The Easiest (and Tastiest) Bagel Recipe


Before we get started, let me warn you - if you make these, you'll be addicted and will be making them from now on. Store bought bagels will never compare - and this way is much cheaper. Now that you've been warned...

We're nearing the end of our 40 week adventure into parenthood and The Wife has had relatively few if any cravings. I haven't had to make any midnight pickle and ice cream runs - or late night drives to Midlothian for Sonic onion rings.

So when she said last week that she had been craving bagels, I began looking for a recipe I could make as a surprise one morning. I stumbled across this recipe and upon checking the pantry, began on my quest. 

I wasn't sure how good these were going to be when I started because I've never made bagels before, but they were amazing. And it's easy to get creative with the toppings - you add them after the boiling stage before you bake them, so you can make multiple kinds per batch. 

This recipe makes 8 bagels. I have to say, with all of the toppings, I like the simplicity of the plain bagel. It gets just crisp enough on the outside to give it a crunch, but it's still doughy and chewy on the inside, as a good bagel should be.

I made 4 different bagels:
  • Plain
  • Sea Salt
  • Cinnamon, Sugar and Cayenne
  • Sesame
The potential for toppings is endless.

Ingredients:
4 cups of All Purpose Flour
2 tsp Instant Yeast
1 Tbsp Sugar
1 1/2 tsp Salt
1 Tbsp Vegetable Oil
1 1/2 Cups of Warm Water
Toppings

Directions:
Combine all of your ingredients (except the toppings) in a bowl. Knead for 10 minutes - if you're using a stand mixer, only knead for 5 minutes using your dough hook.

Using a pizza roller, divide the dough in half 4 times - so you end up making 8 balls of dough. Let them rest for 15 minutes.

While the dough is rising, bring a large pot of water to a boil.

After 15 minutes of resting, roll the dough balls out into a foot-long snake.
Make an indention in one end, and plug the other end into it.

Then, using your palm, smash down on the area where the two ends meet - this is the easiest way I've found to seal your bagel.
  
Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.
When you have 8 bagels, drop them into the water, one at a time, in batches, so they can float to the top without touching. I found that three is the magic number in my pot. Note that they will sink to the bottom - give them a nudge with a spoon to keep them from sticking to the bottom - they should rise to the top in about 1 minute.
 Boil them for one minute on each side, remove from the water and place on a greased cookie sheet.
Now is the time to apply any toppings you may have.

Bake your bagels at 425 degrees for 10 minutes on each side - remove and let cool for as long as you can before tearing into them.

Enjoy!

Comments

  1. They look amazing, I would have never thought that you could make great bagels at home.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I'm eating them right now. Thanks pal!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment