Bagels

Bagels are soft on the inside with a slightly chewy crust, making them perfect for breakfast or a light meal. They’re delicious toasted and can be enjoyed plain or filled with cream cheese and your favourite toppings.

For our recipe, we have used T55 Bread Flour provided to us by one of our partners, Kek Shop. This flour is ideal for bread baking and helps give the bagels their soft texture and chewy bite. It’s easy to work with and great for making homemade breads and rolls.

Serving size: 6 bagels

Ingredients:

For the dough

• ½ cup warm water
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp instant yeast
• 1 ½ cup T55 Bread Flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp + 1 tsp olive oil

For boiling

• 5 cups water
• 3 tbsp honey
• 1 tsp baking soda

For the egg wash

• 1 egg
• 1 ½ tbsp full cream milk

For topping/filling

• 1 tsp white sesame seeds
• 1 tbsp cream cheese (optional)

Instructions:

1. Firstly, to a large bowl, add ½ cup hot water and let it be warm for 3 to 4 minutes. Then add 1 tbsp sugar and 1 tsp instant yeast. Mix well using a whisk until it becomes foamy or for 2 minutes.
2. Add 1 ½ cup T55 Bread Flour, 1 tsp salt and mix using a spatula until it comes together like a rough dough. Knead, using your hands wearing gloves, until it comes together while in the bowl.
3. Then transfer the dough onto a lightly floured flat surface and knead for around 7 minutes. Halfway through, add 1 tsp olive oil onto the surface and knead until smooth. Turn it into a round dough.
4. Before transferring the dough back into the same bowl, add 1 tbsp olive oil. Transfer the dough and pour one more tbsp of olive oil over the dough. Cover the bowl using food wrap or a kitchen towel and let it sit and rise for 45 minutes to 1 hour, in a warm place like inside a turned off oven.
5. Line a large baking tray (we used a 10.5 inch by 8.5-inch tray) with baking paper. You can crumble it and spread it out so that it does not move around. Set it aside.
6. Oil your hands and punch down the dough and turn it out to a clean surface. Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces. Shape each piece into a ball by cupping your hand around the dough ball and moving it in a circular pattern which will tighten the dough ball. Each dough ball should be 2.5 to 3 inches in width.
7. Gently flatten each dough piece. Lightly oil your hands, then press your finger into the centre and through the dough creating a small hole. Pick up the dough and begin stretching it in a circular motion, widening the centre and creating a donut shape.
8. When the hole is about 2 inches wide, place it on the lined tray, spacing each one so that it does not touch each other. Loosely cover them using a kitchen towel and let them rest for 20 minutes.
9. Meanwhile, preheat the oven at 220 degrees Celsius for 10 minutes.
10. Into a larger wide pot, add 5 cups water and bring it to a boil on high heat for 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium to keep the water simmering. Add 3 tbsp honey and 1 tsp baking soda and stir using a spoon or spatula. The water will react to the baking powder and sizzle. If you would like to, you can substitute honey with sugar as well.
11. Add the bagels to the pot of water. Using a spider or a slotted spoon, keep it for 1 minute or until it floats and flip it over. Cook the other side for 1 minute as well.
12. Remove each bagel, letting the excess water drain off and place it back on the lined baking tray after greasing the tray with some butter. Immediately sprinkle ¼ tsp white sesame seeds on top of each bagel after its done.
13. Then prepare an egg wash, by adding 1 egg into a small bowl along with 1 ½ tbsp full cream milk. Mix well using a fork and apply on each bagel using a brush or a spoon.
14. Bake the bagels for 15 minutes at 220 degrees Celsius. Flip them over using a tong and continue baking for 10 minutes or until a deep golden-brown colour. Flipping helps to create a more even bake and helps keep their round shape. Let it cool for at least 10 minutes before serving. Optionally, you can slice it in half horizontally and apply 1 tbsp cream cheese and enjoy!