- Prep time: 1 hour 20 minutes + 10 hours for proofing
- Cook time: 20 minutes
- Serves: 16 Bagels
- Difficulty: medium
- Course: baking
- Cookware: large saucepan, pastry brush, dough knife, skimmer, KitchenAid planetary food processor
Ingredients
For the dough:
- 200 g stiff wheat sourdough starter
- 300 g strong bread flour
- 150 g water
- 80 g butter (room temperature)
- 50 ml vegetable oil
- 10 g salt
- 5 g sugar
For cooking:
- 5 l of water
- 3 tbsp baking soda
For glaze:
- 1 egg (beaten)
For sprinkling:
- cumin / poppy seeds / sesame seeds / pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds
Cooking method
STEP 1
Mix starter and water in the bowl of a food processor. Add flour and sugar. Knead the dough with hook or by hand, until the dough is smooth. Cover the bowl with the towel and leave to rest for 45 minutes.
STEP 2
Add salt, butter and oil. Knead the dough until it “takes” all the butter and becomes smooth, for about 15 minutes. The final dough will be soft and smooth. Grease the container for the dough with vegetable oil, lay out the dough, cover with foil or towel and leave in a warm place to proof for 5-6 hours. During the proofing period, the dough should double in size.
STEP 3
Sprinkle the work surface with flour and transfer the dough to the surface. Using a dough knife, carefully divide the dough into 16 equal parts (about 50 g each) and form the balls. Cover with plastic wrap and leave to rest for 15 minutes. Make a hole in the center of the ball with your fingers and gently stretch giving the characteristic bagel shape. Cover the baking sheet with parchment. Transfer the bagels to a baking sheet, leaving enough space between them. Lightly sprinkle the bagels with flour, cover with foil and leave to rest for 2 hours.
STEP 4
Pour 5 liters of water into a large saucepan and bring to boiling. Add baking soda while boiling. Carefully, using a skimmer, transfer the bagels one by one to the saucepan, but no more than three at a time. Cook the bagels for 30 seconds on each side. Using a skimmer, carefully return the cooked bagels to the baking sheet. Repeat the process with the remaining bagels.
STEP 5
Preheat the oven to 200C. Grease the bagels with a beaten egg, sprinkle with seeds and bake for 20 minutes. Transfer the finished bagels to the wire rack and leave to cool.
My tips and tricks:
The moment when your bagels will have as much poppy as you want and love has finally come! My top tip is: practice, practice and practice! Even if at first time your bagels are not perfect and have random shapes, this will not affect their taste. Family and friends will admire your results, and you will eventually learn to shape bagels like a professional chef. It’s only difficult to make the first 100 bagels. Believe me 🙂
- 200 g stiff wheat sourdough starter
- 300 g strong bread flour
- 150 g water
- 80 g butter (room temperature)
- 50 ml vegetable oil
- 10 g salt
- 5 g sugar
- 5 l of water
- 3 tbsp baking soda
- 1 egg (beaten)
- cumin / poppy seeds / sesame seeds / pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds
- Mix starter and water in the bowl of a food processor. Add flour and sugar. Knead the dough with hook or by hand, until the dough is smooth. Cover the bowl with the towel and leave to rest for 45 minutes.
- Add salt, butter and oil. Knead the dough until it “takes” all the butter and becomes smooth, for about 15 minutes. The final dough will be soft and smooth. Grease the container for the dough with vegetable oil, lay out the dough, cover with foil or towel and leave in a warm place to proof for 5-6 hours. During the proofing period, the dough should double in size.
- Sprinkle the work surface with flour and transfer the dough to the surface. Using a dough knife, carefully divide the dough into 16 equal parts (about 50 g each) and form the balls. Cover with plastic wrap and leave to rest for 15 minutes. Make a hole in the center of the ball with your fingers and gently stretch giving the characteristic bagel shape. Cover the baking sheet with parchment. Transfer the bagels to a baking sheet, leaving enough space between them. Lightly sprinkle the bagels with flour, cover with foil and leave to rest for 2 hours.
- Pour 5 liters of water into a large saucepan and bring to boiling. Add baking soda while boiling. Carefully, using a skimmer, transfer the bagels one by one to the saucepan, but no more than three at a time. Cook the bagels for 30 seconds on each side. Using a skimmer, carefully return the cooked bagels to the baking sheet. Repeat the process with the remaining bagels.
- Preheat the oven to 200C. Grease the bagels with a beaten egg, sprinkle with seeds and bake for 20 minutes. Transfer the finished bagels to the wire rack and leave to cool.