Quarantine Life: Day 26, AIP Bagels and Cream Cheese

I love bagels. There was a time in college when I would have a toasted everything bagel with globs of chives cream cheese three times a week. They didn’t call it the freshman 15 for nothing. It was worth it. The combination of the hot, salty, crunchy bagel and the cold, savory cream cheese was sublime.

Ever since we’ve been on the autoimmune protocol (AIP) diet, grains, dairy, and seeds are off-limits to us. So, I decided to make my own AIP-compliant bagels and cream cheese. The tapioca and cassava flour make these bagels a little chewier than traditional bagels, so I like making them a little bit smaller. The cream cheese is fantastic. It has the creamy, subtly tangy taste that I love.

Our AIP-compliant bagels and cream cheese make even a quarantine weekend feel a little bit more normal.

AIP Cream Cheese

Prep time: 2 minutes; Chill time: 30-40 minutes

Servings: 12 ounces

Ingredients

• 1 can of coconut cream

• 2 tablespoons of cream of tartar

Instructions

1. Open your can of coconut cream and scoop out the cream into a medium-sized bowl. Take care to leave the liquid in the can. You can use the liquid for a smoothie or something else.

2. Add the cream of tartar to the coconut cream and stir.

3. Place the bowl in the refrigerator to chill while you make your bagels (about 30-40 minutes).

AIP coconut cream cheese.

AIP Bagels

Prep time: 15 minutes; Cook time: 20-25 minutes (boiling and baking)

Servings: 10 4-inch diameter bagels

Ingredients

Bagel Dough

• 1 medium sweet potato, steamed and mashed

• 1 cup of cassava flour (plus a few tablespoons to sprinkle on your work surface when you knead the dough)

• 1 cup of tapioca flour

• 1 can of organic coconut milk

• 2 tablespoons of cream of tartar

• 1 tablespoon of baking soda

Toppings

• 1 teaspoon of garlic powder

• 1 teaspoon of onion powder

• 1 teaspoon of Italian seasoning

• 1 teaspoon of nutritional yeast

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. Fill a pot with about 4 inches of water and place it on your stovetop over medium heat.

3. While you wait for the water to boil, combine all ingredients for the bagel dough in a large bowl.

4. Mix well until your dough holds its shape, but is still slightly sticky. If it’s too sticky, add a little bit of tapioca flour at a time until you get the consistency you want. If it’s too dry, do the same with water.

5. Sprinkle some cassava flour on a clean work surface. I use a clean cutting board.

6. Working with one small piece of dough at a time (about the size of a tangerine), roll your dough onto the surface into a 4-6 inch snake and connect the ends into a round. Dust each bagel lightly with flour and set aside. Repeat until you’ve used up all your dough.

7. Your water should be boiling by now. Using a slotted spoon gently place each bagel into the boiling water. Wait about 60 seconds, then flip the bagels over in the water to cook for another 60 seconds. Depending on how big your pot is, you may have to do this in batches so the bagels don’t touch in the pot.

8. Line a baking sheet with parchment baking paper.

9. Fish out the bagels with your slotted spoon and place them on the baking sheet.

10. Mix your toppings in a small bowl and sprinkle them over your bagels.

11. Bake the bagels in the oven for 15-20 minutes.

12. Let bagels cool on a rack.

13. Enjoy with cream cheese!

AIP bagels

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This daily blog post series is our way of sharing our experience with you, our readers. We’ll talk about our daily routines, adjustments to working from home, recipes based on limited ingredients and any other topic that comes to mind. It’s our way of connecting with the “outside” world, while also giving us the opportunity to look within and reflect on what we’re experiencing and how we’re feeling. Thanks for your interest in sharing this journey with us. Stay tuned and be well.