Fresh homemade Bagels are an easy bake and taste absolutely delicious!Once you try making them…you’ll never go back to store bought ones. And you can experiment with so many different flavors….possibilities are absolutely endless!
In our house the universal fav is hands down…the Everything Bagel.
But as for me…I’m clearly partial to the Choco-chip Bagel 🙂
Ingredients for the Dough
2 cups (454g) lukewarm water
1/4 cup (35g) malted milk powder or non-diastatic malt powder
2 tablespoons (25g) sugar
1 tablespoon (14g) salt
5 3/4 cups (690g) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast or instant yeast
Ingredients for the Water Bath
2 quarts (1814g) water
2 tablespoons (18g) malted milk powder or non-diastatic malt powder (you can substitute with 1 tbsp brown sugar)
1 tablespoon (14g) sugar
1 tbsp Baking Soda
To make the dough: In a large bowl, mix all of the ingredients and knead until smooth, using your hands or an electric mixer. Shape the dough into a ball, place it in a lightly greased bowl covered with lightly greased plastic wrap, and allow it to rise until doubled in bulk, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Gently deflate the dough, and transfer it to a lightly greased work surface.
For the water bath: Put the water into a large, shallow pan; it should be about 3″ deep. Add the malt and sugar. Bring the water to a boil while you’re shaping the bagels. Preheat the oven to 425°F.
Divide the dough into 8 large or 16 small pieces. Working with one piece of dough at a time, shape it into a ball. Poke a hole through the center with your index finger, and twirl; the dough will form a ring.
Place the bagels on a parchment-lined baking sheet as they’re shaped. Once all the bagels are shaped, let them proof for 20 min.
Now reduce the boiling water bath to a gentle simmer. Starting with the first bagels you shaped, gently transfer 2 large (or 3-4 small) bagels at a time to the water bath…do not crowd them. Simmer them for about 30 seconds on each side, then return them to the baking sheet.
After you’ve boiled the bagels, and before you bake them, you may sprinkle them with sesame seeds, poppy seeds, caraway seeds, everything bagel topping, etc. Bagels brushed with a bit of beaten egg white before topping will be shinier, and hold onto their topping better.
Bake the bagels for 20 minutes until they’re golden. Remove them from the oven, and cool them on a rack.
Serve bagels warm or at room temperature. Store at room temperature in a zip lock for 3-4 days or freeze for longer storage.
Notes:
If you’d like fresh bagels for breakfast, mix the dough the night before. Let rise for 1 1/2 hour and refrigerate. In the morning, take out the dough and bring to room temperature. Shape into bagels and proof for 20 min. Preheat oven to 425F and bring the water to a boil. Then follow the boiling and baking as mentioned above.
For Choco-Chip bagels…spread enough dough for 1 bagel into a small rectangle. Sprinkle choco-chips. Roll dough into a log and seal. Then carefully form into a ring. Proof bagel for 20 min and boil. If you like top with a light sprinkle of brown sugar and then bake.
For Crabnerry Walnut Bagels…spread enough dough for 1 bagel into a small rectangle. Sprinkle cranberries n crushed walnuts. Roll dough into a log and seal. Then carefully form into a ring. Proof bagel for 20 min and boil. If you like top with a light sprinkle of crushed walnuts and then bake.
This Recipe makes 8 large NY Style Bagels or 16 small bagels