That's right.
Bagels.
You probably never realized it, but it's been this easy to make bagels all along.
That familiar, chewy interior, encased by that perfectly crisp, golden shell -- with your favorite topping of choice, of course. All of it, made in the comfort of your own kitchen, with only a few simple ingredients.
I began baking regularly about a year ago, and for whatever reason was always intimidated by bagels. It seemed like not only did it require a lot of time, since most recipes suggest that you let the dough ferment overnight, but I couldn't get the idea that the New York water was partially responsible for the quality of their bagels -- and living in the great Los Angeles desert, water and/or quality are always a question.
But one day, I decided, f--k it.
So I made some bagels, and I'm here to share with you how I did it. I used a lot of recipes as reference, but I like the one over at sophisticated gourmet.
STEP ONE
Ingredients
3 cups Bread Flour (I use King Arthur Brand)
2 tbsp Dry Active Yeast
1 1/2 tbsp Sugar
1 1/4 tbsp Salt
1 1/4 cups Warm, but not hot, water
1 Egg (For egg wash, before baking)
Toppings (Sesame Seeds, Poppy Seeds, Mince Garlic, Minced Onion, Course Sea Salt)
In a medium bowl, add yeast and sugar to 1/2 cup of the warm water; let sit for 5 or so minutes until foamy.
In a large bowl, whisk flour and salt together. Add the yeast/sugar mixture and mix with a wooden spoon, adding the rest of the warm water until a shaggy dough forms. Knead on a lightly floured surface until it becomes a smooth elastic dough.
Shape it into a ball and place it into bowl coated in olive oil. Roll the dough around so it's lightly coated in olive oil as well and cover the bowl with a slightly damp dish towel. Let the dough rest in a cool dry place for 1-4 hours until almost doubled, or place it in the fridge to rest overnight.
STEP TWO
Remove the rested dough ball from the bowl onto a slightly floured surface and divide into 8 equal sized portions.
Roll each portion into a ball and place on a greased baking sheet. Cover with a slightly damp kitchen towel and let rest 10 minutes.
STEP THREE
Bring a medium sized pot of water to a boil.
Using your index finger and your thumb, create a hole in the center of each ball, and pull around the sides of the hole until it's about a third of the diameter of the ball.
Boil each bagel about 1.5 minutes each side, 2 minutes if you want a chewier bagel. Place on baking sheet to cool.
STEP FOUR
Preheat oven to 475° F / 245° C.
Beat an egg thoroughly and brush onto the cooled bagels.
Sprinkle on your toppings of choice and place in the oven. Cook 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown on the outside.
Enjoy!
Ingredients
3 cups Bread Flour (I use King Arthur Brand)
2 tbsp Dry Active Yeast
1 1/2 tbsp Sugar
1 1/4 tbsp Salt
1 1/4 cups Warm, but not hot, water
1 Egg (For egg wash, before baking)
Toppings (Sesame Seeds, Poppy Seeds, Mince Garlic, Minced Onion, Course Sea Salt)
In a medium bowl, add yeast and sugar to 1/2 cup of the warm water; let sit for 5 or so minutes until foamy.
In a large bowl, whisk flour and salt together. Add the yeast/sugar mixture and mix with a wooden spoon, adding the rest of the warm water until a shaggy dough forms. Knead on a lightly floured surface until it becomes a smooth elastic dough.
Shape it into a ball and place it into bowl coated in olive oil. Roll the dough around so it's lightly coated in olive oil as well and cover the bowl with a slightly damp dish towel. Let the dough rest in a cool dry place for 1-4 hours until almost doubled, or place it in the fridge to rest overnight.
Remove the rested dough ball from the bowl onto a slightly floured surface and divide into 8 equal sized portions.
Roll each portion into a ball and place on a greased baking sheet. Cover with a slightly damp kitchen towel and let rest 10 minutes.
Bring a medium sized pot of water to a boil.
Using your index finger and your thumb, create a hole in the center of each ball, and pull around the sides of the hole until it's about a third of the diameter of the ball.
Boil each bagel about 1.5 minutes each side, 2 minutes if you want a chewier bagel. Place on baking sheet to cool.
Preheat oven to 475° F / 245° C.
Beat an egg thoroughly and brush onto the cooled bagels. Sprinkle on your toppings of choice and place in the oven. Cook 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown on the outside.