Fresh bread is certinaly one of my biggest weaknesses and when it comes to Bagels I just cannot resist. But if we are going to put the effort in and make these at home, they absolutely have to be NY style bagels. I’m talking dense, chewy and with toppings.
When my friend and I took a trip to the states, we obviously had to visit New York City.
And obviously I had to try a Bagel.
And obviously they were absolutely amazing.
Now, yes we do get bagels in Sydney but not too many bakeries or coffee shops make them in-house and the ones from the supermarket though satisfy the cravings, are no where near as special as the ones I ate in New York.
So since I’ve gotten into bread making (and loving it!), I thought the next logical step would be to make my own bagels. Some really good, home made, seeded bagels.
The recipe I am sharing is a combination of a few different recipes and combined create this epic and delicious version that I am so sure you will make over and over and over again.
The trick is in the rise of the dough, as is with every bread. A little bit of patience and time is all you need.
Do I need to use Bread Flour?
Do I need to use Bread Flour?
Technically, no. You can get away with using regular all purpose or plain flour, however I do suggest adding time to the resting period. With bread flour you can rest the dough for 1 hour and it will work wonderfully, whereas with plain flour I suggest doubling that time frame to let the gluten develop for a longer period.
This time factor comes down to the inherent nature of the bread flour versus plain flour. Bread flour contains more protein and forms those strong gluten bonds faster resulting in a much richer flavour. Though you cannot 100% mimic the use of bread flour, by letting your plain flour dough rest for longer you are giving it a better chance of developing that richer flavour.
Top Tips for the BEST Bagels
Okay, so this is the really important part. Follow my simple tips to get you the best possible Bagels that will turn out amazing EVERY. SINGLE. TIME.
- Smooth, moist dough.
To get that chewy texture of bagels and to get that beautiful smooth finish over them, your dough needs to be slightly tacky and not dry. The tackiness is perfectly okay – similar to when kneading bread as it proves, dip your fingers in water before working the bagel dough. If the dough is too dry, it’ll crack while baking and you won’t get that iconic smooth, glossy finish.
2. The resting
As with every bread recipe, letting the dough rest and rise is really important. Ideally the longer the dough rests, the better the flavour. For my version I suggest a minimum of 1 hour and up 5 hours of resting.
3. the Bagel Hole
3. The bagel hole
Perhaps the most iconic component of the bagel is the hole through the center. The best way to cleanly make the bagel shape is to roll the dough into a ball, dip your finger in flour and then use it to press a hole through the middle of the ball. Then use your hands to work the dough to make the hole bigger until it is roughly 1/3 the diameter of the entire diameter of the ball (I actually tested various diameters to perfect this, but the thirds rule is the best way to do it). Now look, it definitely isn’t the end of the world if the hold closes up on itself – these things happen and you still have delicious bread to devour.
4. Boiling the bagels
To get the iconic shiny, glossy finish for your bagels, you need to boil them. In my recipe, I flavour the boiling water with a pinch of sea salt and some maple syrup – I find it laces the bagel with delicious smokey favour which is something I remember about all the bagels I ate in New York. If you want to skip this, that is perfectly fine, or you can flavour the water with onion powder, or garlic powder, or even some herbs. Another important part of the boiling process is to ensure the pot is not overcrowded. Ideally the bagels should not touch each other while boiling so that they can move freely.
When boiling, let the bagels be without mixing the pot at all until they float to the top. Wait 30 seconds before flipping over and boil for another 30 seconds. If you want a super chewy bagel (which would be more New York style), then let the bagel boil for a bit longer. I typically give the bagels 1 minute .
5. The toppings
When the bagels are done boiling, use a slotted spoon to remove and either dip into the topping of choice or place on a baking tray (lined with baking paper) and sprinkle your toppings. You can pick up some everything bagel seasoning from the super market, or make your own combining sesame seeds, poppy seeds, black sesame seeds, minced dried garlic, minced dried onion and flakey sea salt. Mix and match with this recipe – some people like all the ingredients to be in 1 :1 ratio, others like more sesame or more poppy. See what works for you! When I make the seasoning at home, I tend to ease on the salt!
My mother-in-law doesn’t eat garlic, so typically my bagels get a generous topping (instead) of a combination of sesame seeds, black sesame seeds and black onion seeds.
6. Bake in the oven
Again, it is super important to get the baking aspect right. Make sure each bagel is set a few centimeters away from each other because they do expand in the oven. If you have an older oven, make sure you rotate the baking tray half way through baking until the bagels are beautifully golden brown and those seeds are just browning. Now these don’t need additional moisture in the oven like regular bread and you don’t need to bake these in a Dutch oven – you just need to pop them into the oven to actually dry out a little after the boiling.
7. Serving the bagels
Yes, this is a HUGE part of making the perfect Bagel. Though a schmear is traditional, there are plenty of options to try out. Some of my favourite toppings include
cream cheese
cream cheese with honey
cream cheese with Lox or smoked salmon and capers
avocado
egg & cheese
salted butter
Let’s Make the BEST Bagels!
Let’s make the BEST Bagels!
Follow my easy recipe below and be sure to let me know how it goes! I am so keen to see your attempts.
How to make the BEST Bagels
Equipment
- Oven
Ingredients
- 400 g Plain flour or bread flour
- 6 g Instant yeast
- 5 g Salt
- 20 g White sugar
- 300 mL Warm water @ 35 ° C
- Bagel toppings (such as everything bagel seasoning, poppy seeds, onion seeds, sesame seeds, dried onion powder or dried garlic powder)
- ½ tsp Olive oil to coat the bowl
- Boiling water to fill a pot
- Flavouring for the water (I like to use some maple syrup and a pinch of salt but you can use some garlic, onion powder, or dried herbs)
Instructions
- Using a fork, whisk together the east, warm water and sugar. Set this aside for at least 10 minutes to bloom
- Combine the flour and salt in a mixing bowl and add the yeast mixture. Use the dough hook on a stand mixer and knead for 5 minutes or knead by hand for 10 minutes. If required (depending on the weather and temperature) add some more warm water or add some flour if the dough is too sticky. The dough is ready when it forms a ball and is slightly tacky to touch
- Pour a small amount of olive oil on your palms and then coat the dough ball, and bowl with the oil. Let the dough rise in a warm spot for at least 1 hour (for bread flour) and 2 hours (for plain flour). You can rest the dough in the fridge, but you need to let it rest at room temperature for at least an 1 hour before using it
- Once the dough has finished proofing set the boiling water in a pot and add your flavourings. Cover the pot with a lid until you are ready to use it
- Pre heat the oven to 180 °C and prepare a baking tray with baking paper
- Punch out all the air from the dough and knead on a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough into 5-8 balls
- Take one dough ball and roll over the counter until the dough ball is completely smooth and mostly crease-free. To make the hole in the bagel, dip your finger into some flour and then press the finger into te center of the dough ball to create an indent. Now use your hands to work the dough to make this hole larger until it is 1/3 of the diameter of the entire bagel. Continue with the rest of the dough balls
- Let the bagel rest for 5 minutes before placing onto a slotted spoon and gently lowering this into the boiling water
- Continue to do this with the bagels if you have space in the pot. Don't overcrowd the boiling pot. Boil the bagels until they float and rise to the surface before flipping it over and letting the other side boil for at least 30 seconds (up to a minute for a chewier bagel)
- Once done boiling, remove the bagel and set onto the prepared baking tray. Sprinkle over your bagel toppings then bake the bagels for at least 20 minutes in the oven or until the bagels are a rich golden brown
- Remove the bagels from the oven, and let these rest for at least 10 minutes before eating (this is the hardest part!). Serve with your favourite toppings like cream cheese, smoked salmon, or even something sweet like jam
