Friends of ours came down from Long Island, New York over Thanksgiving weekend, bringing with them several packages of bagels from Joan’s GF Great Bakes. I had read some rave reviews of Joan’s bagels on several celiac message boards but demurred on buying them locally due to their price - about $9 for a package of five bagels. Our friends picked up four packages of Joan’s frozen plain bagels on sale for $20 at her store in Bellmore, New York. (Other varieties include Everything, Egg Onion Poppy, Sesame, Poppy and Cinnamon Raisin; her bagels can be ordered dairy free as well.)
Unlike our usual gluten-free bagels from Glutino, Joan's versions call for a few minutes more prep because they are 
then has to cool for a few minutes.With all this effort, I thought, this bagel ought to be good – and it was. So good that when I made two bagels the other morning for my older son intending to use one for his lunch, he ended up eating both for breakfast. He prefers these to the Glutino variety but for convenience, I'm not ready to ditch those just yet. The outside of the bagel is crusty, with the appearance of a typical glutenous effort from a neighborhood bagel shop (click on the photos for more detail). A plain bagel is 270 calories.
One baking recommendation: keep a close eye on the bottom of the bagel while baking. I ended up burning a couple because I kept it in the oven too long. I found that using a vented baking pan - one with holes in it that my wife and I typically use for heating gluten-free pizza - cuts down on this possibility. I also spray some Pam on a piece of aluminum foil placed atop the pan.
Joan's baked goods, which also include English muffins, cookies, bread, rolls and pizza crusts, can be ordered through her company's website. Locally, her products are sold in New Jersey at Water to Go in Pennsauken and Mr. Ritt's in Millville.
