Bagels have been on my to do list for a very long time but somehow could not get down to doing it. Yesterday I came across Terri's recipe. She is on Instagram @chompmom. It seemed very doable. So I decided to take the plunge .
They turned out so yumm. Slightly chewy crust and super soft crumb. Honestly I didn't need any toppings. They tasted so delicious on their own .
This is a keeper of a recipe. Will be making them again, very soon.
The original recipe asks for bread flour. I have replaced it with All Purpose Flour and a tbsp of vital gluten.
It also uses all purpose flour (30gms) and whole wheat flour(45 gms). I have used only whole wheat flour (75gms). I had to increase the liquid quantity accordingly.
If you don't have a stand mixer, you can knead with hand. In that case don't add the oil to the dough. Use it while kneading so that teh dough doesn't stick to your hands.
Please keep in mind that the dough should be quite sticky when you start kneading. You should feel, have I added too much of liquid ? Don't be tempted to add more flour.
Actually once you roll the bagels into balls, you should make a hole in the centre, befor you put them aside for proofing, but I forgot to do that. I remembered after 10 minutes. So I made the hole then. I was worried that I might have ruined them, but guess what it worked for me. That's why I have mentioned it that way in the method, but if you want to make a hole before proofing ,you can do that, only remember to make it larger as the bagels will proof and fill up the hole.
Please see a video on YouTube ,for shaping a bagel.
The trickiest part is lifting the bagels and dropping them into boiling water without disturbing their shape.
I used two bench scrapers. Dipped them in flour and lifted the bagels .
You might also want to check these breads
Ingredients
Wholewheat Flour 75 gms
All Purpose Flour 225 gms
Vital Gluten 1 tbsp
Levain 60 gms
Yeast 2 gms
Milk + Water 225 gms
Honey 12 gms
Salt 6 gms
Oil 6 gms
Method
Mix whole wheat flour with some liquid to make a tacky dough. Leave it covered for 1 1/2 hours .
This is Autolyse.
Transfer this dough to the bowl of stand mixer.
Tip in all purpose flour, vital gluten, levain, yeast ,honey, oil and sugar.
Add all but 2 tbsp liquid and run your stand mixer for one minute.
Check the dough ,it should be sticky, if not add the remaining liquid .
The total quantity of liquid used may be a little more or less that mentioned in the recipe as each flour absorbs liquid differently.
Now run the mixer, till you get a smooth dough. I had to run mine for five minutes.
Remove it to an oiled container.
Flip the dough so that it is covered with oil .
Close the lid and wait till it doubles .
Mine took 55 minutes.
The time would depend on the temperature in your kitchen..
Take out the dough and divide it into 6 equal parts.
Each would be approximately 100 gms.
Roll them slightly and keep them on a silicon mat ,covered with moist cloth for 15 minutes.
Now take one piece of dough, cup it in your palm and rotate on the counter top to get a smooth ball.
Similarly make all the balls.
Cover with a moist cloth.
After 10 minutes, dip your finger in flour, and make a hole in the centre of a ball. Gently stretch it to get a hole two fingers wide.
Similarly make holes in rest of the balls
Cover with a moist cloth and leave them for another 20 -25 minutes.
During the last ten minutes preheat your oven to 200 degrees Celsius.
Also put a large pot of water to boil .
Add 10 gms of sugar to it.
Once the water comes to a rolling boil, very carefully lift a bagel and drop it into the water.
Let it boil for 20 seconds on each side.
Remove it with a slotted spoon to a clean kitchen towel.
Follow the same procedure with rest of the bagels.
Brush each with milk or egg white.
I applied fresh malai .
Spread everything bagel topping. Press it lightly.
Keep the bagels on a parchment lined baking sheet.
Bake for 10 minutes.
Spray them generously with water and bake for another 10-15 minutes, till they turn golden.
Remove them on a wired rack to cool.
