Decided to make a batch of bagels last night, it was only my second attempt so they aren't as pretty as I would have liked (real pain to shape evenly) but still tasted great!
Ingredients:
1 Cup warm water (100-115F, any higher and you risk killing the yeast)
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 Tbsp sugar
3 Cups flour (or bread flour, either works)
2 1/2 tsp yeast (one .25oz pack is 2 1/4 tsp but I buy mine in bulk)
12 Cups water
3 Tbsp white sugar (or molasses)
1 egg white
1 Tbsp water
Parchment paper or cornmeal
Add warm water to the bowl of a stand mixer, stir in the salt and sugar until dissolved.
Sprinkle yeast over top and allow to proof for 5-10 minutes
Add flour, blend on low until it comes together then medium for 3-4 minutes until it pulls away from the side of the bowl. Dough will look a little dry to start with but give it a few minutes and it should come together.
Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl and turn to coat, cover bowl with plastic wrap or a towel and allow to rise in a warm, draft free area for 60 minutes.
After 60 minutes punch down the dough (here is where I remembered to grab the camera)
Turn out on a lightly floured or lightly oiled surface (from now on I will stick with lightly oiled for these because the flour was giving me a problem getting the dough to take shape properly) and divide into 12 pieces.
Only 6 pictured because I was doing them in 2 batches
Slightly flatten each ball and press your thumb all the way through
You can also roll them out into thick logs, join and pinch the ends together but I have found this way to be much easier.
Stick your pointer finger through the hole and twirl it to make the hole bigger, occasionally stop spinning and try to form them as even thickness as possible.
No pics of that because it's hard to hold a camera and twirl dough at the same time
Once formed lay them on an ungreased baking sheet lightly sprinkled with corn meal or on parchment paper, cover with a towel and allow to rise for 30 minutes. (Start your water 10-15 minutes in and bring to a boil)
When time is up add the 3Tbsp sugar to the boiling water (or molasses if using) and drop in 2 bagels at a time top side down first. Boil for 30 seconds and with a slotted spoon or spatula flip them over for another 30 seconds then remove and set on a rack to drain for a few seconds.
Whisk the egg white with 1Tbsp water and brush the bagels on the tops and sides, sprinkle on toppings and using a spatula gently set them back onto the sheet tray.
I decided to try some different toppings so did 2 each of the following...
1. Raw diced onions, dried garlic, kosher salt, caraway seeds
2. Sauteed onions, dried garlic, kosher salt, caraway seeds
3. Kosher salt and dried dill
4. Chipotle powder, dried garlic, kosher salt
5. Crushed red pepper, kosher salt
6. Umami Sprinkle (a mixture of dried seaweed, dried garlic, bonito granules, dried shiitake mushrooms, white pepper and salt.
Bake in a preheated oven, 375 for 20-25 minutes until nice and brown.
Allow to cool slightly then remove to a cooling rack. Store in an airtight container.
If making bagels chips chill in the fridge for 30-60 minutes, spray chips with oil or butter and season or the way I like to do them is place in a zip loc bag and pour in olive oil, garlic and some seasonings and shake to coat.
Place on a baking tray, 325 in a preheated oven for about 15 minutes.
Just as good (if not better) than store bought and much cheaper than $5-6 for a little bag.
So what did I think of the toppings?
My favorite was the sauteed onions, garlic, salt and caraway. Soooo good, cooking the onions slightly was definitely the way to go.
Second was the salt and dill, though I love dill but next time I'm going to try mixing some herbs into the bagels themselves.
Third favorite was the chipotle powder ones. The chipotles are a medium heat blend from last years garden that I smoked as the season ended, would be great for sandwiches and the smoke flavor comes through nicely.
Crushed red pepper one was what you would expect, nothing to write home about but not bad.
Umami sprinkle was ok but the flavors didn't work as well with the bagels like it does for something like pasta or even buttered bread.
I have never tried them in a molasses and water bath, just with sugar.
Some people claim the molasses gives them a flavor more similar to a bagel from a NYC deli but I think that's just because it gives the water that brown NYC dirty color
Ingredients:
1 Cup warm water (100-115F, any higher and you risk killing the yeast)
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 Tbsp sugar
3 Cups flour (or bread flour, either works)
2 1/2 tsp yeast (one .25oz pack is 2 1/4 tsp but I buy mine in bulk)
12 Cups water
3 Tbsp white sugar (or molasses)
1 egg white
1 Tbsp water
Parchment paper or cornmeal
Add warm water to the bowl of a stand mixer, stir in the salt and sugar until dissolved.
Sprinkle yeast over top and allow to proof for 5-10 minutes
Add flour, blend on low until it comes together then medium for 3-4 minutes until it pulls away from the side of the bowl. Dough will look a little dry to start with but give it a few minutes and it should come together.
Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl and turn to coat, cover bowl with plastic wrap or a towel and allow to rise in a warm, draft free area for 60 minutes.
After 60 minutes punch down the dough (here is where I remembered to grab the camera)
Turn out on a lightly floured or lightly oiled surface (from now on I will stick with lightly oiled for these because the flour was giving me a problem getting the dough to take shape properly) and divide into 12 pieces.
Only 6 pictured because I was doing them in 2 batches
Slightly flatten each ball and press your thumb all the way through
You can also roll them out into thick logs, join and pinch the ends together but I have found this way to be much easier.
Stick your pointer finger through the hole and twirl it to make the hole bigger, occasionally stop spinning and try to form them as even thickness as possible.
No pics of that because it's hard to hold a camera and twirl dough at the same time
Once formed lay them on an ungreased baking sheet lightly sprinkled with corn meal or on parchment paper, cover with a towel and allow to rise for 30 minutes. (Start your water 10-15 minutes in and bring to a boil)
When time is up add the 3Tbsp sugar to the boiling water (or molasses if using) and drop in 2 bagels at a time top side down first. Boil for 30 seconds and with a slotted spoon or spatula flip them over for another 30 seconds then remove and set on a rack to drain for a few seconds.
Whisk the egg white with 1Tbsp water and brush the bagels on the tops and sides, sprinkle on toppings and using a spatula gently set them back onto the sheet tray.
I decided to try some different toppings so did 2 each of the following...
1. Raw diced onions, dried garlic, kosher salt, caraway seeds
2. Sauteed onions, dried garlic, kosher salt, caraway seeds
3. Kosher salt and dried dill
4. Chipotle powder, dried garlic, kosher salt
5. Crushed red pepper, kosher salt
6. Umami Sprinkle (a mixture of dried seaweed, dried garlic, bonito granules, dried shiitake mushrooms, white pepper and salt.
Bake in a preheated oven, 375 for 20-25 minutes until nice and brown.
Allow to cool slightly then remove to a cooling rack. Store in an airtight container.
If making bagels chips chill in the fridge for 30-60 minutes, spray chips with oil or butter and season or the way I like to do them is place in a zip loc bag and pour in olive oil, garlic and some seasonings and shake to coat.
Place on a baking tray, 325 in a preheated oven for about 15 minutes.
Just as good (if not better) than store bought and much cheaper than $5-6 for a little bag.
So what did I think of the toppings?
My favorite was the sauteed onions, garlic, salt and caraway. Soooo good, cooking the onions slightly was definitely the way to go.
Second was the salt and dill, though I love dill but next time I'm going to try mixing some herbs into the bagels themselves.
Third favorite was the chipotle powder ones. The chipotles are a medium heat blend from last years garden that I smoked as the season ended, would be great for sandwiches and the smoke flavor comes through nicely.
Crushed red pepper one was what you would expect, nothing to write home about but not bad.
Umami sprinkle was ok but the flavors didn't work as well with the bagels like it does for something like pasta or even buttered bread.
I have never tried them in a molasses and water bath, just with sugar.
Some people claim the molasses gives them a flavor more similar to a bagel from a NYC deli but I think that's just because it gives the water that brown NYC dirty color
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