Homemade Bagels

Ben has been on a bagel sandwich kick lately, so I thought “why not save money and make these bagels since I already have everything on hand?”

He makes himself a bagel sandwich for lunch every day, which is nice because since I have to be at work at 6 am (eeks!) I don’t really have time to make it for him in the morning.  I must admit, that in the past I have felt a little bad about not making his lunch.  Don’t get me wrong…I’m not the one to say “good wives always make their husband’s lunches,” but I’m also not on the ultra-feminist side that says “why should I have to make my husband’s food when I work, too!”  In fact, I would love to make his lunch every day… if only I had the stamina.

Well, I can feel a little better now that I made these homemade bagels.  Although, I can’t say that I slaved over them, because they were SO easy! When I was searching for a bagel recipe, I came across a Peter Reinhart recipe on Smitten Kitchen‘s blog that looked very tempting.  But, I really didn’t have time for that TWO day recipe since it was Sunday and Ben needed his bagel for lunch on Monday.  So, I found this one on Baking Bites and I am glad I didn’t sacrifice two days.

The original recipe is for twelve smaller bagels, but I wanted large sandwich size bagels so I made eight.  Recipe below includes my own edits.  Ben loves the ‘everything bagel’ so I added seasonings to this otherwise plain bagel.  He loved it!  I’ll be making these every weekend until he gets over his bagel kick.

Printable Recipe

1 tbsp active dry yeast
1 tbsp sugar
1 3/4 cups water, warm (100-110F)
4-5 cups bread flour (not all purpose)
1 tbsp salt
1 egg, for egg wash

Optional Seasonings:
Poppy Seeds
Onion Powder (I used chives because I didn’t have this on hand)
Caraway
Sesame Seeds
Kosher Salt

In a large bowl (or the bowl of a stand mixer) combine yeast, sugar and water. Let stand for 5 minutes, then stir in flour and salt. Mix dough thoroughly until it comes together in a large ball, pulling away from the sides of the bowl. Add an additional tablespoon of flour or water, if needed.

If kneading by hand, turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until very smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. If using a stand mixer, knead dough with the dough hook until elastic, about 8 minutes on a low speed. Place dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 1 hour, or until doubled in size.

When dough has risen, turn the dough out onto a very lightly floured surface and divide into 8 equal pieces (first quarters, then halves). Shape each piece into a tight ball, pinching the corners together at the bottom of the dough. When all the balls are shaped, let the dough rest for 30 minutes covered with a clean dish towel.

Once dough balls have rested, the bagel shape can be formed. Using your fingers, poke a hole through the center of each dough ball. Stretch out the dough into a ring with your fingers and be sure to make the hole a little larger than you want the finished bagel to have, as it will shrink slightly while the bagel is expanding during the baking process. Let bagels rest for about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a gentle boil and preheat the oven to 400F. (I used a deep dish skillet because it’s wider.)  Line a baking sheet with paper towels and another baking sheet with parchment paper sprinkled with cornmeal.

Working four at a time, drop the bagels carefully into the boiling water. Boil for 2 minutes on each side. Using a slotted spoon or strainer, transfer bagels to the paper towels to drain for a moment, then place on the parchment-lined baking sheet. Repeat process with remaining bagels.

Brush boiled bagels with lightly beaten egg (a pastry brush is a good tool for this) and sprinkle with seasonings. Bake for 24 minutes, or until golden brown.  Cool completely on a wire rack (bagel will soften slightly as it cools).  Slice and toast to serve.

Adapted from Baking Bites