Notes: To make it easier, measure the olive oil first, before measuring the maple syrup! If you use the same measuring spoon, the maple syrup will slide right out. Any oil except coconut oil may be substituted for the olive oil.
Honey or
agave may be substituted for the pure maple syrup.
For the whole wheat flour, I highly recommend
this kind. In my kitchen, is has performed the best out of any brand I’ve tried, and it ensures your mini bagels fully double in size while rising in Step 6. (Other brands of whole wheat flour, as well as
white whole wheat flour and
whole wheat pastry flour, haven’t risen nearly as high for me!)
I haven’t had good luck with gluten-free flours in this recipe. The bagels just don’t rise and hold their shape properly due to the lack of gluten.
This is the food processor that I use! When kneading the dough in that (or your mixer), check the texture. Sticky = the dough is still wet and needs more flour. Tacky = the dough is taught, looks like there are super thin strands running through it (that’s the gluten and a good sign!), and barely clings to your fingers when you touch it. Tacky is what you want!
The generous amount of oil on the foil sheets prevents them from sticking when it’s time for the next step! If you forgot to oil the foil, then you’d have to tug to get the bagels off… And that tugging would cause them to deflate and turn out flat. Once the bagels have been boiled, they won’t rise or change their shape at all… So be very careful and gentle when peeling them off of the foil and putting them into the water!
To get that classic bagel crust, you briefly boil the bagels before baking. If you skipped the boiling step, your bagels would turn out more like regular bread rolls—just in a bagel shape!
For more tips and step-by-step photos, see my blog post above! {clean eating, vegan, low fat, low sugar}