Chewy and crispy and fluffy!
Whenever I go to New York, I have to get a bagel at least once. But a good bagel can get expensive and be hard to find outside the city. So, I developed this bagel recipe is satisfy my cravings whenever I want. It is a much simpler process to make bagels than it may seem.
I start my bagel making process the night before I want to eat my bagels. First, obviously we have to make the dough, make sure you knead it long enough so it gets nice and smooth, which will make our bagels perfectly chewy! Another key to a chewy bagel is using bread flour instead of All-Purpose, if AP is all you have on hand, this recipe will still work it just won’t be as ideal, due to the lower gluten content, which means a less chewy bagel.
Once the dough is made I just pop it into the fridge overnight to proof. Then once I wake up in the morning, take the dough out of the fridge and shape into equally portioned balls, I make 5-6 bagels with this recipe. Let those dough balls sit until they have come up to room temperature.
Next up is shaping the bagels! The true way is rolling it out into a log and sticking the ends together to form a ring. But, it’s a lot easier to just poke a hole in the middle of the balls and stretch out that hole until it is about 2-3 inches in diameter. Try your best to make the hole right in the middle and stretch evenly in all directions to avoid a lopsided bagel. Then we are going to let these rest for about 15 minutes.
While the bagels are resting, prepare your boiling solution, I fill a pot about halfway with water and add a few tablespoons of either barley malt syrup (authentic but hard to find), brown sugar or honey. Bring that pot to a boil. While waiting for it to boil, use this time to prepare your toppings, spread some sesame seeds, or everything bagel seasoning on a plate, shred some cheese, whatever your heart desires!
Once the water is boiling, lower it to a simmer. Put the bagels in one by one (or more than one at a time if you have a big pot). Each bagel should be boiled for 1-2 minutes per side. Optionally, you can brush with egg wash before adding your topping for an extra shiny crust.
| Time: | 12 hours | Serving size: | 5-6 bagels |
Ingredients:
- 1 c warm water (240g)
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 2 tsp yeast
- 350 g bread flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 2-3 tbsp barley malt syrup/brown sugar/honey (for boiling)
- Toppings of choice: sesame seeds, cheese, etc…
Directions:
- Combine warm water, sugar and yeast in a bowl. Let sit until foamy.
- Add flour and salt. Knead until smooth, roughly 5-10 minutes.
- Let dough rise in fridge overnight or at room temperature for 1-1.5 hours (until doubled).
- Shape dough into even balls, let rest 10-15 minutes.
- Shape dough into bagels by pressing your thumb through the center of the ball and stretching the hole until it is 2-3 inches in diameter. Let bagels rest 15 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 425
- While bagels are resting, bring water to a boil with barley malt syrup/brown sugar/honey. Prepare your toppings to sprinkle on your bagels.
- Once water is boiled. Place bagels in, one at a time, flipping after 1-2 minutes and then boil a further 1-2 minutes. Top with toppings of choice.
- Bake 20-25 minutes until golden brown
Tips:
- Maximum flavour: Add some flavouring into the dough stage! Mix in some cheese, some blueberries, cinnamon and raisins, herbs, the options are endless! Whatever you get at your local bagel shop you can recreate at home!
Bowlin' on a Budget 
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