Homemade Bagels
About a month ago, I noticed that my friend Sara kept Twittering and Facebooking about homemade bagels. When I first read the words "homemade" and "bagels" next to each other, my ears perked up like a hound dog's...what the what? I kept thinking, "she must be off her rocker, mayor and sole inhabitant of Crazertown." For some strange reason I had lumped bagels with baguettes as an impossible bread that absolutely cannot be baked in an ordinary home kitchen. Bagelrecipe Sara sure did prove me wrong. Working from a Nigella Lawson recipe out of "How to be a Domestic Goddess," the bagels were soft and chewy with a positively dreamy, crunchy outer layer. After noshing and savoring these homemade treats, I can honestly say I never ever want to eat another store-bought or day old café bagel again. The texture and taste goes beyond just "fresh"...heavenly seems a better descriptor, especially straight out of the oven with some butter and jam or cream cheese (or plain). The technique needed for this recipe isn't that advanced - just make sure to block out a few hours and prepare yourself to flex a bit of muscle. I think you'll agree that once you've tried these at-home bagels you won't go looking for them elsewhere. Let us begin, shall we? This is flour mixed with salt and yeast. This is water mixed with oil (!) and sugar. Flour meets water. What I love most about this recipe is that you can do it completely by hand. After incorporating liquid into the flour, you need to shape it by hand into a dough. Remove dough from the bowl and knead it for approximately 10 minutes, manipulating it until it's elastic and smooth. Your dough needs to be on the dry side, so if you end up with stickiness of any kind, just add flour little by little and incorporate. You should end up with something like this. Plop your dough ball lovingly into an oiled bowl and give it a nice little bath. Cover and let it rest (read: rise) for about one hour. Holy matzoh ball soup! That's a big dough ball. You'll also know it's ready if you poke it with your finger and the impression remains. Now you get to punch your dough! Super fun! And therapeutic! Cut into three sections... Roll each section into a long rope... And then separate each rope into five pieces. These pieces will then each become a bagel! Yum. This is my favorite part - shaping the bagel! Remember those five pieces from the long rope? Shape each one into ropes as well and then form little twisted rings. Crimp, pinch, and fold ends until they essentially disappear, forming a complete circle. So you're ALMOST ready to poach and then bake and then eat these cute 'lil suckers! At this point the dough needs to rest again (jeez), covered with tea towels on oiled baking sheets for about 20 minutes. Time for poaching. When your water starts to boil, add some malt (or malted milk or sugar). This gives the bread some sheen. Your bagels need about a minute on each side in the water bath. (In a Maria Bamford-style little girl voice) Oh hi, I'm a poached bagel! But I'm getting very chilly out here...can't wait to dip into the 500 degree oven for 10 to 15 minutes! I wish you could taste how good these are. Or better yet, why not make some of your own?
Total Steps
7
Ingredients
7
Tools Needed
14
Ingredients
- 6 5/6 cups white bread flour(optional)
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 tablespoon rapid-rise yeast (package about 1/4 oz, like Fleischmann's) or 1 fresh yeast
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil(optional)
- 2 1/4 cups warm water(optional)
- 2 tablespoons malt or sugar
Instructions
Step 1
In a large bowl, combine flour, salt, and yeast. In a medium bowl, add sugar and oil to the warm water. Make a well in the dry ingredients and add the liquid, mixing to form a dough with a spoon or spatula.
Step 2
Knead the dough by hand or with a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Add more flour if the dough is sticky; it should be on the dry side. Continue kneading until the dough is smooth and elastic.
Step 3
Place the dough ball into a large oiled bowl, rotating to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until well-risen and an indentation remains when poked.
Step 4
Place the dough on a workable surface, punch it down, and knead again. Divide the dough into three pieces. Roll each piece into a long rope, then cut each rope into five pieces. Form each of these five pieces into a ball, then roll each ball into a smaller rope. Form each small rope into a ring, pinching and crimping the ends together to form a complete circle. Meanwhile, start boiling a large pot of water on the stove and add malt or sugar once boiling.
Step 5
Place formed bagels on oiled or greased baking sheets, cover with tea towels, and let rest until slightly puffed. Preheat oven to 500 degrees F (or your oven's maximum temperature).
Step 6
Once the malted or sugared water is boiling, poach bagels, a couple at a time, for about one minute per side. Use a large spatula or slotted spoon to transfer poached bagels back to oiled baking sheets, ensuring they are well-spaced. If desired, top them with sesame or poppy seeds, onions, garlic, or salt by sprinkling or dipping.
Step 7
Bake bagels for 10 to 15 minutes, or until shiny and golden brown.