Warm, chewy bagels. Is there anything better than a New York Style bagel, smothered with cream cheese? I can only think of one way that they could be better. Making them at home. These homemade bagels are so easy to do, and will taste so good!
Do you love bagels? The warm, chewy, slightly crispy rounds of bread are so versatile. You can toast them, smear them with cream cheese, jelly, butter and more.
When I was first married, I could barely boil water, let alone make bread. However, after wanting to save up to buy a house, we had to cut our budget. The first area I could control was food.
I learned to make my own breads. As a matter of fact, this French bread was one of the first recipes I learned to master.
Once I was able to make that with ease, moving to artisan bread was the next step. Then, tackling a homemade bagels recipe. Actually, making New York bagels is fairly easy. A few tweaks here and there, and you can make them into nearly any flavor!
(and for those of you whole are very fervent about NYC bagels, and feel this recipe wouldn't stack up, I apologize in advance. They are just as good as New York bagels in my opinon.)
Some tips for making homemade bagels:
- Makes sure your work surface area is as clear as possible. For myself, I tend to take up a lot of counter space when making bagels. Plan on using an extra 1/2 cup flour for dusting the area when working as well.
- Although the recipe directions call for using a stand mixer with a dough hook, which is my preferred method, you CAN knead by hand. If you have some extra tension or need some exercise, that's a great way to get it. Also, when making homemade bagels with your kids, kneading by hand is a great way to connect with them. Some of the best talks I have ever had with my kids were over kneading dough together.
- While many bagels "experts" recommend using barely malt in the dough, it's not very common. Using molasses will give you the same results and it's far more easily found.
- True bagels are always boiled, then baked. Boiling them first is what gives them their crunchy, exterior while allowing for a chewy interior. Adding a bit of honey to the boiling water will give it a deeper golden color when baking as well.
- Bread flour is a must! Bread flour contains more protein that all-purpose flour. This gives the bagels the all-important chewiness inside. I wouldn’t recommend using all-purpose flour for bagel making.
- This recipe makes 8 large bagels. It could be divided into more bagels to make smaller sized bagels, but that would change the cooking time. I’ve not experimented with different cooking times, so I wouldn’t recommend deviating from the recipe to make smaller bagels unless someone is willing to take the risk and experiment with adjusting the baking time.
Ingredients you need for homemade bagels:
- Water
- Sugar
- Yeast
- Bread Flour
- Salt
- Molasses
- Oil for greasing bowl
- Honey
- Egg
- Bagel toppings
Making homemade bagels:
- Whisk together water, sugar and yeast. Allow to proof.
- Mix together the flour and salt.
- Stir in the molasses and yeast mixture, and knead.
- Allow to rise in oiled bowl, then punch dough down, then divide the dough into 8 pieces. Shape pieces into balls, then poke hole in center.
- Boil water then boil each bagel on each side. Brush on egg wash, top with choice of seasonings and bake.
Are you ready for a delicious, homemade bagel recipe? Let's grab some bread flour, yeast, and toppings and get baking!
What are some good toppings for homemade bagels?
Here are some of our favorite toppings to add to the bagels before baking.
What are some delicious ways to use homemade bagels?
Bagels are very versatile for a bread. Some of my favorite combinations to top bagels are cream cheese with either smoked salmon, jelly, or eggs. Feeling more adventurous? Try this lox and cream cheese. This homemade scallion cream cheese recipe also sounds delicious. Like charcuterie boards? Try this yummy bagel bar board! Extra bagels would be great as these yummy bagel chips, too!
[mv_create title="Other Recipes To Try" key="130" type="list" layout="circles"]What is your favorite bagel topping? Will you make these homemade bagels?
[mv_create title="Homemade Bagels (New York Style)" key="129" type="recipe"]Posted from my blog with SteemPress : http://www.hugforyourbelly.com/homemade-bagels/