I’ve made bagels twice during lockdown and OMG I’m so ready to make a third batch.
I’d always presumed bagels would be difficult to make but let me tell you, that is not the case.
I did a little research and decided to go with this recipe by Cuisine Fiend on both occasions. Normally I like to test out a few recipes but Cuisine Fiend had it spot on. I’d also found myself in the possession of fresh yeast, something I hadn’t used before, so I liked that the Cuisine Fiend specified how much of the fresh stuff to use.
You’ll be pleased to know that these bagels are straightforward to make. You simply prep the dough the evening before and you’re good to go the following morning. Okay, so there’s a little more to it than that but trust me, it’s so worth it.
You can head over to Cuisine Fiend for the original recipe but I have summarised what I did below.
Ingredients:
- 500g bread flour
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp caster sugar
- 10g fresh yeast/ 1 packet instant yeast
- 275g warm water
- 1 tbsp.white vinegar
- Splash of oil
- 50g brown sugar
- poppy/sesame seeds
Method:
Grab a large mixing bowl and add in the flour, salt, sugar and crumble in the fresh yeast.
Next add the warm water and vinegar into the bowl and mix.
Knead for 10 minutes then let it stand for 10 mins. I repeat this process at least 3 times.
Cover the bowl and leave it in the fridge overnight.
Get up real early and take your dough out of the fridge a couple of hours before you want to use it. The aim is to get it to room temp.
Sprinkle your chosen surface with flour. Give the dough a little knead then split and shape into balls. Cover with a tea-towel and leave for 20 minutes.
Turn your oven on to 220C so it’s ready to go. Take two baking trays and cover with baking paper.
Then flick the switch on the kettle and fill your pan with boiling water. Add the sugar into the pan and use your thumb to form a hole in the middle of the first ball of dough. Shape into, well, a bagel shape and lower it gently into the water. Repeat with each ball of dough.
Boil for 30 seconds and then carefully turn the bagel over and leave it for another 30 seconds. Carefully remove each bagel and place onto the baking tray.
Do be careful, they’re really hot.
Cover with poppy seeds and pop them in the oven for 20 minutes.
Cool on a wire rack, slice open and add your favourite filling.