It’s no easy feat getting started with baking gluten and casein free. A great way to start off your baking adventures is to use some of the handy gluten free, casein free baking mixes available at your local store. A basic bread mix, pancake mix, pizza crust mix and dessert mix of some variety, will get you going in no time. These mixes are great when you or your child has no further restrictions beyond gluten and casein. They are wonderful when you’re not confident of your baking prowess. Mixes are also endlessly helpful when you’re short on time. Box mixes are not for everyone, however.

To help make GF/CF baking easier, we’ve compiled some great tips and tricks for getting started with scratch baking.

Start with a recipe. When just getting started, a developed recipe is the best way to have success. There are many different recipe sites and blogs dedicated to every kind of GF/CF baked good from sweet to savory these days, so why reinvent the wheel? Some wonderful sites are Gluten Free Goddess (most dairy free), Fat Free Vegan (all GF), and The Sensitive Pantry.

Find a good all-purpose GF/CF flour blend. Start simple with an all-purpose blend if you can find one that will work for your family’s needs. You will find two general types in the market- those that contain Xanthan or Guar gum, and those that do not. There are advantages to both, but we recommend buying your gum of choice separately so you can control how much you need with each recipe.

Build a small collection of flours. If a premixed blend won’t work, or you’ve graduated beyond a premixed blend, build a small collection of your most-used GF/CF flours- such as white or brown rice flour, sorghum flour, tapioca flour and potato starch. Once you get going with recipes, you’ll find you use the same flours over and over again.

Do some research before skipping ingredients. Wondering what Xanthan gum is or scratching your head over guar gum? Do a little online research into the roles played by these ingredients, and any others that you don’t recognize. See what they do before skipping them in the recipe. Some you may not need, but others might be the key to your success.

Learn your substitutions. Learn what makes great substitutes for commons sources of casein (and eggs if you need to avoid those too). There are many, many vegan sites dedicated to substituting for milk products- use them. They’ll save you time and headaches. Bob’s Red Mill also has many info sheets on how to substitute flours and dairy products, call 800-349-2173 for a copy.

Don’t give up. Even the best chefs make mistakes and have failed recipes. Just because you didn’t get that cake to come out just right doesn’t mean you never will. Accept that there are bad recipes out there and there will be times when even the best recipe comes out poorly. Don’t give up!

Some Basic Recipes for the GF/CF Diet:

• Delicious Gluten Free Bread (Dairy Free) from Gluten Free Goddess
• Basic Gluten Free (Dairy Free) Pancakes from Ginger Lemon Girl
• All Purpose Muffins (GF/CF) from Bob’s Red Mill

Starting a gluten free and casein free diet can be pretty daunting, so we’ve compiled some tips for making the transition a bit easier.

1. Know the common sources of gluten and casein. Print it out and keep it in your wallet or put it on your smart phone for handy reference.

• Gluten:
• Wheat (including Spelt/Kamut/Triticale)
• Rye
• Barley
• Pasta
• Bread
• Couscous
• Pancakes
• Flour
• Cookies, Crackers and other Baked Goods

• Casein:
• Milk (including Cream)
• Butter
• Yogurt
• Cheese
• Sour Cream
• Cottage cheese
• Ice cream
• Salad dressing (Ranch, Blue Cheese, etc)
• Creamed soups

2. Be aware of the hidden sources of gluten and casein, such as soy sauce and natural flavors. There is a great list to get you started here.
3. Get used to reading labels. Take your time and examine the ingredient list of a product. Don’t just rely on allergen statements, but really look at what is listed. Labels change, so check frequently to be sure that the company hasn’t changed the label or the way the ingredient is made. If you’re really not sure, call the company.
4. Be your own advocate and take the diet seriously. Don’t cheat and don’t let others think a little gluten or casein is okay. Yes, we know it’s hard to pass up that luscious piece of chocolate cake, but if you don’t take it seriously, how will others? This means standing up for yourself at restaurants and family gatherings. Treat your new diet as you would a serious food allergy. A little bit can derail all the work you’ve been putting into healing your body.
5. Plan ahead. If you’re eating out, call ahead to the restaurant and find out what their policy is for food allergens and find out what you can eat on their menu. If you can’t eat anything and they’re not willing to work with you, find a different restaurant. This goes for family gatherings and catered events. If you can’t get around attending the event, eat beforehand or bring your own, safe food.
6. Bring back-up food. Always keep snacks that you can eat on hand for those times when there is no safe option. If you have to eat somewhere that is not going to work with you to ensure your safety, bring your own food or eat ahead of time- even if it’s your mother-in-law’s house or a fancy dining establishment. You deserve to eat safely.
7. Finally, find an ally. Whether it is your partner or just a friend who “gets it” find someone you can talk to about the challenges of your new diet and share a meal with when you just want to eat in peace. Someone who will help advocate for you when the going gets tough and understands that you are not just “picky.”

Did we miss something? Tell us in the comments what other advice you’d offer someone just getting started on the GF/CF diet.

I bet you didn’t know that today is National Homemade Bread Day. Who knew homemade bread got its own day? I thought any day you made bread at home would be homemade bread day… Well, it turns out that today, November 17 is the official day to celebrate homemade bread. Instead of limiting our focus to just more bread recipes, we’re going to share some recipes for turning that loaf of delicious homemade bread into stuffing.

Stuffing made our list of intimidating items and my guess is that it’s the actual bread component that causes the stress- after all, stuffing is pretty basic. The principles of a good stuffing are the same whether you use gluten free bread or conventional bread—you want to use day-old, or oven-dried bread, so plan ahead. To really save yourself time, bake a loaf of bread this weekend and let it sit out overnight. Then dice it and freeze it until Wednesday night.

It’s hard to boil down the basics of stuffing when every region of the United States has its own way of doing things. Here are some pretty simple gluten free bread recipes that you can use in the basic gluten free stuffing recipes that follow. Want a truly simply way to make stuffing? Try our Gluten Free Homemade Wonderful Bread Mix- it’s fairly basic and a great place to start your gluten free bread baking education. We also have a great Gluten Free Cornbread Mix, if that’s more your style.

Basic Gluten Free Breads

• Delicious Gluten Free Bread from Gluten Free Goddess
• Gluten Free Multigrain Bread from Gluten Free Girl
• Basic Gluten Free Sourdough Bread from Jean Layton, the Gluten-Free Doctor
• Basic Gluten Free Bread from Celiac Chicks
• Basic Gluten Free Cornbread from Carol Fenster via Bob’s Red Mill

Stuffing Recipes (make sure you use a gluten free broth or make your own to avoid any hidden sources of gluten)

• Homemade Wonderful Stuffing: This recipe uses our Homemade Wonderful Bread Mix as a base, but you could use any gluten free bread in this recipe.
• How to Make the Best Gluten Free Stuffing from Elizabeth Barbone via Serious Eats (great step-by-step guide!)
• Basic Stuffing (Video Guide) from Gluten Free Girl
• Cornbread Stuffing Recipe with Curried Apples and Cranberries from Gluten Free Goddess

 

As I mentioned in my post about making a good gluten free gravy, one of the keys to finding a recipe that you can trust is finding the common denominators.  What seems to come up over and over again in the recipes? When I first heard about ratios for baking and cooking, I pretty much ignored it- that stuff is for fancy cooks and people who make their own recipes. However, the more I think about it, applying mathematical thinking to recipes is pretty spectacular. Finding rules for what works and doesn’t work is pretty novel when you apply it to converting recipes to be gluten free. While I’m hesitant to take the plunge and buy the book or download the app, I’m definitely fascinated by this idea of rules to follow for successful baking.

Thanks to Gluten Free Canteen and Gluten Free Girl, I found the ratio for pie crust: three parts flour to two parts fat to one part liquid. Does it matter that you’re attempting a gluten free recipe? Not in this case. From everything I have found, a pie crust does not need xanthan or guar gum to be successful. That makes two awesome discoveries in two days! Seems more and more folks cannot tolerate xanthan or guar gum and finding recipes that don’t need one or the other is truly something special around here.

Before we get to the recipes, we’re missing one last piece of the puzzle and that piece is chilled butter and/or chilled water (or milk). If you don’t know why this is so important, let me tell you. Chilled butter is where all of the flakiness comes from in pie crust. As you cut together the flour and butter to make small pea-sized pieces, what you’re doing is creating little fat pockets in your dough. When you cook your crust, the butter melts leaving behind little tiny air pockets… at least, I’m pretty sure that’s what happens. Cold water keeps the butter from melting prematurely.

Finally, if you have a food processor—by all means, USE IT. It will make your life easier and produce pretty darn good results. Even Julia Child moved to using a food processor for pie crusts when she discovered how much easier it was.

Here are some recipes that I found for gluten free pie crust that I would stake my Thanksgiving pie on. And you want to know why? They use the same general rules of thumb as the ratio AND they’re almost all the same. We’re getting closer and closer to the big day,  if you can do a dry run this weekend I recommend it. You can do it! I know you can!

• Gluten Free Canteen: http://glutenfreecanteen.com/2011/06/22/oh-my-pie-crust/
• Gluten Free Girl: http://glutenfreegirl.com/were-having-a-pie-party/
• Simply Gluten-Free: http://simplygluten-free.com/blog/2011/10/perfect-gluten-free-pie-crust-recipe.html (this one does use xanthan gum, but looks pretty good)
• Bob’s Red Mill Easy as Pie Crust (GF): our go-to recipe, which does use xanthan gum and produces lovely results: http://www.bobsredmill.com/recipes.php?recipe=1126 (pictured above)

Want to know how to make vegan pie crusts? Check out this great post that we put together last year.

In my humble opinion, gravy is one of the best things about Thanksgiving dinner. I was a bit surprised when  gluten free gravy, was listed as one of the foods that intimidates you the most about Thanksgiving. And a quick internet search will reassure you- you are not alone. It’s been a hot topic online these days and I’ve been on the hunt for some great resources for you guys to help take the worry out of gravy. I will also be sharing some pie crust tips and stuffing how-to’s later in the week, as those were also on the most-intimidating list.

The most fool-proof way to make gravy? Follow a recipe from someone you trust and try it first. If it’s your first time or a dish that freaks you out a bit, there is always someone who has a great recipe and who knows how to avoid the pitfalls. This weekend, try your gravy recipe and make sure it works. If it’s not working, you still have time to find out why.

How do you know if a recipe is good? What I do is look at 4 or 5 recipes for something and find the common ground. In this case- almost all of the gravies I have found that are gluten free use Sweet White Rice Flour.  If you find an outlier, save it for another time. Tried and true methods are the key! Now is not the time to play around, unless you are utterly confident and have a fall back plan.

I’ve gone ahead and done that part for you- each of these recipes would be one that I would make for Thanksgiving dinner. I still urge you to find the time to try it first, no one wants Thanksgiving dinner without gravy… well, almost no one.

Gluten Free Girl has a beautiful video and offers some great insight into making a delicious gluten free gravy. Check it out here: http://glutenfreegirl.com/gluten-free-gravy/ In fact, if you click on this link, you get a whole slew of amazing gluten free Thanksgiving recipes complete with main dishes, sides, salads and baked goods.

Elizabeth Barbone via Serious Eats offers very similar advice, an easy recipe and some great tips for converting your gluten free gravy to also be dairy free.

Let me start this post off with a confession: I am not a runner. I exercise, but I don’t run. The only running I do is after our pup to keep this or that from becoming his next victim.

Two weeks ago we got a phone call from Michael Sandler, author of Running Barefoot. He was in town and wanted to come meet us. My coworker, Julie, was beyond excited to meet Michael and his running/writing/life partner Jessica so we set up a  tour and meeting with them. I was a little nervous to meet someone who has built their life around running in a way that throws conventional running on its head.

You see, Michael and Jessica run barefoot. Everywhere. In all seasons. According to them, barefoot running is a more natural way to run. When you wear running shoes, your stride lands you on your heel first. Barefoot, you land on your toes first, which allows for natural shock absorption as the rest of your foot hits the ground. Landing heel first passes the shock up through the body and is part of what leads to bad knees and hips. Being the novice runner that I am, I had all sorts of questions. Jessica told me the key is starting slow. Your feet will be more sensitive at first and your legs will tire more easily. Like any new sport, take baby steps and before you know it, you’ll be up and running.

Michael and Jessica have a wonderful life philosophy, “Feel the Earth beneath your feet and run free.” We talked about food and nutrition- Michael is gluten free, mostly raw and vegan. He fuels himself on gluten free oats, flax, chia, hemp and nutritional yeast, plus lots of other things to keep his diet varied. The two spend most of their time on the road, with stops at their Boulder home occasionally to refuel and recharge. We met them at the end of a long summer about to start a full month off. Both were excited to go home and recharge for the publication of their next book and get ready for some marathons this fall. I can only imagine running a marathon barefoot!

We left this meeting feeling excited to try our feet at barefoot running and we want to share our excitement with you. Michael and Jessica gave us signed copies of Barefoot Running to share with you. I have 12 copies (they were so generous) to share with you.

This book is simply amazing. It gives step-by-step training advice, tips and tricks, guidance on nutrition and is, essentially, a how-to for barefoot running. I love the title of Part One, “Why on Earth Would You Want to Run Barefoot?” Isn’t that what we all wonder when hearing about running barefoot. Good information coupled with good methodology make for an inspirational read. Now, I know this book is not for everyone. Not everyone is a runner, nor is every runner ready to rethink how they run.

If you are ready to rethink how you run or take up running for the first time, like me, this book will inspire you to try a new way of logging miles. One that will undoubtedly help you stay fit physically and spiritually.

How to Win:

I’m giving you a couple of ways to win this time.

Mandatory Entry: Simply leave us a comment here and tell us what intrigues you about running barefoot.

For a bonus entry, visit RunBare’s facebook page and “like” it (facebook.com/RunBare). THEN, come back here and tell us that you did it.

That’s it, you can get two entries. I’ll pick 12 winners from all who comment by 11:59 on 08/14/11.

THIS CONTEST IS CLOSED

Interesting topic this one as there are as many ways to be a good partner while training as there are relationships I suppose.  Some people were athletes in training when they met their significant other and the workouts and races and training regimen were a known quantity when the relationship began.  Some relationships are formed by two athletes each with their own schedule and challenges.  Other relationships have had training and racing brought into the equation long after the relationship was formed and the non-athlete partner may look upon the new schedule and lifestyle as a threat to the relationship equal to an affair.

I guess in the end, every relationship works for different reasons.  My wife and I often tell others that our relationship wouldn’t work for any people we know, but it works wonderfully for us.  We are both very committed to our careers and to our passions.  With her, it’s a career that requires travel, her music; she skates and is now taking up hockey.  She’s taken private pilot lessons, gone to nursing school and throws some mean pottery.  Me, I have a less demanding career that I’ve designed to allow me to live the lifestyle I want, I ride my bike – never really considered it “training” – and that takes time away on the weekends for races.  We get each other and we have figured out how we can be “us” without either of us feeling resentful or threatened by the other’s “me”.

When my wife and I met, I was already an athlete in training.  I was traveling on the national racing circuit and riding 15-20 hours a week in addition to building my financial services practice.  We lived in different cities about 2.5 hours apart but somehow we were able to begin and grow a relationship that would take us from there to here.  Kathy knew what to expect I guess.  She knew she loved me and that cycling was a very large part of my life.  How can a person fall in love with another person then ask the object of affection to stop being the person that was fallen in love with?  Make sense?  She felt that asking me to stop or slow down or change would be the equal of me asking her to quit her job, stop playing music, stop making pottery, or stop reading books because “it takes too much time away from ‘us’.” I guess the first key to success in relationships is to realize that a healthy “us” takes two healthy individuals who choose to be together without asking the other to sacrifice who they are.  Isn’t that true of all healthy relationships?  This stuff isn’t just for athletes in training.

On the flip side, I know that it is very, very easy for athletes to become myopic about their training, their racing and to assume everyone around you is as consumed as you are.  Get over yourself J.  The athlete needs to be a well rounded person.  You can only re-tell a story about getting third in the field sprint at your race last weekend so many times before even the people who love you the most will stop caring.  Ask your partner, your friends and your family about their lives and well being once in a while.  How’s work?  How’s your sister?  How’s school?  What did you do today?  Some times the best answer you can give to the question “How was your ride?” is “Great, how was your day, want to go to a movie later?”  Remember, most adults look at riding a bike as something they had to do to deliver newspapers or as last resort transportation prior to obtaining a license to drive an automobile.  Knowing this will come in handy next time you’re invited to your partner’s company Holiday party.  Don’t enter into a conversation with your partner’s boss by opening with “I’m a bike racer.”

If you’ve taken up bike racing the way some guys go into midlife crisis and buy a Corvette behind which to hide the tattered libido, realize you’re introducing a new dynamic into what may be a long established and “settled into” relationship.  There are routines that are being disrupted.  Suddenly, you’re coming home from work and rather than sitting on the back deck talking with your partner over a glass of wine about the events of the day, you’re rushing to change into your lycra twit kit and barging out the door with your expensive new carbon fiber girlfriend – who is very high maintenance by the way – to meet your new friends (whom your partner has never met) for the bike shop ride.  You get home just before dark, your partner has already eaten – alone – and all you can do is talk about how fast the pace line was going (a term that means nothing to your partner) just before the town line sprint (another term that means nothing).  Then after you shower, you’re so tapped out from the ride you can’t make decent conversation and you fall asleep on the sofa while your partner is craving some interaction other than what flavor of Muscle Milk you prefer. Your partner needs more from their relationship with an athlete than single digit body fat and well toned legs.  Work at being interesting as hard as you do at being fit.

Some times it’s okay to break your routine.  God knows we ask our partners to put up with a lot of disruptions to their routine.  Several years ago, I had been racing a lot – stage races, single day races you name it from late February through July, nearly non stop.  Kathy was missing me.  She wasn’t complaining, but I tuned in enough to know.  I called my team manager and told him I was out for the next weekend; scratch me from the Super Week schedule.  Kathy and I went to the beach.  She even said I could bring my bike if I wanted to ride (that’s the way she is) but I declined.  Hey, 4 days off the bike watching the love of my life sleep happily on the beach with her feet dug into the sand, watching the sunsets over the water together and doing wine tastings at the local vineyards was pure magic and much needed.  The break gave me some much needed rest and I raced better after I returned.  More importantly though it reaffirmed to me that there are plenty of things more important than racing a bike.

Over the weekend I made up a big pot of cranberry beans in my slow cooker. I’ve been trying to be more frugal and a great way to save some money is to cook dried beans instead of buying them by the can. Plus, they just taste better and undoubtedly have less sodium. Confession time- I bought cranberry beans as an experiment. I wasn’t very familiar with them and thought they would cook up and look just like pinto beans. So here I am on Sunday with a huge pot of beans that I wasn’t really confident on how to use. They are bigger than pintos when cooked and I was a little unsure if they would be good in burritos on their own. But they looked good and tasted good, so I decided I was going to try to make my own refried beans. I mean, how hard could it be??

Turns out, not very hard! I learned a few things in talking to our Twitter friends. “Refried” is a poor translation for refrito, which means “well fried” not the way we think of it as re-frying beans as if they’ve been fried before (thanks to Elise from Simply Recipes for the explanation). Nearly everyone who responded to my query said they were so easy to make and worth it!

I admit that I did follow the recipe from Simply Recipes, but it’s so simple it’s laughable! Basically, you cook your beans and mash them slightly. Then sauté a diced onion (I used only 1/2 of a large, white one) in some olive oil. When that is clear, add your beans and a small amount of water and cook until they liquid is absorbed. Flavor with salt, pepper and whatever other seasonings you like (I added garlic) and use as you would canned beans. It’s simple and SOOOO tasty!! They went over very well at my house and there were no leftovers. I urge you to try this for yourself. Since I left out something important, I’m sure, head over to Simply Recipes for a step by step recipe.

P.S. The Kitchn has a great method for cooking dried beans in the slow cooker. My only addition to their method is that I’ve found 1-2″ of water is quickly absorbed by the beans if you have not soaked them overnight and there’s no harm in extra water. I’d recommend 3-4″ of water to cover the beans.

 

They’ll make a day for just about anything, won’t they?  National Pie Day was created by, um… you guessed it, the American Pie Council, to celebrate this national comfort food and its role in our American heritage. Ok, we’ll roll with it. We don’t need to be told twice to put pie up on a pedestal and worship all that is lovely about pie.

What we love about pie is its amazing versatility. You can put almost anything into a pie shell and it will be a hit. From sweet, fruit pies and cream pies to savory quiches and potpies, we haven’t found a pie that we didn’t love.

What is definitely the most intimidating part of pies is the crust. Yes, you can take the easy route and buy a pre-made crust at the store, but there’s something about making a pie from scratch that is so satisfying.

The key to a good pie crust is to follow the directions exactly, use cold butter and ice water if required, and make sure the dough does not get overly wet. You want it to stick together when pressed, but you don’t want it to be gooey. It’s a bit intimidating, but usually there are only a few steps: mix flour, salt, sugar (if using), blend in shortening or butter using a pastry blender, add water one tablespoon at a time until dough sticks together. We cannot emphasize enough that the water must be added and blended one tablespoon at a time. If you dump it in all at once, you end up with a soggy crust. A tip that we dearly love is using wax paper or plastic wrap when rolling your crust out. What a lifesaver that can be!

You want to check how long the crust needs to be chilled (if at all) before you endeavor to make your pie. There is nothing more frustrating than going to make your pie and learning you still have to chill the dough for six hours. The longer the dough chills, the flakier your crust will be upon baking. Not all dough needs to be chilled and we recommend keeping a few different crusts in your collection:

• a traditional double pie crust (gluten free version here) Chilling time can be reduced, but the crust may not be quite as flaky.
• a double pie crust that does not require chilling
• a single pie crust for pies that do not need a top crust (gluten free version here)
• a quick and easy graham-cracker or nut-based pie crust; for a great gluten free version to stand in for “graham cracker” crusts,  we particularly love this one from Karina Allrich of Gluten Free Goddess fame.
• for a vegan pie crust, this post is a great reference.

Bagels are just one of those foods that are always going to be much more delicious if you bake them at home for yourself. Odds are, if you take the time to make them at home, they’ll probably be a whole lot healthier than the store bought variety as well. In fact, I had reluctantly given up on eating bagels for a while when I noticed that the whole gain bagels that I had been buying from the store listed “Corn Syrup Solids” as an ingredient. I’m still not completely sure what corn syrup solids are, but I know that they’re not something I usually add to my home baking.

But don’t be intimidated! Although they can seem complicated if you’ve never tried making them before, bagels are a fun and simple baking project to try out. Because of the short ingredient list, they are a great way to experiment with and all of our different flours. They’re also an easy way to prepare a week’s worth of healthy breakfasts ahead of time. If you decide to make a double batch, you can keep them fresh by slicing them and freezing individually so that you can defrost them one at a time.

I have been really enjoying making bagels with our Organic Kamut Flour because of its rich, buttery flavor. Here is the recipe that I have been using lately that is based on a very basic recipe for bagels that I found online:

2 Cups Kamut Flour
2 Cups Unbleached White Flour (I prefer organic)
1 ½ teaspoons of Sea Salt
1 tablespoon Buttermilk Powder (totally optional)
1 tablespoon Vital Wheat Gluten
1 ½ cups warm water, 110°-115°
2 ¼ teaspoons Active Dry Yeast
2 tablespoons Barley Malt Syrup
If you don’t have any barley malt syrup on hand, you can also 2 tablespoons of Molasses or 2 teaspoons of Barley Malt Extract.

In the bowl of a Mixer outfitted with a bread hook, combine the Kamut and Unbleached White Flour, Vital Wheat Gluten, Buttermilk Powder (if using) and Salt.

In a separate small bowl stir the yeast in to the warm water. Add the Barley Malt Syrup and stir until combined.

Turn on the Mixer and add the wet ingredients. Let the mixer knead the dough for 8-10 minutes. The dough should not be sticky to the touch. If the surface of the dough feels tacky, add slightly more flour to the mix until it forms a firm ball.

Remove dough from the mixing bowl and divide into 8 little balls. If you like small bagels, you can divide the dough into as many as a dozen portions. Place the dough in an oiled bowl in a warm place and cover with a towel. Let the dough rise until it has doubled in size, usually about an hour or so.

Prepare your baking sheets – I like to use oiled parchment as a baking surface, because you never have to worry about sticking. Take the dough balls from the bowl and roll each between your hands until the surface is smooth. Don’t worry if they have stuck together in the bowl a little. If any part of the dough has dried slightly you can use a little olive oil to knead in the rough spots.

Now is the time to add the Bagel hole! Just poke your thumb through the center of the dough ball and smooth out any lumps or creases. Place each bagel on your prepared baking sheet. Cover and let rise again for a half hour or so.

Preheat the oven to 425°

Bring a wide pot of water to a rolling boil. I like to add a tablespoon of salt to the water, but I don’t think it is completely necessary. Carefully drop each bagel into the boiling water and boil on each side for 30 seconds to a minute. Remove the bagels from the water with a large slotted spoon or spatula, and let rest on the prepared baking sheets for 5 or 10 minutes.

Bake the bagels for 10 – 15 minutes depending on the size you decided to make them. You will be able to tell that they are done when they turn a golden brown. Remove the bagels from the oven and quickly flip over each bagel. Cook another two or three minutes upside down.

Slice and serve with your favorite toppings!