This was my first attempt at making bagels. As you can see from the picture, they rose more than I expected during baking and lost the hole in the center, so in the future I will make them a little flatter with a larger center hole. They were delicious however, and a great addition to the growing list of things I make with my sourdough starter! I give this recipe four stars as it they turned out great, but were a little more involved to make. I used sourdough starter for this recipe, but would guess that you could also use discard and they would still turn out well. I started this recipe in the morning, and before going to bed had shaped the bagels and left on the counter to proof overnight.
Recipe
125 g sourdough starter
700 g bread flour
300 g cold water
40 g honey or maple syrup
15 g salt
Boiling Water Bath
20 g honey or maple syrup (1 Tbsp)
1 Tbsp baking soda
Instructions
- Whisk together starter, water, and honey.
- Add flour and salt and mix until combined and smooth.
- Cover bowl and let rest 1-2 hrs. I always cover with a wet dishcloth.
- Stretch and fold the dough, slightly wet outside edges of the bowl with 1-2 Tbsp of water and let rest another 1-2 hours. Repeat this process once more.
- Split dough into eight equal pieces and align on a large baking sheet with parchment paper or baking mats (I arranged around a tall glass in the center of the baking sheet). Take one and with your thumb and forefinger, push a hole into the center and rotate the dough to make and even doughnut shape. Repeat for remaining pieces.
- Cover dough with a damp towel using the glass at the center to prevent the towel from touching the dough.
- Proof overnight.
- After proofing, preheat oven to 450 degrees F and bring water in a large pot to boil and add baking soda and honey.
- Boil each bagel for 30 seconds per side – 1 minute total flipping halfway through, and place on a cooling rack or back on the baking sheet. I boiled two at a time using a slotted spoon, and had a cooling rack set over another baking sheet to catch any excess water.
- Season bagels with desired toppings – I used dried chopped onion, fermented black garlic, and sea salt.
- Place back on the baking sheet and bake for 20 minuted or until golden brown.
- Remove and allow to cool for at least 30 minutes.
