We love having Bagels at home because they have this texture that is different to bread. If you've bought bagels at a supermarket and they don't have a chewy texture, they were not made correctly! Bagels MUST a chewy texture as that is part of its character!
In this video, I'll show you how easy it is to make bagels at home! Enjoy!
Sourdough Bagels Recipe Cooking & Resting Time: 5 Hours 20 Minutes Over 2 Days (Approx)
Makes 12 Bagels
INGREDIENTS:
300g Fed & Active Sourdough Starter
475g Cold Tap Water
45g Maple Syrup
1125g Plain Flour or Bread flour
15 g Salt
Oil for greasing the bowl and trays
1 1/2 Tbspn Soda Bicarbonate (Baking Soda)
1 1/2 Tbspn Dark Brown Sugar
For Topping: Sesame Seeds, Poppy Seeds, Caraway Seeds, Onion Flakes, Garlic Powder
METHOD:
Day 1 (Start around 1-3pm)
Make sure your sourdough starter is active by doing the “Float Test” BEFORE stirring it. Get a glass of water and put in a little bit of starter. If it float, it is active enough to use.
Stir the starter. Using a weighing scale, zero-out the scale with a mixing bowl on top. Then weigh 300g of the starter.
Weigh out the Water, Maple Syrup and Flour in the same way. Keep them aside.
Mix the Salt and the Flour together in another bowl.
In the bowl with the Sourdough Starter measured out, mix together the Sourdough Starter with the Maple Syrup and Water. Stir with a fork.
Then, if you are using a mixing machine, attach the bowl to the mixing machine. Attach the dough hook. Then gradually mix in the Flour, adding it in 2-3 parts. Mix it slowly until it starts to come together. Then increase the speed a little and let it knead for 6 to 7 minutes. You should end up with a stiff dough. It may be so stiff, that the mixer may have a hard time, but this is normal. If you don’t have a stand mixer, knead the dough by hand until it is smooth and pliable.
Remove the dough to an oiled bowl, making sure the outside of the dough is covered with some of the oil. Then cover it with a damp cloth and let it rest for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, grease the trays so that they are ready for baking the bagels.
Once the dough has rested, cut it into 12 equal pieces. I do this by cutting it into pie shapes (see video). If you want them exactly the same size, you can weigh out the pieces.
Then shape each piece into a smooth, round ball by tucking the edges underneath, then pulling the ball on a counter in order to stretch out the outer skin of the dough ball (see video). Pop any bubbles you see on the outer skin and smooth them out. Place each ball on the greased tray, keeping them about 2cm-3cm apart. Cover with a damp cloth and let them rest for 15 minutes.
After they have rested, shape them into bagels by making a hole in the middle using your finger and thumb. Make the hole the size of a 10p coin. You can expand the hole by rolling it around with your index fingers.
Shape all the bagels and arrange them 6 to a tray so they have room to grow.
Then cover them with a damp cloth and let them rise in a warm place for 2-4 hours. They will puff up.
To check if they are ready, put one in a bowl of water. It should float. If it doesn’t, let it rise further, but no longer than 5 hours.
Once they have risen, cover them with cling film and let them rest in the fridge overnight.
Day 2
The following morning, preheat your oven to 220ºC.
Fill up a pot with water until it is half full and boil the water.
Then, add the brown sugar and baking soda to the boiling water and mix it in. Bring the water back up to a boil.
Before adding the bagels to the water, stretch out the centre hole again to the size of a 10p coin. Add 3-4 bagels to the boiling water at a time and cook each side for about 30 seconds.
Remove them with a slotted spoon onto the prepared oven trays. You’ll be able to fit 6 bagels to a tray.
Increase the heat if needed to keep the water simmering.
If you’d like to top the bagels, add the toppings as soon as they come out of the boiling water. You can brush the bagels with egg wash (egg white mixed with 1Tbspn water) first if you like, then top them.
As the trays become ready, place them in the pre-heated oven for 12-14 minutes, depending on your oven and how brown you like the bagels.
Then remove them to a rack to cook completely. This allows the bagels to finish cooking
inside and creates a nice, chewy bagel.
Enjoy with your choice of butter, cream cheese, salmon or hummus.
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