Bagels are a brunch winner. Want to surprise someone important with a breakfast or brunch they’ll remember for years to come? Prepare an authentic bagel, with its classic salmon and cream cheese filling, but make the dough yourself. Or, innovate with the filling you like best. For example, how about a sweeter version? Either way, don’t miss this great bagel recipe, and learn how to make them at home – you’ll love it!
But before we start, do you know bagels? These bagels with a hole in the middle are of Polish origin. They are believed to date back to 1395. They come from the ancient Ovsyanick, a kind of Polish bread with the same shape as bagels but somewhat thinner and harder.
Their great feature, besides the hole in the middle that makes them look like donuts (but in a salty version), is their cooking method. Well, before being baked, like any bread dough, bagels are cooked for a few seconds in boiling water.
This simple gesture gives the dough that consistency and gives them a semi-crispy touch on the outer layer.
In addition, thanks to its enormous popularity, we can find bagels of all kinds. Although originally they were only made with flour, yeast, water and salt, nowadays, we can include many more ingredients to the dough. We can even add some sweetener to give it a very sweet touch. And, without further ado, let’s see how to make homemade bagels.
How to make homemade bagels, a very simple recipe
This recipe is not complicated at all. The only thing is that, like all doughs, we have to respect the resting time and be very careful with it. Also, remember that we have to boil the bagels before baking them.
In the water where we are going to bake them, we have included sugar. But it is totally optional. It is very common to add some sweetener both in the cooking water and in the dough to give them a sweet touch. Even if you are going to put a salty filling later, this sweet touch will be very good. In addition, we use a small quantity.
To cook them, we are going to cook them one at a time, for ten seconds. That is to say, we put them in boiling water and, almost immediately after, we turn them over and immediately take them out. After blanching them, the only thing left to do is to bake them. Add the seeds of your choice on top of the blanched dough and bake for 15-20 minutes, until golden brown on the surface, at about 200ºC.
Homemade Bagels Recipe
Ingredients
- 450 g Wheat flour
- 125 ml Warm water
- 125 ml Warm milk
- 30 g Butter
- 5 g Dry yeast
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Sugar
- 1 Egg
- Sesame seeds
- Olive oil (to grease the bowl)
Instructions
- We start our bagels by sifting the flour in a bowl. Add the salt and sugar and mix.
- In another bowl, put the water and milk. They should be warm, so we put them in the microwave for a few minutes. When it is warm, add the yeast and dissolve it well.
- In the flour bowl, make a well in the flour in the center and add the water with the milk and the yeast. Add also the butter, previously melted in the microwave.
- With a spoon, we move our dough until it is a homogeneous dough. Let it rest for 5 minutes and continue stirring until it comes off easily from the bowl.
- When it comes off the walls of the bowl, we will put it on a smooth, floured surface and we will knead it with our hands, stretching it and folding it over itself. We will knead it until it has an elastic and smooth texture, about 10 minutes.
- When ready, put a few drops of oil on your fingers and lightly brush the sides of the bowl. Cover it with plastic wrap and let it rest for 45 minutes. Remember that the dough should rest in a warm, draught-free place.
- After that time, put it back on a floured surface and press it to remove all the air it has. Cut with a knife to remove 6 to 8 portions, depending on the size you want your bagels.
- Make a ball with each portion, flatten it slightly and make the characteristic hole in the middle with your fingers. Once they have the shape, let them rest for 20 minutes.
- In a large pot, put plenty of water and a spoonful of sugar. Meanwhile, preheat the oven for 10 minutes at 200ºC.
- When the water begins to boil and the bagels have rested, place them one at a time in the boiling water for 10 seconds. Remove them with the help of a skimmer, draining the water well. Place them on a baking sheet on parchment paper to prevent them from sticking.
- With the beaten egg, paint them on top and sprinkle them with sesame seeds or seeds of your choice.
- Place the tray in the oven at medium height. Let them bake for 20-15 minutes until the surface is golden brown.
- When they are ready, take them out of the oven and transfer them to a wire rack to rest until they cool.Once they are ready, you can eat them or open them and add the filling you like the most.
And you, do you dare to try this recipe to make great bagels totally homemade?
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