It’s been a year since I started making my own bagels and they’ve become a staple in our house. Not just for weekend lunches, but also for packed lunches. They’re so soft you don’t always need to toast them.
If you like a bit of a different texture and flavour to your bagel, but don’t want the heavier texture from a wholemeal flour. Try adding some seeds to your mix. Here I used a 5 seed mix from Shipton Mill, which includes wheat flakes, barley flakes, sunflower seeds, millet and oats.
This recipe will make 8 bagels.
Ingredients – makes 8
- 450g bread flour, I use Shipton Mill Bread flour
- 50g seeds, try Shipton Mill 5 Seed Blend
- 7g yeast
- 2tsp salt
- 300ml warm water
- 2 tbsp honey for bagels
- 2 tbsp honey for water
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- oil and cornmeal for the trays
- 1 egg for egg wash
- Rock salt and seeds to sprinkle on top.
Equipment
- 2 baking trays
- Large mixing bowl
- Plastic shower cap or cling film to cover
- Jug
- Scales
- Cooling rack
- Large pan or stockpot
Method
To make by hand:
- Weigh out the flour, yeast and seeds into a bowl.
- Mix the honey, oil, water and salt in a jug.
- Make a well in the flour and add a third of the liquid and mix with a spoon.
- Once absorbed add another third and repeat, then add the final third.
- When combined use your hands to kneed together, it should not be sticky and slightly more springy than bread dough.
- Turn out onto a floured surface and kneed until it’s springs back when you prod it.
- Place in an oiled bowl and cover with cling film or a plastic shower cap.
- Leave to rise for at least 2 hours.
You can also make the bagels in a standup mixer, simply:
- Add all the dry ingredients to the mixing bowl, making sure to separate the yeast and salt.
- Add the oil and honey to the side of the bowl with the salt
- Now add 3/4 of the water and start the mixer on the lowest speed.
- Once absorbed add the rest of the water and turn the speed up a notch. Leave for 5 minutes. Then check the dough and give a quick hand kneed if it doesn’t quite spring back.
Making your bagels
- Once risen turn out onto a floured surface and quickly kneed – I knock out the air once and kneed a few times only.
- Flour one of you trays
- Roll into a sausage and cut into 8, then roll each eighth into a ball.
- To make the bagels flatten the ball and use your fingers to make a hole in the middle.
- Then work with your hands to even out the bagel and make the hole 2-3cm wide.
- Place each bagel on the tray, then cover with a towel and leave for 20 mins.
Cooking your bagels
- Heat the oven to 220c.
- Meanwhile bring a pan of water to a simmer, add 2tbsp honey and mix in.
- Oil or add parchment to your baking trays and scatter with cornmeal or semolina flour
- Then poach each bagel for 20 second on each side, I normally do batches of 3.
- Once done quickly drain and place on a baking tray.
- Once they’re all poached coat in an egg wash and sprinkle with salt and seeds on top.
- Then bake for about 15 minutes
- They should be golden and sound hollow.
- Cool on a cooling rack and then serve.
Try them with turkey, cheese and slaw.
