One big gripe I have had for a long time is the exorbitant price of some baked goods. Bagels for instance can cost between $3 and $6 for six good quality bagels. That is too much, considering how easy bagels are to make and how affordable the ingredients are.
Bagels do take a couple of extra steps and a bit of practice, but I taught my future daughter in law who has no prior baking experience how to make them in one session. She went on to make her own bagels right after that.
One of the fun things about bagels is you can put just about anything in them, and use them for just about any meal. The base recipe make approximately 20 bagels which can also be frozen.
There are 3 recipes below, as well as a couple of extra variations.
Note I doubled this recipes, but you can just as easily reduce it back in half again.
7 cups of flour
3 tablespoons of yeast
6 tablespoons of sugar
2 tablespoons of salt
3 cups of warm water (120 to 130 degrees)
To Boil Bagels
6 quarts of water
3 tablespoons sugar
Topping Bagels
2 egg whites mixed with 2 teaspoons of water
Toppings (minced onion, sesame seed, poppy seed, are just a few of the ones you can use.)
Instructions
Add 2 to 3 cups of flour to mixing bowl and add yeast, sugar, salt, and water. Mix on low until combine with paddle. Remove paddle and put dough hook onto the mixer. Turn on low and continue to add flour slowly. Let each addition working into the dough before adding the next. Continue adding flour until the dough is only slightly sticky, and does not stick to the sides of the mixer bowl. Knead dough for about 10 minutes or until the dough has a smooth appearance and is slightly stretchy and does not tear easily.
Put dough in a well-oiled metal or glass bowl, coating the dough well. Cover with a clean towel and place in a warm spot until it is double in size.
When dough is almost ready combine water and sugar in a large heavy stainless steel stock pot. Bring water to a simmer, (it should not be boiling).
When dough is ready divide into approximately 20 balls, let sit for a few minutes to allow the dough to relax. Flatten each ball slightly and poke a hole in the middle folding the dough down and underneath to make rings. Place on parchment paper and let rise for about 10 minutes.
Drop bagels in the hot water and let simmer for about one minute. It is ok if the bagels sink at first, they will come back up to the top when they are ready to turn. Turn bagels and let cook another minute.
Remove from water with a slotted spoon and let drain for a minute. Place bagels on cookie sheet sprinkled with cornmeal and brush with egg and water mix.
Bake at 400 degrees for approximately 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from cookie sheet and place on wire rack to cool.
This is a variation which I give credit to the idea of my future DIL. Once she had made bagels the first time she was ready to make more, and add a bit of personality to them. These turned out sweet and very tasty. This recipe only makes 10 but you can just as easily double it if you want more.
4 cups of bread flour – approximately
1 1/2 tablespoons yeast
4 Tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon salt
1 1/2 cups hot water (120-130 degrees)
1/2 cup chopped dried cherries
1 tablespoon almond extract
To Boil Bagels:
6 quarts of water
3 tablespoons sugar
For Topping Bagels:
1 egg white mixed with 1 teaspoons of water
1/4 cup sliced almonds
these bagels are made the same way as above, except that you substitute honey for sugar, and add the almond extract and cherries in with the rest of the ingredients.
About 10 minutes before they are done you can give the bagels a second egg wash and sprinkle with the sliced almonds.
4 cups of bread flour – approximately
1 1/2 tablespoons yeast
5 Tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon salt
1 1/4 cups hot water (120-130 degrees)
1 tablespoon cinnamon
3/4 cup golden raisins
Same as above, add the cinnamon and raisins to the rest of the ingredients. These bagels do not rise well in the bowl or hot water, but make up for it when in the oven.
Add 2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese to the original recipe after the dough has been kneaded, making sure to mix it in thoroughly. Cook bagels like normal, pulling them when there is 5 minutes left and sprinkling them with an addition 1 cup of cheese and returning them to the oven for 5 to 10 minutes until the cheese has melted and started to brown.
We made all of these in a single day, 40 bagels total, it was a lot of fun, and my future DIL learned how much fun and how tasty it can be to bake your own baked goods. If you have any questions or have your own favorite bagel variation let us know in the comments! Next up PIZZA bagels!!
