The bagels are awesome fresh out of the oven. Start off by activating your yeast be adding it to warm water and let it activate. You can use all purpose flour in this recipe and what you have to remember is that bread flour has a higher content of gluten and therefore it is going to provide that really chewy texture that bagels are known for. So if you want that classic texture, you need to use bread flour. Add the flour to the stand mixer and once the yeast is activated, add it to the bowl and you are going to mix it for about 8 minutes. If you didn’t have a stand mixer, you can hand mix it and it will take you a bit longer, like 25 minutes, you want to make sure that you achieve the same results. You don’t want your dough to be really dry it should be quite tacky otherwise, it won’t work. Once the dough has been formed, place it in a lightly greased bowl and wap it in some plastic wrap and let it rise to about double in size.
That will usually take about an hour or so. Get a large pot, add some water and honey then bring it to a boil and also have your oven preheated to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Once your dough has risen, cut it onto around 8 equal parts then to roll the dough, take the dough and roll it in your hand then in a clean working surface, roll it between the palm of your hand. Place the dough in a baking pan lined with parchment paper and cover with a clean kitchen towel. Once all rolled out, you need to roll them into bagels. Take your two index fingers, take your one finger and poke into the center to make a hole. Stretch it with your other finger and roll it until perfect then place it down on a baking sheet.
Once the water and honey mixture is to a boil, lower it to medium-low to about a simmer then place the bagel dough in there for about a minute on each side then put them on the baking sheet again. Let them sit on the baking sheet for a couple of minutes so the water can be absorbed then brush with egg white then top them with poppy seeds. Pop them into the oven for 20 minutes then let them cool on a wire rack.
Ingredients;
- 2-1/4 tsp of Active Dry Yeast
- 1-1/2 cups of Warm Water needs to be around 115 degrees
- 2 Tbsp of Granulated Sugar plus 1 teaspoon
- 3-1/2 cups of Bread Flour
- 2 tsp of Salt
For the water bath;
- 12 cups of Water
- 1/3 cup of Honey
- 1 Eggwhite beaten with a splash of water to make an egg wash
Instructions;
- In a small bowl, mix together the warm water, 1 teaspoon of sugar and yeast, set aside for a few minutes to allow the yeast to activate.
- In the bowl of a standing mixer, add the flour, salt, remaining sugar and yeast and water mixture.
- Attach a dough hook and mix for about 8 minutes on medium-low speed until your dough is smooth.
- Place the dough in an oiled bowl and cover and allow it to rest for about an hour and a half.
- Once the dough has risen, flip it over onto a very lightly floured surface, deflate it gently and then divide the dough into 8 equal pieces.
- Form each piece into a ball by rolling it between the palm of your hand and your work surface
- Dip your two pointer fingers in some flour, using one finger poke a hole in the center of each ball and using both pointer fingers, poke them through the center hole and rotate your fingers to about a 2” hole.
- Place the bagels on a parchment paper lined baking sheet cover with a damp, lint-free towel and allow to rest for about 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 425 degrees and place one of your oven racks on the top 2/3 of the oven.
- In a large, wide pot add your water and honey and bring to a gentle boil, reduce the heat to simmer.
- Add 4 bagels at a time and cook them for 1 minute on each side and then transfer them on the same baking sheet repeat with all the bagels.
- Brush the tops and sides of each one with the beaten egg white wash and bake them for about 20 minutes or until deeply golden brown all around.
- Allow them to cool for a few minutes on your baking sheet before moving them to a cooling rack to finish cooling completely.
