The bagel a chewy round piece of bread with a whole in the middle. The bagel has become one of the most popular forms of bread in this country. But how many people make their own, or have even thought about it? Bagels are not the hard to make, and when you make them yourself you customize anyway you want and you will save some serious dough ($$$$).
Ingredients
2 teaspoons instant dry yeast
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/4 cups water
3 3/4 cups bread flour
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
Pour 1/2 cup of the water in a large mixing bowl. Add the sugar and salt. Sprinkle the yeast on top of the water and let it proof for 5-10 minutes (this helps to make sure that your yeast is still alive and kicking).
Add the flour and the rest of the water. Mix until the dough comes together. Add more water if the dough is dry and not sticky. Knead the dough until it is smooth and comes away from the side of the bowl. Cover the bowl and let the dough rise for 1 hour.
Preheat your oven to 450 degrees.
Remove the dough from the bowl onto a floured surface. Let is rest for 10 minutes. Divide the dough into 8 pieces (a kitchen scale helps with this, so that you get equal pieces). Roll each piece into a ball. Slightly flatten the ball and use your pointer finger to form a hole in the center.
Fill a large pot with water and bring it to a boil. Then place each bagel in the water for 30 seconds, then flip and boil for another 30 seconds. If you skip this step your bagels will not have the chewiness that bagels are known for.
Place your bagels on a sheet pan lined with parchment or a Slipat. Bake them for 10-15 minutes until golden brown on top. I always check mine after 5 minutes to see how they are progressing.
Notes
Feel free to add different flavorings to your bagels. Add cinnamon and raisins when you are knead the dough for cinnamon raisin bagels. You could had herbs, onion powder, garlic powder, maybe even cocoa powder. The sky is truly the limit. You may have to experiment a few times to get the flavors just right (like how many raisins do I add). Be sure to do all your additions in the kneading phase, you don’t want to do this after the dough has already risen.
2 pings
Eat Like No One Else » Blog Archive » Homemade Pizza Bagels says:
December 20, 2009 at 4:37 pm (UTC -6)
[...] cheese, and toppings to your mouth. When I make my pizza bagels I use bagels that I made myself (click here for the recipe for homemade bagels). Once you have your bagels ready, slice them in half (so each bagel makes two pizza bagels!). Then [...]
Eat Like No One Else − Tips for Packing Food for an Amtrak (Train) Trip says:
February 14, 2011 at 2:00 pm (UTC -6)
[...] 3. Bagels Instead of bringing bread on the trip, bring bagels. They have a tougher exterior, so they are less likely to get smushed. Check out my recipe for homemade bagels. [...]