Last night me and buddha had home made bagels with some yummy cream cheese, spring onions, dash of lemon juice, and the most buttery scottish salmon ever.
I was lazy and used a pre-mixed bread mix, (cuts out half the prep work.) but you can feel free and mix your own dough from scratch if you prefer.
Begin by preparing your bread dough; knead and allow to rise in a warm place for at least 30 mins or until doubled in size.
Once dough is done rising, roll out on floured surface, and stretch into a long strip or roll and divide into 6 - 8 small balls with a knife. To convert your bread dough into bagels, simply roll out a dough ball into a long strip resembling a breadstick. Then, pinch both ends of the strip together and roll the dough gently through the bagel hole to fuse them together.
Once you have all your bagels rolled out, cover with oiled cling-film and allow to rise further while you bring a pot of water to boil.
Once satisfied with the size and look of your bagel, begin poaching them in simmering water, one or two at a time, for about a minute on each side.
Strain, and place on a greased baking tray.
Once all your bagels are boiled, and have a sort of sticky dumpling shell overthem, brush with egg or milk wash and sprinkle with anything you like.. I choose poppy seeds, but you can use sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, oat flakes, cheese, etc...
Place the baking tray in a preheated oven (220C) for 20 - 25 mins or until golden brown.
Can you believe it's that simple? All this time I used to think there would be some weird long process involved with making bagels... I was so happy to learn how simple it really is..
Enjoy!
