar tradition? And with scones -- but of course. You always had the best of taste. Let me know the next time you need a Sunday morning fix.

Here and there123, thank you for what you wrote about the blog. And the Globals? Oh, I may be smitten. I bought a big Wusthoff in Decmeber, and love it. But some friends gave me that Global paring knife, and I use it for almost everything now. Those knives amaze me.

Joe, I'm sorry to hear you have bagels welded to your mind. (That sound uncomfortable!) Hang in there -- the first couple of months of being gluten-free are the hardest. But now, for me, it's easy. I think about it -- I have to stay mindful -- but I don't mourn it. In fact, it's only on special occasions that I pull out the old gluteny recipes and try to change them. There is so much food out there to eat. Best of luck.

Thursdaynext, great name, first of all. (I love Jane Eyre, and the Eyre Affair.) I know -- don't you love that NY tradition? But if you don't have to eat gluten-free bagels, I wouldn't recommend them. Eat a great bagel in my behalf instead!

Cookbookwiki, thank you for your accolades. I have to say -- keeping up this blog and other writing projects leaves me little time for more. But all the best with your project.

Tim, thank you.

Chef, I know. I've disappointed you by being a goyem, and I'm so ashamed. But Sharon started me on the taste, and I have to admit -- I'm sort of a fool for slightly sweet and salty together. A fool, I tell you. (That's why I used to eat Milk Duds and popcorn at the movie theatre, until I found out they both had gluten in them.) I have, however, eaten more than my fair share of sesame bagels as well. Funny -- I always bought sesame at H and H, and cinnamon raisin at Absolute. Hm. Anyway, I do hope you will forgive me for being such a lousy honorary Jew with my bagel choice. (I'm glad to know I can make it up in other ways, however.)

 
At 12:30 PM, Blogger Mellie said...

Shauna,
My husband was just recently diagnosed with Celiac, and Thalia recommended your blog to me. It's been so encouraging to me to see how healthy you've become and all that you can do with your gluten-free diet. Thank you so much for sharing all of it.

As for the bagels, we always preferred Columbia Bagels to Absolute's - but then Columbia had to close and we learned to love Absolute's too. And you're right in that Movie Place IS the best video store in the world.

 
At 2:53 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Thank you so much for being a gluten-free crusader. You have been incredibly helpful.

Help! I am trying your bagel recipe and the consistency of the mix is more like pancake batter than baby's cheek. Any thoughts? I double checked my measurements. Thanks, Rebecca

 
At 2:57 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Shauna, Thank you so much for being a gluten-free crusader. Your blog has been so helpful.

Help! I am trying your bagel recipe. The consistency of the mix is more like pancake batter than baby's cheek. I have triple checked all of my measurements. Any ideas?

Thanks, Rebecca

 
At 3:25 PM, Blogger Bengali Chick said...

I was so inspired by this post that I ran out and bought lox. I wish I could have taken it a notch higher and made the delicious bagels.

I've been reading your post for a long time and am absolutely in LOVE with it. You're a rockstar.

 
At 10:38 PM, Blogger Paul said...

This was a wonderful story and the bagelss looks great. Hopefully they worked towards keeping your tradition going.

No Sauce Thanks!

 
At 11:02 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Have you tried more than 2 egg whites, Shauna? Pathetically, I haven't tried to do gluten-free baking, but from glancing at the recipe, it looks like it might be able to take one more.

I'm just thinking that you get some lift out of your eggs when they hit a hot oven, so your bagels could end up being a bit lighter, even if it's not quite the same effect you get from gluten. I'm not sure if the two minutes of boiling won't set the whites to the point that they won't rise in the oven, though. Hmmmm...

Could be genius, could be crap, but it might be worth trying next time.

 
At 7:17 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

great idea on the bagels. I have a son and husband whom are celiacs and everything I make (except bread for the non celiacs) is gluten free. I have a gluten free recipe index on my web site and a very good gf pastry recipe posted there. If you want the link this is it: http://www.birdshillenterprises.com/GFPieCrust.htm
I will keep your blog bookmarked.
caroline
http://www.birdshillenterprises.com

 
At 10:47 AM, Blogger Rachael Narins said...

It is so amazing to me how you conquor anything and everythnig.
Amazing. These sound wonderful.
:-)

 
At 7:34 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Making your own bagels is so bad ass!

 
At 8:19 AM, Blogger Rachael Narins said...

Hey doll, by now Im sure you read it, but the NY Times Magazine ran a story this past Sunday that said ONE purveyor makes pretty much all the smoked salmon sold in the US. How funny is THAT! (Zabars, Citranella, they all buy it from Ajax Smoked Fish)

So the fish you get in Seattle, may very well be the exact same stuff...

 
At 7:11 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I am fascinated by your whirlwind life and food -- just surfed in from 101 Cookbooks. I own a small healthfood store, used to have a large gf section and do a lot of advising, so it's great to see a new resource and links to more.
Loved the bagel story, but you're a goy, goyim is plural. Bet spell check won't help you there!

 
At 12:48 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

nice site

 
At 5:23 AM, Blogger Friendstacy said...

I have got to attempt making bagels now! I've been craving them for over a year... tell me, please, what flours would you recommend for someone who cannot tolerate neither gluten, nor rice? You think the same flour concoction I use in muffins or pancakes would work?

 
At 8:27 AM, Blogger Claire said...

Hi Shauna,

I just wanted to let you know that I finally tried making this recipe. I had written it down in shorthand, and as I was making it, the dough seemed to dry, so I thought that maybe I hadn't written things down completely. In any case, I added the last 1 1/2 cups of water to the dough (rather than boiling the bagels in it). Needless to say, it turned into what looked like pancake batter. So what did I do? Made pancakes! Well, flatbread, really. It's awesome and makes a great base for gyros, if you're into that. My gluten-eating BF loved them!
Thanks for your great recipes!

 
At 12:27 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Shauna,
I have been a lurker at your site for almost a year. The beautiful photos, your amazing writing have become a treat for this gluten-free woman!
I tried your GF Bagel recipe (and have been thanking god every day since then) last Sunday. I made a couple of modifications I thought I'd share with you: first, I added two tablespoons xantham gum--it gave them marvelous "chew". I also found I needed less water than suggested for the second addition. They turned out wonderful--even my gluten imbibing friends said so!
Thank you for your blog, and the recipe!

 
At 10:18 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Why go crazy BAKING bagels and having a huge mess, not sure of the results, disappointment etc. etc. GLUTINO plain bagels (or sesame seeds on top) are absolutely delicious!! Frozen - you nuke them a minute or two - pop in toaster or munch on them as is. They taste as close to New York bagels as possible, without the gluten. No fuss...no work!

 
At 1:33 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I didn't read the recipe very carefully and made these with way less water and flour than called for and they still turned out great. I'll try them again the right way, but I also want to let people know that I made them by hand (I don't have a stand mixer) and used different gf flours (amaranth, quinoa, and a little tapioca). They were really easy to make and totally worth it! I'll try this recipe as a base for other bread-like things too, I think, like pizza dough and pretzels. Thank you!

 
At 4:09 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

This reminds me of summer days when I was younger, where my family would drive down to the nearest Einstein Bagels and my family of six, as well as one or three extras we usually were toting around, would jump out of the minivan and stand in line. Every time I would be torn up inside over which bagel to get, but I always stuck with the same one. "An everything bagel, please, with garden vegetable on on side and French vanilla on the other."
No one would ever take a bite out of my French vanilla-covered everything bagel, which meant more for me. And then I would eat them taking one bite of each, so that they were even until the end, where I shoved both bits of the bagel into my mouth.

I've been craving bagels lately, so thanks a bunch!

 
At 7:44 AM, Blogger pianomom said...

PLease help with recipe clarification!! Made these last night with mixed results.
Without the last 1 1/2 c water added, dough was very very dry. SO I added 1/4 c more water, better, then another 1/4 c water --too much I think. Bagels rose beatifully, but soaked too much water in during boiling, and colapsed after baking. I used to be a great baker with gluten -- now thing turn out so wet and colapse (yeast breads).
PLEASE help with this recipe (nearest gf bagels are frozen rocks, $1 each in a store 1 hour away), and any words of advice for yeast bread? THANKS

 
At 7:42 PM, Blogger TriMom2four said...

Shauna, I haven't tried your bagel recipe, but I made my first batch of GF bagels this past week with some success. I used the following recipe, courtesy of Ellen Ballard, www.iamglutenfree.blogspot.com

Yes, Gluten Free Bagels!
Recipe created by Ellen Allard
Servings: 12 bagels (this will change depending on how big the bagels are when you shape them)

1 cup millet flour
½ cup brown rice flour
½ cup sorghum flour
2/3 cup tapioca starch
2/3 cup potato starch
2/3 cup cornstarch
¼ cup ground flax meal
¼ cup almond meal
3 ½ teaspoons xanthan gum
2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons sugar
¼ cup shortening melted in ½ cup HOT water (I used Spectrum Organic Veg. shortening)
4 egg whites
1 cup warm water (110 degrees) with 1 teaspoon sugar and 1 packet of yeast
Cornmeal for sprinkling on cookie sheet.

Note #1: Have extra potato starch on hand to add to mixture if it is too sticky
Note #2: Have some shortening set aside. You will need to rub it on your hands when forming the bagels.
Note #3: The egg whites are best if they're at room temperature - if you forget to take them out of the frig, before separating the egg whites, soak the eggs in a bowl of hot water.
Note #4: After dissolving the sugar and yeast in the cup of warm water, cover with a piece of plastic wrap. It will speed up the proofing of the yeast.

Grease one or two flat cookie sheets. Sprinkle cornmeal on it.

1. Place the dry ingredients, from the millet flour through the sugar, into the bowl of a heavy duty stand mixer. Using your bread hook, mix the dry ingredients together just until blended.

2. Add the hot water/shortening mixture and mix the ingredients again for about 15 seconds.

3. Add the egg whites, mix again until blended.

4. Finally, add the warm water/sugar/yeast mixture and blend until well mixed. This should take about 3 minutes. The dough will be quite sticky. There is a good chance you will need to add some extra potato starch to the mixture. I added about 2 extra tablespoons and while the mixture was still a bit sticky, by rubbing shortening on my hands when I shaped the bagels, the stickiness wasn’t a problem.

5. Rub some shortening on your hands. Take a ping-pong sized ball of dough out of the mixing bowl and roll into a ball, then press it between your two hands to make it flatter, then insert your pointer finger into the middle of it to make a hole in the center of the bagel. Place the bagels on the greased cookie sheet(s), cover with a towel or plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place. At the beginning of this process, I turned my oven to 350 degrees for about 2 minutes, then shut it off. It was still warmish when I put the bagels in there to rise.

6. Set your timer for 50 minutes. When it rings, remove the tray of bagels from the oven. Let them sit on the counter for another 10 minutes or until the pot of water comes to a boil. The bagels should have doubled in size. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

7. Bring a large stockpot of water and 1 teaspoon of sugar to a boil. Once it reaches boiling, quickly place four bagels in the pot. After 30 seconds, flip them over. Remove them from the pot with a slotted spoon and place on a rack to cool. Repeat with the remaining bagels. The extra water will drip onto the counter below the rack. Return the bagels to the cookie sheet(s).

8. At this point, add any toppings you might like. I added white sesame seeds to some of the bagels, poppy seeds to some of the bagels, and left the rest plain, naked and still yummy.

9. Place them in the oven and bake for 20 minutes. When my oven timer went off at 20 minutes, my bagels were done. Your bagels might need an extra few minutes, depends on your oven. When finished, remove from oven and place the bagels on a cooling rack. Do not eat all at once!

Once again, as a reminder, if you have any leftover, slice and freeze them. I have found that gluten free breads are just not that great the next day (even if you put them in a ziplock bag).

THANK YOU for such a wonderful blog; I am newly GF, along with my 2 1/2 yr. old daughter. You are an inspiration!

 
At 9:49 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

hey shauna!
i tried this recipe...for some reason the dough was mega sticky. so....drizzled some olive oil on a cookie sheet, sprinkled it with cornmeal, poured the dough onto the pan and then sprinkled onion flakes, garlic and poppy seeds on top then baked it to make flatbread. turned out delish, but would still like to find out why my dough was so sticky...hmmmmmm

 
At 2:21 PM, Blogger Unknown said...

Hi,
I am in the process of making the bagels and found the dough extremely running so I added about 2C of flour (1C brown rice, 1/2 tapioca, 1/2 white rice). Is it possible that you wrote down the amount of water incorrectly?
Thanks,
Karen

 
At 10:57 AM, Blogger thesemicrunchysahm said...

Ok I got this recipe to work. When I made it following the recipe it came out as pancake batter. To make it work I added:
4 t. xantham gum
6 T Sweet Rice Flour
1 C. Brown Rice Flour
1/2 C. Tapioca Flour.


Make sure you leave your Sweet Rice flour out. It comes in handy when shaping these!

 

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