Bagels Recipe
This recipe will take you through on how to prepare amazing bagels from the comfort of your kitchen. It will take a while but the results are worth the wait.
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups Warm water (40 °C) -540ml
- 2¾ tsps Yeast
- 4 cups Bread flour (520 gms)
- 1 tbsp Sugar
- 2 tsps Salt
- 2 tsps oil (coating the bowl)
- 1 beaten egg
Boiling
- 2 litres water
- 60 gms honey
Instructions
- Dough: Mix the warm water and yeast together in a bowl. Cover and allow to sit for 5 minutes.
- Add the flour, brown sugar, and salt. Beat for about 5 minutes until the dough is very stiff and looks somewhat dry.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Flour your hands lightly and then knead the dough for 10-15 minutes.
- Lightly grease a large bowl with oil. Place the dough in the bowl, turning it to coat all sides in the oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or aluminum foil. Allow the dough to rise at room temperature for 60-90 minutes.
- Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Shaping: When the dough is ready, punch it down to release any air bubbles. Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces. Shape each piece into a ball. Press your finger through the center of each ball to make a hole about 1.5 – 2 inches in diameter. Loosely cover the shaped bagels with kitchen towel and allow them to rest for a few minutes while you are preparing your water bath.
- Preheat oven to 218°C
- Prepping the water bath: Fill a large, wide pot with 1.9 liters of water. Whisk in the honey. Bring water to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-high. Drop bagels in, 2-4 at a time, making sure they have enough room to float around. Cook the bagels for 1 minute on each side.
- Using a pastry brush, brush the egg wash on top and around the sides of each bagel. Place 4 bagels onto each lined baking sheet. Bake for about 20-25 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through. The bagels should be a dark golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow bagels to cool on the baking sheets for 20 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Slice, toast, and top!
Notes
Lean dough is dough that does not have any fat. As bagels require high protein flour the use of bread flour is compulsory.
An extra tip: Once you've prepared the dough to step 4, leave it overnight in the fridge as an alternative to 60-90 minutes. In the morning remove it and let it rise for about 50 minutes. You can then continue with step 5