Hello and Happy Wednesday!
Do you like Bagels? I love them. The best ones I had in New York were hands down at H&H Midtown Bagels, Tal Bagels and Barney Greengrass! However, I don’t want to depend on any store to make me ‘bagel-happy’ but instead rather try to make my own. I searched for a good recipe for a long time but the bagels did not have the right constancy or taste. Then I found this one! My bagels comes very close to my beloved Barney Bargels and they are so easy to make. With this recipe you can make your bagels at home and you know exactly what is in them! Sweet, no?
A litte bagel 101 from Wikipedia:
“A bagel is a bread product originating in Poland, traditionally shaped by hand into the form of a ring from yeasted wheat dough, roughly hand-sized, which is first boiled for a short time in water and then baked. The result is a dense, chewy, doughy interior with a browned and sometimes crisp exterior. Bagels are often topped with seeds baked on the outer crust, with the traditional ones being poppy, sunflower or sesame seeds. Some also may have salt sprinkled on their surface, and there are also a number of different dough types, such as whole-grain or rye.
Though the origins of bagels are somewhat obscure, it is known that they were widely consumed in East European Jewish communities from the 17th century. The first known mention of the bagel, in 1610, was in Jewish community ordinances in Kraków, Poland. Bagels are now a popular bread product in North America, especially in cities with a large Jewish population, many with different ways of making bagels. Like other bakery products, bagels are available (either fresh or frozen, and often in many flavor varieties) in many major supermarkets in those countries.”
And here is the recipe. Enjoy!
Serves 12 bagels
30 minPrep Time
20 minCook Time
50 minTotal Time
Save RecipeIngredients
- 750g spelt (Dinkel)
- 1 cube fresh yeast
- 400ml warm water
- 1 Tablespoon sugar
- 2.5 Tablespoons salt
- 2 Tablespoons oil
- 1 Tablespoon honey
- 1 egg yolk
- 2 tablespoons milk
Instructions
- Put the flour and sugar into a bowl
- Crumble yeast and mix with 400 ml warm water
- Add the yeast-water-mix and add 1.5 teaspoons salt
- Add the oil to the flour and salt kneeling by hand
- Let dough rest for at least 45 minutes (dough should double in size!)
- Cover your working area with a bit of flour so dough does not stick to it. Kneel dough again
- Make a roll out of the dough and cut in 12 pieces
- Form 12 balls, flatten them and make a hole in the middle with the end of a wooden cooking spoon (approximately 4 cm)
- Let formed bagels rest on your working area for another 15 minutes
- Preheat oven to 220 degrees
- Cover the bottom of a baking sheet with flour (add enough so bagels won't stick to baking sheet!)
- Boil water in a large pot. Add 1 Tablespoon salt and 1 Tablespoon honey to the water
- When water is boiling, add one bagel at a time carefully with a ladle into the water
- Let cook for 30 seconds then carefully switch to the other side with the ladle for another 30 seconds
- Place bagels on baking sheet
- Mix the egg yolk with the milk and apply on bagels with a pastry brush
- Bake in oven for 20 minutes
- Done!
Notes
You can easily freeze some of the bagels before they are baked! My favorite way to eat bagels are with cream cheese, smoked lox, rucola, pepper, capers and some onion. So so good! My son prefers them with Nutella.
Why do I have to cook the bagels for 30 seconds in boiling water? This process is called "kettling". The pores on top of the bagel close up nicely so when bagels are baked a nice little crust starts to form. The honey makes the bagels taste sweeter. Some just add salt. Be all creative here. Whatever you prefer.
Do you know why there is a hole in the bagels? So bakers were able to put bagels on a string or stick and sell more of them in the streets.
Do you love Bagels? How do you enjoy eating your bagels?
