Welcome to my Red Couch. Take a seat and eat a yummy bodacious bagel. If you haven't tried homemade bagels then you are in for a real treat. Fresh out of the oven bagels are something really special. Involve your kids, especially when you are boiling the bagels. They will enjoy watching the bagels simmer in the boiling water.
These have no resemblance to the bagels my husband buys on the day old bargain bin rack -- just sayin'. However, I came from a home where my mother would wake up in the wee hours of the morning, usually Saturday, to make bread and pan-fried scones. So every once in awhile I like to treat my family with some homemade bread products.
Recipe for Bodacious Bagels
Yield: Around 10 Bagels
2 cups warm water
1 tablespoon yeast
2 tablespoons and 2 teaspoons light corn syrup
2 tablespoons and 2 teaspoons molasses
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
2 teaspoons salt
5 cups bread flour (I use normal flour)
Toppings: Trader Joe's "Everything But the Bagel Sesame Seasoning Blend" (I think Wal-Mart sells a blend too or sesame seeds, poppy seeds, and coarse salt.
Mix the warm water and the yeast in a medium bowl or in the bowl of your Kitchen-Aid or Bosch mixer. Add light corn syrup, molasses, oil, salt, and the flour. Using a dough hook, knead for 5 minutes. Cover and let bread dough rise for about 40 minutes to an hour.
After rising, punch dough down and cut into about 10 equal pieces. Working with one piece at a time, form each piece into a ball, Then turn the edge of the dough inward and make a hole in the center of the ball with your thumbs. Stretch it a bit until it looks like a doughnut. The holes should be 1 to 1-1/2-inches wide.
Place each bagel on a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper an let rise until double.
Bagel rising.
At this point, preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bring a large pot , like a stock pot, of water to a boil and add about 2 tablespoons of sugar. If the bagels at this point do not have defined holes, open the holes up a bit with your fingers. Drop bagels, one by one, into boiling water. Cover pot and boil bagel for 20 seconds. Flip the bagel and then boil for another 20 seconds.
Take bagel out, using a spatula, and let the water drip for about 20 seconds. Place each bagel on greased baking sheet dusted with cornmeal. If the hole has closed up, use your fingers to reopen the hole a bit.
Bagels waiting to be baked.
At this point, add your toppings such as poppy seeds or sesame seeds and press to hold. We like adding both poppy and sesame seeds to the bagels. Of course, you could add other toppings such as asiago cheese or other toppings. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until golden.
I do hope you try these bodacious bagels. I am not going to lie, they do take a little time, but they are really worth it, and they are a fun project to involve the kids in.
This recipe is from my sister Jacqueline who blogs at Purple Chocolat Home.
Thanks for dropping by my couch.