Skip to main content

Artisan Loaves · beginner

Everything Bagel Crumb Loaf

Key takeaway

Everything-bagel crumb loaf is a 96% hydration gluten-free sourdough with certified gluten-free seasoning — a sliceable loaf, not a boiled bagel.

A pan-friendly sourdough loaf with everything-bagel seasoning in the crumb and on the crust — not a boiled bagel.

By Andrew Kittridge500g flour (40% sorghum / 35% brown rice / 25% tapioca). Whole psyllium husk 6% (30g) mixed dry. Salt 1.8% (9g). Starter 20% (100g). Water 96% (480g). Everything seasoning 20g (8g in dough, 12g on crust). This is a loaf, not boiled bagels.
everything bagelseasoned crustsavory loafbeginnergluten free sourdoughgluten freedairy freeegg freevegan
Gluten-free sourdough loaf crusted with everything bagel seasoning

Prep

30m

Psyllium rest

15 minutes

Bake

55m

Servings

12

Difficulty

beginner

The short answer

This is not a bagel, and it is not trying to be one. It is a loaf you can slice for smoked-salmon breakfasts when you do not want to boil and simmer rings. The dough is a straightforward sorghum-rice-tapioca country blend at 96 percent hydration, a little stiffer so the seasoning stays put. Whole psyllium husk at 6 percent is mixed dry. Salt in the dough is 1.8 percent because everything seasoning already carries salt. Starter is 20 percent brown rice. We fold a spoonful of seasoning into the dough and press more onto the crust so every slice has onion, garlic, sesame, and poppy — without using regular wheat bagel crumbs. Check the seasoning blend for wheat flour fillers; many bulk bins are not safe. Bake in a 500F Dutch oven or in a loaf pan set inside a covered roaster if you want a more sandwich-shaped crumb. Cool at least two hours. The crust should be freckled and fragrant, the crumb ivory and even, and the flavor should read as bagel shop without the chew of a boiled ring. For actual bagels, use our gluten-free sourdough bagel formula.

For the method behind gluten-free structure, read the gluten-free sourdough guide and keep a lively culture with the starter guide.

Why it works

  • A slightly stiffer 96% dough holds a seed crust without a boil.
  • Lower dough salt accounts for salty topping while staying in the 1.8–2.2% flour range.
  • Seasoning in the dry mix flavors the crumb, not only the crust.
  • The Dutch-oven steam still gelatinizes the starches the way a bagel boil would, minus the ring shape.

Ingredients

  • 200g (1 2/3 cups)sorghum flour
  • 175g (1 cup plus 1 Tbsp)brown rice flour
  • 125g (1 cup plus 1 Tbsp)tapioca starch
  • 30g (6 Tbsp)whole psyllium husk6% of flour weight
  • 9g (1 1/2 tsp)fine sea salt1.8% of flour; seasoning is salty
  • 100g (1/3 cup plus 1 Tbsp)active brown-rice starter (100% hydration)20% of flour
  • 480g (2 cups)lukewarm water (80F)96% hydration
  • 20g (2 Tbsp)everything bagel seasoning, dividedcertified gluten-free blend: sesame, poppy, dried garlic, dried onion, salt
  • 5g (1 tsp)olive oilto help seasoning stick on the crust

Equipment

  • Digital kitchen scale
  • Large mixing bowl
  • Stiff spatula
  • Banneton or towel-lined bowl
  • Parchment paper sling
  • 5–6 quart Dutch oven with lid
  • Bread lame or sharp knife
  • Wire cooling rack
  • Instant-read thermometer
  • Pastry brush
  • Optional 8.5x4.5 inch loaf pan

Instructions

  1. 1

    Read the everything-seasoning label. It should be sesame, poppy, dried garlic, dried onion, and salt — no wheat flour, malt, or soy sauce powder. If the bulk bin is unlabeled, do not use it for celiac baking.

    2 minutes

  2. 2

    Whisk sorghum, brown rice, tapioca, whole psyllium husk, and salt. Stir 8g of the seasoning into the dry mix so onion flakes are coated in flour and will not clump.

    3 minutes

  3. 3

    Stir starter into the 480g water. Pour over the flours and beat to a thick, scoopable batter. It should smell like onion and garlic already, in a quiet way.

    4 minutes

  4. 4

    Rest 15 minutes until the dough mounds like thick hummus. Press: it should feel tacky, not oily. 96% hydration is slightly stiffer than the artisan loaf so seeds stay in place.

    15 minutes

  5. 5

    Shape a round or a short log. Brush the top with 5g olive oil and press on the remaining 12g seasoning so it looks fully freckled. Set in a floured banneton or a parchment-lined loaf pan.

    5 minutes

  6. 6

    Proof at 75–78F until risen about 50 percent. It should smell like a bagel shop and yogurt. If the onion smell is harsh and there is no sour, the starter was underactive.

    3.5–4.5 hours

  7. 7

    Preheat Dutch oven at 500F for 45 minutes, or preheat a lidded roaster if using a loaf pan. Invert a banneton loaf onto parchment; a pan loaf bakes in its pan, covered by the roaster.

    45 minutes

  8. 8

    Score a single shallow slash if baked as a boule. Do not score a pan loaf; it will split along the seasoning. Seeds should still be stuck, not in a pile on the parchment.

    1 minute

  9. 9

    Bake covered 40 minutes, lid-off 12–15 minutes until the seasoning is toasted and the loaf is gold, center 208–210F. If poppy seeds scorch, tent with foil. Smell should be toasted sesame and onion, not burnt garlic.

    52–55 minutes

  10. 10

    Cool at least 2 hours. Slice. Every piece should have seasoning on the crust and a few onion specks in the crumb, without a gummy line under the crust.

    2 hours

Nutrition

Approximate values per serving. Always verify labels if you bake for celiac safety.

Nutrition facts per serving
NutrientAmount
Calories176 kcal
Protein4 g
Carbs36 g
Fat2 g
Fiber4 g
Sodium390 mg

Substitutions

Everything seasoning (20g)
Homemade: 6g sesame, 4g poppy, 4g dried garlic, 4g dried onion, 2g coarse salt.
Poppy seeds
More sesame if you dislike poppy. The loaf still reads as everything-style.
Whole psyllium husk (30g)
26g psyllium powder mixed into the dry flours.

Storage

Towel-wrap 2 days. Seeds soften in plastic. Freeze slices 2 months; toast to re-crisp the seasoning.

Notes

  • This is a crumb loaf, not a boiled bagel. For rings with a shiny crust, use the gluten-free sourdough bagel recipe.
  • Buy certified gluten-free everything seasoning or mix your own: sesame, poppy, dried minced garlic, dried minced onion, coarse salt.
  • Dough salt is 1.8% because the topping is salty. Taste the seasoning; if it is very salty, drop dough salt to 8g.
  • Oil on the crust is a glue, not enrichment. Skipping it sheds seeds in the pot.
  • Cool 2 hours. Seasoning hides whether the crust is set; the thermometer does not lie.

FAQ

Is everything-bagel bread the same as gluten-free bagels?

No. Bagels are boiled then baked as rings. This is a Dutch-oven or pan loaf with everything seasoning in the crumb and on the crust. Use our bagel recipe if you want the chew of a bagel.

What should I look for on an everything-seasoning label for celiac baking?

Sesame, poppy, dried garlic, dried onion, and salt. Avoid blends with wheat flour, malt, soy sauce, or “natural flavors” you cannot trace. Mixing your own is safest.

Why is this loaf slightly drier than the artisan boule?

96% hydration helps the seed crust stick and keeps onion flakes from turning the surface soggy. It is still well inside the 90–110% lean window.

Can I bake this in a loaf pan?

Yes. Line a 8.5x4.5 inch pan, proof in the pan, and cover with an inverted roasting pan or a second loaf pan for the steam phase at 500F, then uncover.

Does everything seasoning contain gluten?

Not if it is a pure seed-and-spice mix. Contamination and wheat fillers are the risk. Certified gluten-free blends or a homemade mix solve it.

Technique

Keep the method close

Psyllium, fermentation temperature, and a celiac-safe starter matter as much as the formula.

Sourdough guideStarter guide

About Andrew Kittridge

Home baker in Indianapolis documenting gluten-free sourdough: psyllium structure, whole-grain blends, and loaves that actually taste like bread.

More about the kitchen