Xanthan Gum Free Bagels (Boiled and Baked)
Chewy, golden, and deeply satisfying, these boiled-and-baked bagels are the real deal — the kind you'd wait in line for at a proper bagel shop. The dough comes together with just yeast, bread flour, salt, sugar, and barley malt syrup, which means there's no need for any gums or binders to get that signature dense, springy crumb. That's genuinely good news if you're navigating a sensitivity to xanthan gum, since so many store-bought or gluten-free-adjacent bagel recipes lean on it heavily. Here, the structure comes entirely from well-developed gluten, built through a solid 8–10 minutes of kneading until the dough is smooth and stiff. The two-sided boil in baking soda and barley malt water is what gives the crust its characteristic chew and that slightly glossy, crackly exterior before it ever hits the oven. A brush of egg white and a shower of sesame seeds, poppy seeds, or everything seasoning takes them over the top. Slice one warm and you'll understand immediately why homemade bagels are worth every step.
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Learn more →Ingredients
8 servings
For the dough
- 1 ½ tsp active dry yeast
- 1 ½ tsp granulated sugar
- 1 ¼ cups warm water (105–110°f / 40–43°c)
- 3 ½ cups bread flour, plus more for dusting
- 1 ½ tsp salt
- 1 tbsp barley malt syrup or honey
For the boiling water
- 2 tbsp baking soda
- 1 tbsp barley malt syrup or honey
- 2 qt water
For topping
- 1 egg white, lightly beaten
- 2 tbsp sesame seeds, poppy seeds, or everything bagel seasoning (optional)
Instructions
- 1
In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the warm water, sugar, and yeast. Stir briefly and let stand for 5–8 minutes, until the surface is foamy and the mixture smells yeasty.
- 2
Add the bread flour, salt, and 1 tbsp barley malt syrup to the yeast mixture. Mix on low speed with the dough hook until the flour is incorporated, about 2 minutes, then increase to medium speed and knead for 8–10 minutes, until the dough is smooth, stiff, and pulls cleanly away from the sides of the bowl. The dough should feel firm and only slightly tacky — stiffer than a typical bread dough.
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