Yields: 8 bagels
Total Time: 2 hours
What does a bagel do when it is locked out of its house? It calls a lox-smith! In all seriousness, a bagel is a bread product that has taken on different styles across the world, but is believe to have originated from Jewish communities. It is a ring of dough that is both boiled and baked to give you a fluffy inside, and a perfectly toastable outside. You can add whatever spread you like, or make a sandwich with a choice of your fillings for super tasty results.
Ingredients:
2 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 ½ tablespoons granulated sugar
1 ¼ cups warm water (you may need more)
3 ½ cups bread flour (will need extra for kneading)
1 ½ teaspoon salt
1-2 tablespoons oil (safflower or olive oil)
1 egg
Sesame seeds, poppy seeds, coarse salt (optional toppings)
Directions:
In ½ cup warm water, pour in the sugar and yeast. Do not stir. Let it sit for five minutes, you’ll notice that there will be a lot of bubbles formed. After the five minutes, mix together the solution until it all dissolves.
In a separate large bowl, mix together the flour and salt. Make a well in the middle and pour in the yeast mixture and ⅓ cup warm water. Stir together mixture until a moist and firm ball is formed. You may need to add more water depending on where you live.
On a floured countertop, knead the dough for about 10-15 minutes until it is smooth and elastic.
Lightly brush a large bowl with oil and turn the dough to coat. Cover the bowl with a damp dish towel. Let rise in a warm place for 1 hours or until doubled in size. Punch the dough down and let rest for another 10 minutes.
Carefully divide the dough into 8 pieces. Shape each ball into a round form. Take dough ball and press it gently against the countertop moving your hand and the ball in a circular motion pulling the dough into itself while reducing the pressure on top of the dough slightly until a perfect dough ball forms.
Gently press your finger into the center of each dough ball to form a ring. Stretch the ring to about ⅓ the diameter of the bagel and place on a lightly oiled baking sheet.
After all the dough has been shaped, cover with a damp cloth and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 425 degrees and fill a large pot with water to a boil.
Once the water has come to a boil, turn down the temperature to a soft boil. Using a slotted spoon, lower the bagels into the water. Boil bagels for 2 minutes on each side.
Beat 1 egg in a small bowl to make the egg wash. Using a pastry brush, coat each top of the bagel with egg wash. If you want to add a topping, sprinkle choice of topping on bagel now. Place the bagels onto a lightly oiled baking sheet.
Place bagels into the oven and bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown.
Cool on a wire rack and let cool before enjoying.