Pumpkin Bagels, Allergy-Free and Easy
Healthful, homemade pumpkin bagels are easier to make than you might think. Photographs by Liza Schoenfein
As a holistic-nutrition student and private chef, my main goal in, well, life, is to create the healthiest comfort food known to man. There are certain foods I could never live without, but often they contain ingredients I definitely want to live without. Enter the bagel — a childhood favorite that I won’t eat today unless it’s thoroughly scooped out. And where’s the fun in that?
After eyeing some pumpkin bagels at Trader Joe’s that were full of unhealthy oils and sugar, I knew I had to make my own. The ones I came up with are virtually allergy-free (they’re gluten-free, nut-free, yeast-free and vegan) and extremely health supportive. They taste deliciously seasonal, too. Because they require no yeast (which means no rising time), you can make a week’s worth of bagels in less than half an hour.
For the gluten-free flours, you can buy buckwheat, millet and oat flour in the supermarket, or you can make your own. I usually prepare flour myself, as it takes nearly no effort, saves money and I always have dried buckwheat and steel cut oats at home. To make the flours, buy the whole grains dried and mix them in a blender until they become fine flours. That’s it!
The pumpkin and spices in these bagels induce a warming effect in your body to help ease the chilly weather; the maple syrup sneaks nutrients into your sweetener; the buckwheat and oat flour pack fiber, minerals, protein and complex carbs; and flax and coconut offer omega-3s and fiber. These are bagels you can feel great about eating. Don’t scoop them out! Enjoy them toasted with your favorite jam, vegan cream cheese or nut butter.
Hadas’s Pumpkin Bagels
Yields 8 bagels
Dry Ingredients
1 cup buckwheat or millet flour
1 cup oat flour
2/3 cup arrowroot flour
4 tablespoons dried coconut, finely shredded
3 tablespoons flax seeds, ground
2 teaspoons baking soda
½ teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon nutmeg
½ teaspoon cloves
½ teaspoon ginger powder
Wet Ingredients
1 15.5-ounce can pureed pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
1 tablespoon coconut oil
2 teaspoons raw apple cider vinegar
4 tablespoons maple syrup
¼ cup raisins (optional)
1) Preheat oven to 350˚ F. In a large pot, heat 4 cups of water to a boil.
2) Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, combine the wet ingredients.
3) Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture bit by bit and knead with your hands, until the dough ends up tough and not too wet. (You will probably have about a fifth of the wet mixture left over, which you can save and add to your next bowl of oatmeal or a shake.)
4) Line a baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper. (Optional: lightly dust with cornmeal.)
5) Divide dough into 8 balls (depending on what size you want your bagels), and smooth with your hands. Form each ball into bagel form by pinching a hole in the middle with your thumb.
6) Gently toss each bagel into the boiling water and boil on each side for 30 seconds. Using a slotted spoon, remove your bagels.
7) Place the bagels on the parchment paper and bake for 18 minutes.
Hadas Margulies is the food intern at The Forward. Find her at HadasMargulies
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