 |
Go for it, I did - You won't believe how simple it is...
Just a lot of steps, and once you're done they are
fantastically fresh, and these bagels freeze spectacularly!! |
Servings: (8)
Prep: 20 mins. |
Rise: 2hrs. - 40 mins total |
Boil: 2 mins. |
Bake: 20 to 24 mins.
Posted by Sandra
INGREDIENTS
4 cups “bread” flour (not all-purpose flour because you won't get proper rise)
1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons instant yeast (sold in most stores now)
1-1/2 cups lukewarm water.
--Cornmeal for dusting baking sheet
---Water for pre-boiling bagels; and
1 teaspoon baking soda
METHOD
Mix “bread” flour, dark brown sugar, kosher salt, olive oil, instant yeast, and lukewarm water, with the hook attachment (setting #1) until combined. If needed, be sure to stop mixer to scrape edges of bowl to ensure all flour is incorporated. Set the mixer to knead (#2 setting) the dough for 10 minutes, until the dough is uniform and smooth.
Remove dough to clean surface, and spray bowl with oil. Return dough to bowl, rubbing ball against edges to coat with oil. Cover bowl with clean kitchen towel, and let dough rise for 2 hours.
After 20 minutes, turn out dough ball onto floured work surface, and knead to removed air bubbles.
Cut the dough into 8 equal balls, and let rest for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 425.
After 20 minutes, knead 8 dough balls to remove air bubbles. To form bagels, take each of the dough balls and using two hands, roll each into a snake on an "unfloured portion of surface" to ensure seams stick together later on). Make snake longer than the width of both hands.
Wrap the snake around your left hand, just atop your fingers and overlap the ends in inside your palm, and use your fingers to squeeze tightly to seal.
To ensure seal is sufficient, roll these the sealed ends in a rocking motion back and forth on surface to truly seal (important).
Your bagels should look similar to this (..haha...not perfect, but it's homemade afterall ;-)
Let bagels rise for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, spray another foil-lined baking sheet lightly with oil, and sprinkle it with a bit of cornmeal, and then set aside.
Bring a pot of water to boil along with the baking soda, and after the 20-minute wait the bagels should have puffed up.
Boil the bagels in two batches to prevent crowding them (do not let them touch). Boil each batch for 1 minute on first side; flip over and boil 1 more minute. Gently remove them with a slotted spoon, and let drain on rack over original baking sheet.
Place the drained boiled bagels on the prepared baking sheet with oil and sprinkled with cornmeal, while ensuring they are sufficiently spaced apart.
Bake the bagels for 10 to 12 minutes, flip over and continue baking for 10 to 12 more minutes.
Let cool for 30 minutes on rack covered with a clean kitchen towel before cutting in half (this is important) – enjoy them toasted in your toaster - spread with cream cheese and/or your favorite toppings!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tip: To make sesame, onions, poppy seed (as shown in top photo), caraway etc. etc. bagels just have a dry bowl ready with the seeds and/or spices. After the bagels have come out of the boiling water, place them face down onto the seeds and/or spices, and then place the seed side up onto the baking tray, and then flip as for plain bagels.
