Sesame bagels

Place the sugar in a jug with 200ml warm water and stir. Add the yeast, stir and cover. Leave in a warm place for 5–10 mins until the yeast froths up.

Add the gluten-free flour, xanthan gum, salt and baking powder to a large bowl and mix. When the yeast is ready, pour into the flour mix. Add the olive oil then beat to a thick, sticky dough.

Loosely cover the bowl with clingfilm and leave in a warm place for about an hour until the dough has expanded.

When the dough has proved, boil a large pan of salted water. Preheat the oven to 220°C/200°C fan/gas 7.

Divide the dough into four evenly sized pieces and roll into a flat-ish ball. Make a hole in the centre of the dough with your thumb and put to one side. Repeat until you have four bagels.

Keep the water on a gentle boil and carefully lower in the bagels one at a time – they should float to the top after a few seconds. Boil for 40–60 secs then use a slotted spoon to turn them over and cook for another 40–60 secs on the other side. If you only have a small pan, do this one- or two-at-a-time so they don’t touch each other.

Remove the bagels and place onto a baking tray lined with baking paper, with an inch between them. If you are doing this in batches, cover the rest of the bagels with a damp tea towel as you work so they don’t dry out.

Brush the bagels with beaten egg. Sprinkle half with sesame seeds and the others with poppy seeds then bake for 20–25 mins until golden on top.

Once cooked, remove from the oven and leave to stand for at least 30 mins. Top with the smoked salmon, soft cream cheese, a scattering of fresh dill and some black pepper for a weekend brunch with friends.