BAE-gels

Before I made this recipe I was never crazy about bagels. Don’t get me wrong, I liked them, but it was not my first choice for any kind of bread. That was until I made my own bagels, and now it’s safe to say I am definitely obsessed.

I originally decided I would make bagels on a day when I had to discard my sourdough starter (if you have a sourdough starter you will understand what I am talking about). See my sourdough post here. I found a great bagel recipe using discard. I made the bagels and then looked up an everything bagel seasoning recipe. The 8 bagels were gone the next morning. And the rest is history. Lol. But honestly, these are heavenly.

Don’t worry though, you don’t need a sourdough starter to make these, I have made them without the use of discard as well, so you have both options!

Recipe

I used the recipe from Sally’s Baking Addiction and just made a few minor modifications. Then I tested out different kinds of bagels, which I will be listing how to make below.

Everything, cinnamon raisin, jalapeño cheddar, cheddar and herb. I know, sounds delicious already.

I also find the production of bagels super satisfying, and even though the process seems kinda excessive, it is sooo worth it. Believe me.

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You start by making your dough and letting it rise. Then once you’ve formed the bagels you will boil them (yes, I said boiling bread) which helps them get that delicious “bagely” texture. Finally, you will bake them in the oven for 20 minutes. It will feel like the longest 20 minutes of your life, trust me.

Bagel fun facts

Because who doesn’t love fun facts?

1. Bagels originated in Poland in 1683 (which came before the donut if you were curious).
2. Bagels have traveled to outer space when astronaut Gregory Chamitoff brought 18 of the infamous Montreal bagels with him on his commute to work. Lol
3. Lastly, when I looked up the most famous bagel flavour the answer was plain. I know, boring right? However cinnamon raisin was second which I can get on board with:)

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Bagel Recipe

Yield: 8 bagels Prep time: 15-30 minutes Rise time: 1 hour Bake time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 C warm water
• 2 3/4 tsp Yeast
• 4 cups white all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tbsp coconut sugar OR regular sugar
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 egg white

*If you are using sourdough discard, simply reduce the amount of water to 3/4 cup, flour to 3 cups, and add 1 cup of sourdough discard. Follow all same instructions.

To boil

• Around 4-6 C water
• drizzle honey in a water bath, around 1/4 C.

Method

Prep

1. Add water to a large mixing bowl and add yeast, whisk together.
2. Let sit for 5 minutes, the yeast should become bubbly.
3. Add flour, salt, and sugar and mix together. If you have a stand mixer knead on low speed for around 2 minutes. If kneading by hand, knead for 4-5 minutes.
4. Lightly oil a mixing bowl and put the dough in the bowl, tossing to coat all sides.
5. Cover with a towel and let the dough rise at room temperature for around an hour. (Don’t worry if it’s slightly longer)

Boiling / Baking

1. Preheat oven to 425℉
2. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
3. Fill a large pot with about 4-6 cups of water.
4. Drizzle honey in the water, around 1/4 cup. Whisk into the water.
5. Bring the water to a boil.
6. Form your bagel by splitting the dough into 8 balls and forming bagel with a hole in the center. Place on parchment paper.
7. Once water is boiling drop down to medium heat.
8. Drop 3-4 bagels into the water and boil for 1-2 minutes. Then flip the bagels and cook the other side for 1-2 minutes. (The bagels should float at the surface, however, I find whole wheat ones sometimes sink at first but then will eventually float to the surface.)
9. Repeat for all the bagels.
10. If needed once the bagels are cool enough to handle, you can reshape them if they lost form while boiling.
11. Once you have all of the bagels boiled, and on parchment paper, add egg white to a small bowl with about a tablespoon of water.
12. Brush egg white onto each bagel.
13. Bake for 20- 25 minutes. (20 works perfectly for me every time)

Notes

1. Your bagels should be dry enough that they don’t get all sticky while you are trying to shape them, but sometimes the batter will be slightly sticky when I try to form them. If this is the case, simply wet your hands before handling the dough and it will prevent it from sticking.
2. When you are forming your bagel, take the dough ball in your hand and make a hole about 2 inches in diameter in the center of the dough.
3. The bagels may lose their shape slightly while boiling. Once they’ve cooled down you can reshape them to your liking.
4. If you want to make whole wheat bagels I definetly recommend giving it a try. Generally, recipes will recommend going half and half with regular flour and whole wheat. I’ve also made these bagels completely whole wheat and I personally really like the taste! They just have a tendency to be slightly denser than regular white flour bagels. (My favourite kind to make whole wheat are cinnamon raisin).

Customize

Cinnamon Raisin

Add 2-3 tbsp of cinnamon and 1/4 c of raisins to dough before your begin to knead the dough. The cinnamon and raisins will mix in perfectly with the dough. (Feel free to add more or less to your liking. I like to add a lot of raisins cause YUM!)

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Everything bagel

Make bagel recipe above plain, then once you brush egg wash onto bagels, dip into everything bagel seasoning. I used this recipe. Pro-tip: Make extra everything bagel seasoning as it is delicious on top of eggs and avocado toast.

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Cheddar Cheese and Herb

Before kneading/ mixing the dough, add in your desired amount, or approximately 1/2 tbsp of each; Rosemary, basil, thyme, parsley and oregano. Once you have boiled the bagels and brushed on egg wash, sprinkle grated cheddar cheese on top of each bagel.

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Jalapeño cheddar

Before kneading/ mixing the dough add two seeded and chopped jalapeños. (Or less if you’re worried about the heat.) Once you have boiled and brushed on egg wash, place grated cheese on each bagel.

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Nutrition

Per 1 plain bagel

Calories: 224 Total Fat: 1g Sodium: 291 mg Carbohydrates: 45g Fiber: 2g Sugar: 1g Protein: 6g