I don't think I've ever met anyone who doesn't like a #bagel. There's something about the smell of a raisin and cinnamon bagel toasting in the morning that is just hard to beat, and even better if it's smothered in butter before you get to eat it. If that's not for you, then surely you can't say no to a #sandwich with an extra chewy exterior and flavoured with pretty much anything you can think of?! With bagels, because they are so varied, there is pretty much something for everyone.
Bagels were chosen as my next recipe by my sister. They have been a technical challenge on #breadweek of The Great British Bake Off this year, so naturally everyone in the country was making them. Although I wasn’t in England during bread week, I managed to come for a visit a few weeks later and overlap with my sister and brother being home, which meant that we could make this a real #family affair! It was the first time I had been together with my whole family since Christmas the previous year, which made these even more fun to make. With me and my sister taking the reins on the bread making, and my little brother taking charge of getting some very professional looking photos (you may also want to check out his website- where he has some incredible landscape photography!- https://armourphotography.wixsite.com/gallery), it was a great family activity and we got to spend a lot of time together.
We opted to make 2 different varieties in this recipe. A #sweet and a #savoury; the classic cinnamon and raison, and a sesame seed and parmesan. It went off without a hitch (not always the case for a first attempt), but if you have made my soft pretzel recipe, ‘Get Stuffed’ (https://www.forgoodnesscake.org/post/get-stuffed) then you will be familiar with the boiling technique used to get that #chewy exterior. Bagels are something you can pretty much flavour with anything so if you would rather choose a different flavour just switch to a similar quantity of whatever it is that takes your fancy and let me know how it goes!!
Happy baking. X
Makes: 10 bagels
Time: 2 1/2- 3 hours
Ingredients:
For the dough
7 g dried yeast
20 g sugar
300 ml warm water plus 50 ml extra
450 g strong white bread flour
7 g salt
Water (to boil)
3 tbsp bicarbonate of soda
For the flavours
3 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
50 g raisins
20 g grated parmesan
20 g sesame seeds
Salt and pepper to taste
Method:
1. Add your yeast and sugar to the half warm water (150 ml) and leave for 10-15 mins until it starts to become bubbly.
2. Weigh out your flour and salt into a large mixing bowl and make a well in the middle.
3. Once the yeast is active, gradually pour the mixture into the well made in the flour and mix until fully combined, adding the other 150 ml plus up to 50 ml extra if needed. You want the dough to be firm and not too sticky.
4. Tip onto a lightly floured surface and split into 2, if making 2 different flavours.
5. If you are making the same flavours as me, knead one half for 10 mins without adding anything.
6. With the other half of the dough, knead in the raisins and cinnamon and work for 10 mins until elastic.
7. Put into separate bowls, covered with a tea towel, and leave to rise for an hour, or until doubled in size.
8. Knock back the dough and leave to rest for a further 5-10 mins.
9. Turn your oven on to 220°C and line 2 baking trays with parchment.
10. Separate the dough into 10 even sized pieces (5 for each flavour).
11. Shape the dough by putting your finger through the middle and spinning it round your finger to stretch it out a little. Make the hole slightly bigger than you think a bagel should have as it will close a little during cooking.
12. Put your bagels on the baking trays and leave for 10-15 mins to prove again.
13. Meanwhile, bring a pan of water to the boil. Add 3 tbsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) just before use- careful as it will boil rapidly at this point.
14. In a small bowl, combine the parmesan, sesame seeds and salt and pepper if making the sesame seed flavour.
15. One at a time, add the bagels to the water. They will initially sink but will rise to the top after about 15 secs. At this point, boil them for 15 seconds on each side and place on the baking tray.
16. Once on the tray, add an egg wash to the top and sides of each. If making the sesame seed bagels, sprinkle the mixture on top at this point.
17. Bake your bagels in the oven for 20 mins. Leave to cool before tucking in! You can enjoy these tasted or cold!!
This is what your dough should look like once combined
Knead the dough, adding the flavours in where necessary
Make a hole in the centre and spin around to stretch
Leave to prove once shaped
Boil for 15 sec each side once they have floated to the top
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