British🍞 Bread & bakery

Bagels

Name: Bagels
Total time: 2 h 20 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: British
Ingredients: 7 g instant dried yeast; 210 ml warm water; ~1½ tbsp soft brown sugar or honey; 500 g white bread flour; ~2 tsp salt; ~2 tbsp cooking oil; ~1 tbsp bicarbonate of soda; ~1 tbsp egg wash; ~3 tbsp sesame seeds (black and white or choice of variety)

⏱ 140 min🍽 Serves 6

Homemade bagels that are soft, chewy, and far superior to store-bought varieties. This straightforward recipe starts with activating yeast, mixing the dough in a stand mixer or by hand, performing two proofing stages, shaping the bagels, boiling them briefly in water with baking soda, and baking until golden brown with optional seed toppings.

Adapted from a video by John Kirkwood

Bagel Heaven: You'll never buy another Bagel again from the store

Watch on YouTube

Ingredients

instant dried yeast7 g
warm waterfor activating yeast210 ml
soft brown sugar or honey~1½ tbspest.
white bread flour500 g
salt~2 tspest.
cooking oilfor greasing bowl and plastic wrap~2 tbspest.
bicarbonate of sodaadded to boiling water~1 tbspest.
egg wash

Steps

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1
Combine soft brown sugar or honey with warm water, add instant dried yeast, mix well, and set aside to activate.
2
Using a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, add the activated yeast mixture, white bread flour, and salt, then knead for 10 minutes until smooth and silky; alternatively, knead by hand for 10 minutes.
3
Grease a bowl lightly with cooking oil, place the dough inside and coat the surface with a thin layer of oil. Cover with a shower cap or cloth and let it proof for 1 hour until it has at least doubled in size.
4
Turn out the proofed dough, knock back the gas, and divide into 6 equal pieces using a digital scale (approximately 115 g each). On a flour-free surface, gently roll each piece into a ball.
5
Cover the dough balls with oiled plastic wrap and rest for 10 minutes. Dust the work surface lightly with flour in preparation for shaping.
6
Remove the plastic wrap and shape the bagels. Choose one of three methods to create the centre hole: (1) poke a hole with your finger and rotate to expand; (2) roll into a sausage shape and join the ends into a circle; or (3) lightly roll flat to about 10 mm thickness using a rolling pin and cut out the centre with a 1-inch cutter.
7
Place the shaped bagels on a floured baking tray, cover with a dry cloth, and let them proof for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, bring a large pan of water to a slow boil on the stove.
8
Preheat the oven to 180°C (355°F/gas mark 4). Add bicarbonate of soda to the boiling water. Prepare a parchment-lined baking tray. Carefully place 3 bagels at a time into the hot water, set timer for 1 minute, gently turn them over, and cook the other side for a further 1 minute.
9
Carefully remove the boiled bagels and place them on the parchment-lined baking tray, leaving space between them as they will spring up in the oven. Repeat for all 6 bagels.
10
Brush all bagels generously with egg wash and sprinkle with sesame seeds of your choice. Transfer to the preheated oven.
11
Bake for 25 minutes until the bagels turn a wonderful golden brown. Leave longer if you prefer a darker crust. Cool on a wire rack for a few minutes before cutting and serving.

Bagels

Ingredients

Steps

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