How to make the BEST Bagels
Delicious, chewy and unbelievably good Bagels right in the comfort of your home
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