This super easy homemade bagel just proves that you can bake super delicious chewy bagels with only the basic ingredients you will most likely already have at home.
I’m going to diminish any of your worries about using yeast because it really is such a simple recipe. Plus they taste so much better when they are freshly made rather than the ones you buy from the grocery store that actually comes in frozen.
This recipe only requires 5 ingredients, but you can always add different extra add-ons such as blueberries or cheese for added flavour. These 5 ingredients include:
- Warm water
- Yeast: allows the dough to rise.
- Bread flour: bagels need a dense chewy texture not soft and fluffy like cinnamon rolls that’s why bread flour is best.
- Brown sugar
- Salt: adds flavour.
Lean dough is needed for bagels. It doesn’t involve any fat as that increases the richness and sweetness which is not what we want.
This dough can be prepared either using your hands or a stand mixer with a hook attachment. It is crucial you need the dough though. Bagel dough is very heavy and dense so it may make your mixer rattle a little too much but kneading only requires a few minutes. after you have kneaded the dough, you must let it rest for 60-90 minutes. Then, punch it down and divide into 8 sections to be shaped into bagels.
How to shape a bagel
It is quite simple to shape bagels. First round each dough section into balls, then poke your finger in the centre (preferably 2 fingers) and widen the hole to be about 1.5-2 inches. They don’t need to be perfect; they just need a hole in the centre.
What is a water bath?
Before bagels are baked, they must be cooked for 1 minute on each side in a pot of boiling water. they is a super important step for bagels as it gives bagels their beautiful shine as the dough’s starches are gelatinizing which results in a crisp shiny coat. It also cooks the outer layer of the dough which will guarantee they will hold their shape while baking.
Before they go in the oven, brush the boiled bagels with an egg wash for extra caramelization and crisp.
