Whole Grain Bagels

No more store bought bagels for me. These are full of flavor and wonderfully chewy, as bagels are meant to be.

Makes 12 to 18 bagels, depending on size

You need a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment

Total prep and cook time: about 2 hours

• 3 cups organic hard red wheat flour (Bluebird Grains is my choice)
• 2 tablespoons malt syrup
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 packet active dry yeast (about 2 ½ teaspoons)
• 1 ½ cup warm water (105^o to 110^o F)
• 2 or more cups unbleached white bread flour
• 1 egg
• Optional toppings: poppy seeds, sesame seeds, coarse salt, dried garlic flakes

Combine the wheat flour, malt syrup, salt, honey, yeast, and warm water in the bowl of a stand mixer. Allow this to sit for 15 to 20 minutes, or until bubbles form.

Add 1 cup of the white bread flour, attach the dough hook and mix on low speed. Add ½ cup of flour at a time, until the dough is somewhat stiff. Increase the mixer speed to medium and continue mixing until the dough is smooth and elastic, 8 to 9 minutes more.

Place the dough in a large, lightly oiled bowl. Turn the dough to coat with the oil, and cover it with a damp towel. Allow the dough to rise for 20 to 30 minutes in a warm place. (I like to set the bowl in the oven, turn the oven on for just one minute, and then turn it off.  –I set a timer so I don’t forget to turn it off)  This dough will not double in size.

Preheat the oven to 425^o F (or 400^o F for a convection oven)

Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer.

Lightly oil a tray or baking sheet.

Place a metal rack over a second baking sheet.

Turn the puffy dough onto a dry work surface. Divide the dough into equal sized pieces. Standard bagels are about 3 ounces. For smaller bagels I like to cut them into 2 or 2 ½ ounce pieces. Keep the damp towel over the dough you are not working with, to keep it from drying out.

Roll each dough piece into a rope, about the thickness of a roll of nickels. Lightly moisten the ends with water, overlap the ends about one inch and press to join so you’ve created a bagel. As necessary, widen the hole in the middle so it is approximately the size of a quarter, and lay them on the oiled tray. Cover the shaped bagels with the damp cloth and let them rest for 10 minutes.

In the simmering water, boil the bagels 3 or 4 at a time for about 30 seconds on each side. Remove them to the rack sitting over the baking sheet, to allow them to drip dry.

Move the boiled bagels to an oiled or parchment lined baking sheet, about one inch apart. Whisk the egg with 1 tablespoon water and brush each bagel with the mixture. If you want toppings on the bagels, sprinkle them on now.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the bagels are a deep caramel color.

Let them cool for at least 30 minutes so the interiors finish cooking and the crusts form a chewy exterior.

When cooled, store them in an air tight container. Eat them within a couple of days, or store in the freezer for several months.

 

Recipe modified by Jane Blaisdell. Original recipe from PCC Cooks.