Happy Autumn! I love this time of year, time to rock the big jumpers and snuggly coats, buy huge pumpkins and relish the comfort of home baking again. No better way to kick off baking season than with one of my favourite recipes, BAGELS! Half an hour in the kitchen, some good quality flour and a few other ingredients and you’ll be rewarded in the morning with an impressive home baked treat.
Bagels have to be one of my favourite breakfasts of all time. I mean, who doesn’t love em? For some reason they just make any topping taste so much better than your regular toast. Sweet or savoury, they can carry it all. Making your own elevates the bagel experience to something else. Crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside delicious.
Don’t be intimidated by the process, I promise once you’ve made them you’ll be addicted! I love this recipe, because it gives you enough to freeze half the batch, then you’ve got a homemade bagel in the freezer ready for a quick brekkie.
Honestly, after making my own, shop bought bagels taste like cardboard. Not to mention those ones from the supermarket are loaded with preservatives. These days I try and avoid buying anything in a packet, as it usually contains a list of ingredients you can barely pronounce. There’s something so satisfying about boiling bagels in the morning too, and they make your house smell like a little bakery.
Feel free to use wholemeal flour instead of strong white for a healthier version, although the dough will be a little denser they still pack loads of flavour. Let your imagination run wild with the toppings, any seeds will be delicious, but my favourite has to be black and white sesame seeds. The longer you leave the bagels to prove overnight in the fridge, the richer the flavour will be, so experiment leaving them 12-24 hours and see which you prefer.
- 1 tbsp rice malt syrup
- 400ml lukewarm water
- 800g strong white or wholemeal bread flour
- 7g fast action yeast
- 2 tsp fine salt
- olive oil for greasing and brushing
- 1 tbsp baking soda
- Toppings - sesame, pumpkin, sunflower seeds
- Start bagels the night before you want to serve them. Mix water and rice syrup in a small bowl.
- Add flour, yeast and salt in a large bowl and make a well in the middle. Stir in the liquid and mix with a wooden spoon until a dough is formed. Knead for at least 15 minutes until smooth and elastic.
- Pop dough into a large, oiled bowl. Cover with clingfilm and leave to rise for about an hour, until doubled in size.
- Line 2 cookie sheets with lightly oiled and floured greaseproof paper. Divide dough into 12 pieces - I weigh mine to around 100g each to make sure they're even. Shape into balls and make a hole in the middle using a wooden spoon. You want the hole to be at least 3cm big as it will close slightly when the dough proves.
- Gently place bagels onto prepared cookie sheet and lightly brush bagels with oil. Cover with clingfilm and place cookie sheets into fridge overnight, at least 12 hours.
- The next day, remove trays from the fridge and place on the side to come to room temperature. Preheat oven to 220•c. Heat up a large, wide pot of boiling water with the baking soda. When bubbling, add in bagels three at a time (or however many will fit in your pot comfortably) and cook for 2 minutes on each side. Place back onto the cookie sheets and bake in the oven for 8-10 minutes until lightly golden. Put bagels on wire racks to cool. Keep well for up to 4 days in an airtight tin, or you can freeze for up to 3 months.
- Place boiled bagels, rounder side up, back onto the cookie sheets and sprinkle with seeds, if using.
I’d love to know if you try this recipe. Please take a snap and tag me on @instagram, or leave me a comment below!
Happy baking xoxoxoxo
Notes: Recipe adapted from this wonderful Delicious Magazine recipe
Those colors practically vibrate off the screen! Your photos are really beautiful.