Homemade Bagels
Bread making takes some patience, but is probably a whole lot easier than you think is it.
The main part that trips most people up is getting the temperature of the water correct. If you get this wrong, your bread won’t rise. The trick is to get the water around 110F. To get this right, I stick my hand under the water, and when it feels like nice bath water, it is ready. If it feels to hot to you, it’s too hot for the yeast.
The second thing I do to make sure my dough rises correctly, is when it’s resting, I do a load of laundry. This makes the laundry room nice and warm and humid. The perfect atmosphere for bread rising.
The last trick is to take your time, you cannot rush bread making. And have fun with it!
Ingredients:
1 ½ cup warm water (100 to 110 F)
2 2/3 teaspoons instant or active dry yeast (1 packet) (Or equivalent amount of sourdough starter)
4 cups bread flour
1 tablespoon honey, brown sugar, or barley malt syrup
2 teaspoons salt
Nonstick spray
Egg wash:
1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water
Boiling solution:
2 quarts water
¼ cup honey, brown sugar, or barley malt syrup
Instructions:
Make the dough: Whisk the warm water and yeast together in the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment. Cover and allow to sit for 5 minutes.
Add the flour, brown sugar (or substitute), and salt. Beat on low speed for 2 minutes. The dough is very stiff and will look somewhat dry.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. With lightly floured hands, knead the dough for 4-5 minutes.
Lightly grease a large bowl with oil or nonstick spray. Place the dough in the bowl, turning it to coat all sides in the oil. Cover the bowl plastic wrap and a clean kitchen towel. Allow the dough to rise at room temperature for 60-90 minutes or until double in size.
Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
When the dough is ready, punch it down to release any air bubbles. Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces. Shape each piece into a ball. Press your index finger through the center of each ball to make a hole about 1.5 - 2 inches in diameter. Loosely cover the shaped bagels with kitchen towel and rest for a few minutes.
Preheat oven to 425°F
Boiling solution: Fill a large, wide pot with 2 quarts of water. Whisk in the honey, brown sugar, or barley malt syrup. Bring water to a boil, then reduce heat to medium or medium-high. Drop bagels in, 2-4 at a time, making sure they have enough room to float around. Cook the bagels for 1 to 2 minutes on each side.
Using a pastry brush, brush the egg wash on top and around the sides of each bagel. Cover with whatever toppings you want. Place bagels onto each lined baking sheet. Bake for 20-25 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through. You want the bagels to be a dark golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow bagels to cool on the baking sheets for 20 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Cover leftover bagels tightly and store at room temperature for a few days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
If you don’t have a stand mixer, you can do this all by hand. You will just have to knead the dough for longer (about 10 minutes) to get it to the same consistency.