Bagels by hand

My first time making bagels. Because of my mini oven, I had to make it in two batches. The second one looked better - plumper, and because of the baking tray, browned better (the first one I put on aluminum paper on the sliding grill. I got the recipe online here.
12/11/23 Better to not use baking soda in water. Grease pan just before baking. DBD likes sesame seeds (and would like poppy seeds). Onion tastes good. XBD likes plain.

• 4 c flour
• 1 T sugar
• 1.5 t salt
• 2 t instant yeast
  
• 1 T oil
• 1 1/4-1/2 cup warm water
• optional: coarse salt, sesame seeds, chopped onion (just a sliver)

1. Mix all the ingredients together (no need to proof with instant yeast). Dough will be stiff - add extra water if needed.
2. Knead 10 minutes.
3. Separate into 8 balls. Rest 10-20 minutes.
4. Roll each ball into a snake, longer than widths of both hands. Wrap around the hand, overlap the tapered ends and roll to smooth out. [Note: Alternative method is to poke a hole in middle of ball and make even and round. However, this does not turn out as plump as the primary method]
5. Let rest on lightly floured counter for 20 minutes.
6. Boil wide pot of water. Preheat oven to 220C/425F.
7. Drop bagels in (1-4) at a time. Cook each side for one minute. Remove from pan and dry for a bit.
8. Optional: Place wet bagel on dry plate of toppings.
   
9. Place topping side up on lightly greased pan.
10. Bake 10 minutes. Flip. Bake another 10 minutes.
11. Cool before eating.

Variations

• Slice, toast and serve with cream cheese.
• Slice, top with sauce, veggies, cheese, and bake to make pizza bagels.
• Slice thin and bake on lightly greased tray to make bagel chips.

May 2009


Here's a version where I used baking soda in the water for half the batch (on the right). They turned out a more yellow color.

Dec 2023

Related
- Cinnamon Raisin Bagels