My first bagel

Today I came through on a long standing promise to make Bagels. It was raining outside and It was a good excuse to warm up the house.  These are not perfect but I think they are a good first attempt. The main thing I learned was that you need quite a tight dough, my dough was somehow too voluptuous, needless to say they past the taste test and will be made again.

I don’t have an exact recipe; I’ll have to just give you a rough guide.

Just make a normal dough but when adding the sugar to the yeast use a lot more than a normal bread, I probably used 2 tablespoons. Kneed the dough until you have a nice firm consistency. Cut the dough into small portions and cover them with a tea towel while working. Roll out each portion into logs and leaving one end fatter so you have enough dough to pinch around the other end.

Once all your bagels are formed let them rest for 15mins. While bagels are resting bring a large pot of water to the boil. Gently lower one bagel into the pot and boil for about a minute on each side (you need to turn them over). Pop the boiled bagel on a lined baking tray and do the same for the rest of your bagels. Once all bagels have been boiled, brush them with and egg wash and sprinkle sesame seed over them. Bake them in a hot oven (about 200°C) for around 15 minutes or until golden brown.