Homemade Bagels

There’s a bagel restaurant in Poznan; I’ll blog about them later.  The get their bagels from Berlin – 3 hours away, and they’re very proud of them.  From everything I’d heard, bagels are not difficult to make; it’s not like it requires expensive equipment.  Why wouldn’t you just make them here?

Now that Ed and I just whipped up our first batch of bagels ever, on a whim, I can say with confidence, bagels are easy – peasy – 1-2-3sy.  (I believe that’s a quote from the Bunny Picnic.)

After reading several recipes online, we decides on  Emeril’s.  Our bagel mentor, Emeril, is missing a couple of steps, like what do you do with the cornmeal and when do you add the toppings – it was easy enough to wing it.  (I sometimes have similar omissions, but lucky for me, I have Cousin Sue to catch them.)

Ingredients

1 cup warm water (about 110 F or 40 C )
1 package active dry yeast
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar, plus 1 tablespoon
2 1/2 to 3 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons canola oil
1 tablespoon cornmeal

Directions

• Combine the water, yeast and 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar in a bowl.
• Let stand until a foamy layer develops on top, about 5 minutes.
• Gradually add 2 cups of flour and the salt; stir until combined.
• Add the additional flour to make a stiff dough.
• Turn out onto a floured surface and kneed for 5 minutes, adding flour as necessary.
• Use oil to grease a large bowl.
• Add dough to the bowl and turn to coat the top in oil.
• Cover and let rise until almost doubled in size, about an hour.  (You can prepare the dough a day ahead.  At this point, cover the bowl with foil or plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.)
• Punch down the dough; divide into 6 portions.

•  Roll each portion into a log shape, and connect the ends.  (You’ll see that some of our logs were longer than others.  The shorter ones almost lost the hole as the dough rose for a second time.)  You can also roll the dough into a ball and poke a hole in the middle, working  and stretching the hole until you have the desired shape.
• Cover the bagels and allow to rise again for 20 minutes.
• In the meantime, preheat the oven to 400 degrees (205 C).
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add the remaining tablespoon of sugar.  Reduce heat, until water is at a slow simmer.
• Use the remaining teaspoon of oil to grease a baking sheet and lightly sprinkle with corn meal.

• Gently place the bagels 2 or 3 at a time in the boiling water (they’ll float); cook for 60 seconds, flip and cook for an additional 60 seconds.  Remove the bagels from the water and place (right side up) on the prepared baking sheet.
• Add any desired topping – sesame seeds, cheese (dairy free for vegan), toasted onion (we used kosher salt and lots of black pepper).

• Bake for 30 minutes and get ready to enjoy a delicious treat – soft and chewy on the inside and a crisp crust on the outside.