Bagels

Homemade Bagels are a little more work, but totally worth it!

Bagels

Dough

1 ½ cups warm water

1 package active dry yeast

2 teaspoons brown sugar

½ teaspoon salt

3½ cups bread flour (see note)

Boiling

Water

3 tablespoons of honey

Baking

Egg wash

Toppings like poppyseed, sesame seed, onion flakes, etc.

Place the warm water in the bowl of a stand mixer or in a medium mixing bowl and add the yeast and brown sugar. Stir to dissolve and allow to develop for 5 to 10 minutes. Stir in the salt, then add the flour, about one cup at a time, with the mixer on medium, using the dough hook. When all the flour is fully incorporated, knead it for about 10 minutes in the mixer, 15 minutes if you knead it by hand. The dough will be very stiff. Turn the dough out onto a clean counter top and divide into six equal piece for large bagels or eight pieces for slightly smaller ones.

Line one large or two smaller baking sheets with parchment paper. Shape each portion of dough into a round ball and then place them at least 3” apart on the baking sheets. Cover the pans with cling wrap (don’t use a dish towel because the stiff dough tends to dry out.) Place the pans in a warm place and let the dough balls rise for an hour or until nearly doubled. Do not allow them to over-rise, or the bagels will be misshapen and wrinkly—I know this from experience!

After the dough balls have risen, take your forefinger and make a hole in the center of each ball. Spread the hole out carefully to shape the bagel shapes (the hole should be about 1½”  across). Cover the pans again with cling wrap while you get the water boiling. Preheat your oven to 375° F.

Fill a wide pot about 2/3 of the way with water (I use a stock pot), add the honey and bring to a medium boil. Use a spatula to gently drop the bagels into the boiling water one at a time. Boil for 90 seconds, flip over and boil for another 90 seconds. Remove and set on a clean, dry cloth or towel to drain briefly (do NOT use paper towels) and then place them back on the baking sheets. Once they are all boiled, brush the tops of the bagels with whole egg wash and add toppings if desired.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown. If you use an instant read thermometer, the interior temp should be above 200 ° F. Let bagels cool completely on a wire rack before slicing.

Notes

--If you want chewy, dense bagels, bread flour is best, which has a higher protein content than all-purpose flour.

--Some recipes bake bagels at a higher temperature: 425° or even 450° F. You can experiment and decide for yourself.

--These don’t keep very well, so use them within a day or so.

--You can add just about anything to this dough: onion flakes, granulated garlic, cinnamon and raisins, mini chocolate chips, etc. I prefer plain bagels, toasted, but also love flavored cream cheeses or compound butters, too.