Hi Reader!

As soon as I posted my Gluten-Free Bagels recipe, the number one request landed in my inbox and DMs within days... could I make a blueberry version?

I couldn't stop thinking about it, so I got to work adapting the dough. Old habits die hard, so the former accountant in me went straight for the math instead of just guessing. Blueberries are about 85% water, so I swapped 170g of fresh blueberries in for the 140g of water in the original recipe, lightly mashed and added to the dough right after the psyllium gel. It worked on the first try, the dough came together the same way it always does.

The flavor was there, but it was subtle, more of a hint of blueberry than a full-on blueberry bagel. That's when I went back in for a second test and folded in 142g of dried blueberries at the very end of mixing. That was the fix. The dried blueberries gave me the concentrated flavor and chew I'd been missing, without making the dough too wet to work with. Everything else about the process stayed the same, the same boil, the same bake, the same New York style crust, just a beautiful shade of purple.

For the third test, I got curious about the color. I heated the fresh blueberries in the microwave for about a minute before mixing them in, just to see what would happen. The flavor was identical, but the dough turned a much deeper, more vibrant purple. Take a look for yourself:

I left the heating step out of the final recipe to keep things simple, but I wanted to share both versions here so you can see the difference and decide which one you'd want to try.

I have a few other bagel flavors coming, but if there's one in particular you'd like me to do, hit reply and let me know!

-Megan