Tuesday, February 10, 2015

Bagels for #BreadBakers

This is my second post for Bread Bakers.  This month was not as challenging as last month's Rye Bread with no processed sugars or grains but, for a novice bread baker as I, it was still pretty challenging.  But no worries because when you are reading this post about my trials and tribulations I will be lying on a beach in the Caribbean with a book in my hands and this experience will be but a dim memory!

BreadBakers

Our challenge this month, from Heather of Hezzi-D's Books and Cooks, was bagels and I am positive that you are going to see some kick butt recipes for all sorts of wonderful, artisinal bagels.  But right now.....you are stuck with my post.  So read it through (no fair skipping) to the bottom where you will find links to all those great posts I am promising you.

I have never made bagels before but I have made soft pretzels and they are kind of the same.  I searched around and found a recipe submitted by Plawhon that sounded easy enough and got great reviews on Allrecipes.com so I decided to give it a go.

I made the recipe as written but there are several things I will do differently in the future.  First and foremost, I will mix the water, sugar and yeast first and allow it to get frothy before adding the flour. Second, I will only use 4 c. of flour instead of the 4 1/2 c. called for in the recipe.  I think these 2 minor changes will help to make the dough more flexible and easier to work with and allow the dough to stay adhered to itself during the boil. I only baked mine at 450* instead of the 475* that was called for and it took only 12 minutes for my bagels to be perfectly done.  I have written the recipe below to reflect these changes.

All of this being said....my bagels were not a fail.  They were not beautiful, by any means, but they were perfect in taste and texture!!  I topped some with poppyseeds, some with onion powder and left some plain.  I sprinkled kosher salt over all of them.  They were delicious and I will be making bagels again with the changes I stated above so that hopefully they are as pretty as they are tasty. We did not even need butter, cream cheese or any other schmear on these bagels!  Thank you Heather for choosing  bagels this month.  I would never have tried making them otherwise and I am very happy that I did.


I made 12 bagels, these are the 4 that held their shape the best.
The recipe said it made 6 bagels....they would have been ginormous!!!
Hence the shorter cooking time even at a lower temp.
The others were even uglier but they tasted the same.
You shouldn't  judge a bagel by it's shape evidently.


Bagels
adapted from Real Homemade Bagels at Allrecipes, submitted by Plawhon.

1 1/4 c. warm water (105-110*)
3 T. sugar
1 T. active dry yeast
2 T. canola oil
1 t. salt
4 c. bread flour
1 c. honey

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine the water, sugar and yeast.  Let stand until frothy, 10 minutes or so.  Turn the mixer on to low speed and add the salt and oil to the yeast mixture.  Add the flour, 1 c. at a time until all incorporated.  Leaving the mixer on low speed allow the dough to knead for 8-10 minutes, until well developed.  You want to be able to stretch the dough without it breaking.  Remove the dough from the bowl and form into a ball.  Spray the bowl with cooking spray and return the dough, turning in the bowl to cover with the oil.  Cover the bowl with a damp kitchen towel and allow the dough to rise for 2 hrs.

Punch down the dough and turn onto a lightly floured surface.  Cut into 12 equal portions with a dough scraper.  Roll each portion into a 6" log and join the ends to make a circle.  Allow bagels to rest for 15 minutes while you bring 4 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot and preheat the oven to 450*.  Add the honey to the water. 

Boil the bagels, a few at a time for a minute or two on each side.  Remove from the boiling water and place onto a parchment lined baking sheet.  While the bagels are still wet dip them into your desired toppings and/or sprinkle them generously with kosher salt.  Bake in the preheated oven for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown.  Print Recipe

And here are all the great recipes I promised you at the beginning of this post:

*This post contains an affiliate link. Should you purchase an item from this link I will receive a small stipend.


28 comments:

  1. The first time I madre them happened the same to me, but now is easier to keep the shape 😊

    ReplyDelete
  2. It's not about how they look, it's all about how they taste! Your bagels look great!

    ReplyDelete
  3. You made me smile with "you are stuck with my post". I really enjoyed reading your experience and seeing your bagels too.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Renee. I like when my posts can bring a smile to someone's day.

      Delete
  4. Mine are a bit wobbly too. As long as they tasted good, is all that counts.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I'm glad to see someone boiled in honey water. I believe that's what differentiates a Montreal-style bagel (I'm pretty sure I read that somewhere). And good for you for going for it. They might not be beautiful, but if they were perfect and delicious, then it's a win! Enjoy your Caribbean vacation!

    And I didn't skip--I read the whole post! =)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for not skipping Jennifer and we are having a great time in St Eustatius.

      Delete
  6. Even though these might not look exactly how you envisioned, they still are wonderful and it's an accomplishment to have made bagels! I am guessing it is even a better feeling to be on a beach enjoying the sunshine right now. Enjoy!

    ReplyDelete
  7. My favorite part of these group posts, Wendy, is reading how everyone got on with the challenge so I would never skip to the bottom. Truly, the important thing is flavor and texture. Once a challenge is accepted, we learn something, either about the recipe or about ourselves. Which helps us decide what to do the next time to improve.

    Enjoy your well-deserved holiday in the sun!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Every time I've made bagels it seems like half of them unravel while boiling, nomatter how much I think I've sealed them. But like you, I learned a while ago that they will still be plenty tasty!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I wonder if an egg wash like we use when making potstickers would work?

      Delete
  9. Taste is the most important part. I used honey in the water too!

    ReplyDelete
  10. I have always wanted to make bagels! I don't care what they look like, I would eat them all :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You should give them a try. They are not as intimidating as I had feared.

      Delete
  11. I must say that they do look really delicious! The next time you make them, you should try the donut shaping method if you're worried about unraveling. It's a pretty stiff dough and does need some coaxing to stay together.
    That's a lot of honey! I only added a teaspoon to my water. I am clearly missing out on some great honey flavour.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, reading other's posts I saw that method and hit myself on the head for not thinking of it myself.

      Delete
  12. It's all about taste in the end! I'm happy yours turned out how you wanted in flavor. :)

    ReplyDelete
  13. They still look really tasty! And I'm so jealous of your trip!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Karen. I will be posting more photos from paradise later today.

      Delete
  14. It's the taste that counts and these sure look tasty :)

    ReplyDelete
  15. I love your bagels because the beauty is on the inside !! kiss

    ReplyDelete

I enjoy getting comments and feedback from my audience. Please let me know what you think, keeping in mind that we are all entitled to our own beliefs and opinions. I am happy to hear yours as long as they are stated nicely.