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Raise the Bread Knife, Rye Lovers!

(You've nothing to lose but your hunger.)
Memo to those who've been emailing me for months: your wait is over, "Rye" is back. As of today my biggest-flavored mix, REALLY "Rye", returns. A bag with enough flour to make 5, one-pound loaves is $23.95. At $4.79 per loaf, that's a great deal on a great bread mix.

But there's sad news too for some of you. As of September 1, I've closed my New Jersey bakery.

This was a difficult decision. Many of you have grown to love and expect my bagels and loaves. However it had become increasingly clear that I had neither the energy nor the staff to take production to the level it should logically reach.

Instead, I re-committed to my line of mixes. By doing so I'll now be able to make more product, create new recipes, and offer better service.

This last begins now, with an answer to those who've written and texted grateful appreciation of the bake shop and its products. I'm humbled by your responses, and I want to assure you that, yes, the mixes remain available, and, yes, I'll share my bagel recipe.

Bagels were the bake shop's #1 best seller. On good weeks -and there were many - the rudimentary system I'd devised for proofing, boiling and baking them was stretched to the max. My team and I produced 300 plus and they disappeared quickly. For good reason: my bagels are the best gluten-free bagels out there.


In answer to skeptics: Yes, you can. With a bit of care and practice you can make bagels as good as mine, and this is true no matter where you live. (The secret is NOT in the water, but in the flour blend and the processing!)

I don't use a special bagel flour - just my OMG Perfect Pizza and Flatbread mix. As for processing, it's about precision, patience and care. Weigh ingredients, and don't substitute or skimp. (You'll notice that ingredient measures are given in grams only. Accuracy is important so I did not convert to dry measure). The corn syrup won't hurt you, and it IS necessary to let the shaped bagels cold-retard in refrigeration.
 
So here goes, my bagel recipe:

You will need a kitchen scale, a plastic work surface, two quarter or half sheet pans, plastic wrap, baker's parchment, a spatula and/or slotted spoon and a large sauce pan for boiling.

This recipe makes approximately 4 bagels. It can be doubled or quadrupled.

Ingredients:

326 grams Luce's Gluten-Free Artisan Bread OMG Perfect Pizza flour mix

50 grams Karo brand light corn syrup

226 grams cool tap water

Canola oil for greasing hands and rolling surface

White rice flour for dusting surfaces

For boiling:

3 qts water

37 grams honey

Procedure:

1) In the bowl of a stand mixer, measure water and corn syrup. Stir with a spatula until all the syrup is dissolved, then add the flour and mix using the paddle blade until all the flour is wet, about 30 seconds. Let dough rest for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, lightly grease a plastic work surface by brushing with canola oil. Line a half baking sheet with plastic wrap and dust lightly with white rice flour.

2) Return to the dough. Running the mixer on low speed, beat the dough until it just begins to stick to the sides of the bowl, about 40 seconds. Dough should make a "squish" sound, which is a sign it is properly mixed.

Grease your hands with canola oil and set the dough-filled mixer bowl on your scale. “Tare” scale to 0. Use your hands to scoop out a ball of dough. Watch the scale as the weight drops into minus (less than zero). You’re looking to make scoops of about 125 grams each (or -125 on the scale). After each scoop re-tare the scale before the next ball of dough. 

3) Place the dough balls on the greased surface and roll into cylinders, each about 8 inches long and tapering at the ends. Lift the cylinders and, as you place them onto the dusted plastic wrap on the sheet pan, loop them into circles with the ends overlapping. Gently press the ends together. When all the bagels are made, dust with white rice flour, cover sheet pan well with plastic wrap, and set aside to rise for 20 minutes.

At the end of this rise, place into the refrigerator. This is called a “cold retard” and it should last from overnight to 3 days. The longer time is ideal but we don’t always have the patience for that, do we?

4) At the end of the cold retard, remove bagels from the refrigerator about 1 hour before you plan to boil and bake them. Mix honey and water in a large sauce pan. Preheat oven to 425 F convection or 450 F conventional. Ready a sheet pan by covering with parchment. If you want to use any toppings on your bagels, place these in shakers or bowls in the work area.

5) Bring honey-water to a boil, then adjust heat to provide a light, steady boil. Use a spatula to lift bagels from the plastic wrap and slide them into the boiling water. Place as many in the pan as you can, working quickly. Boil for 2 minutes then use the spatula to turn bagels over and boil another 2 minutes. Lift, drain and remove bagels and arrange on the prepared sheet pan. Use your fingers to tighten the bagel circles (a bowl of ice water will help avoid burns - dip your fingers into it before adjusting bagels). 

If desired, sprinkle bagels with toppings at this time. Immediately place the bagels into the oven. Bake approximately 13 minutes, then turn the tray 180 degrees and bake approximately another 13 minutes, or until bagels are walnut-brown.

NOTES: All ovens are different. Some may bake the bagels more quickly and some may require a longer baking time. Also, if you have made more bagels than will fit into a single batch of boiling water, bake each batch as soon as boiled. DO not allow bagels to cool in order to bake all together.

6) As bagels finish baking, remove and cool on a wire rack. Eat while still slightly warm. (Really I don’t have to say this. The aroma will deliver the exact same message.)

Enjoy!

Commercial Bakers: Boost your business with great bagels. Contact me for wholesale information and scaled-up recipes. 
Charles Luce at 201 725 8706.
Copyright © 2018 GF Creations LLC d.b.a. Luce's 9 Grains, All rights reserved.


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