A Dozen Simple Bagels

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A Dozen Simple Bagels

star rating (48) rate this recipe »
Published prior to 2008

These simple flour-water-salt-yeast bagels, made with an overnight starter for extra flavor, are a tasty introduction to bagel-making. P.S. Step-by-step photos illustrating how to make these bagels are available at Baker's Banter, our King Arthur blog.

Starter
1/2 cup (2 1/8 ounces) King Arthur  Unbleached Bread Flour
1/4 cup (2 ounces) cool water
pinch of yeast

Dough
4 cups (17 ounces) King Arthur  Unbleached Bread Flour
1 1/4 cups (10 ounces) cool water
1 3/4 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast

Water bath
water to fill a 10"-diameter pan about 1" deep
1 tablespoon non-diastatic malt powder or brown sugar

Combine the starter ingredients in a medium-sized bowl, cover, and let rest at room temperature overnight.

Next day, combine the puffy starter with all of the dough ingredients and knead—by hand, electric mixer, or bread machine—to form a stiff but not dry dough. Since we're using a high-protein bread flour here, you might notice it takes a bit more effort and time to develop the gluten. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl or large (at least 8-cup) measuring cup, cover, and set it aside to rise for 1 hour. Gently deflate the dough, and let it rise for another 30 minutes.

Transfer the dough to a work surface, and divide it into 12 pieces. Roll each piece into a smooth, round ball. Cover the balls with plastic wrap, and let them rest for 30 minutes. They'll puff up very slightly.

While the dough is resting, prepare the water bath by heating the water and malt (or sugar) to a very gentle boil in a wide-diameter (about 10") pan. A 10" electric frying pan works well here. Preheat your oven to 425°F.

Use your index finger to poke a hole through the center of each ball, then twirl the dough on your finger to stretch the hole till it's about 2 inches in diameter (the entire bagel will be about 3 ½" across). Place each bagel on a lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet, and repeat with the remaining pieces of dough.

Transfer the bagels, four at a time if possible, to the simmering water. Increase the heat under the pan to bring the water back up to a gently simmering boil, if necessary. Cook the bagels for 2 minutes, flip them over, and cook 1 minute more. Using a skimmer or strainer, or the end of a wooden spoon, remove the bagels from the water and place them back on the baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining bagels.

Bake the bagels for about 25 minutes, or until they're as deep brown as you like. To top with seeds, remove them from the oven after about 15 minutes, spray with water or Quick Shine, and sprinkle with seeds. Return to the oven to finish baking. Remove the bagels from the oven, and cool completely on a rack.
Yield: 1 dozen chewy bagels.

Reviews

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  • star rating 05/15/2012
  • JuliN from KAF Community
  • I've made this recipe a few times -- always tasted fantastic, but didn't look like a "store" bagel. Today I had total success -- I read the KAF blog for the "Baby Bagels" and learned that I should wait to boil my second batch (6 of the dozen) once the first were close to coming out of the oven. I did this and they were all very pretty. Previously some looked great and some were flat. I also made sure I timed the water bath to 2 minutes then 1 minute. I try to cook / bake healthfully, so today I tried 3 cup bread four + 1 cup white whole wheat. My oven runs hot, so my first attempt (all bread flour per the recipe) was more crispy than I would like. This time, I turned down the temp by 10 degrees and took out at 13 min, brushed with egg white, sprinkled with Everything Topping (KAF), baked 4 more minutes. Fantastic!!! Husband said was best he ever ate, and please hide them so he doesn't eat all in one sitting. Can't wait to try this with other toppings, like cinnamon sugar -- another husband favorite!
  • 03/06/2012
  • Amanda from Florida
  • In the morning, my starter looked nothing like it did on the blog. Did I not put in enough yeast to begin with? How much is a "pinch"? I went on with the recipe anyway but now it is not rising. Any suggestions?!
    A pinch is 1/8 teaspoon by volume. If the dough is still not rising, the yeast may have been expired. MJR @ KAF
  • star rating 02/25/2012
  • whitleywalker from KAF Community
  • Nice size, very rounded and delicious! I like this process better than another bagel recipe I tried which required an overnight rise in te refrigerator and resulted in flatter bagels. I baked in two batches and thought that the crust was just a little too crispy for my taste, so backed off about 3 minutes total bake time on the second batch with good results. I do wish the recipe had given approximate dough weight for each bagel so I could do a better job getting them a uniform size. Next time I make the dough I'll weigh it and divide by 12 to do just that.
  • star rating 01/17/2012
  • tamianddoug from KAF Community
  • These were great! Mine turned out with a crusty outside and a soft inside, and the flavor was wonderful. What would I do if I wanted a soft outside that is not crunchy? Is it the wet bagel going into the hot oven that makes it crisp? Or should I try a different recipe for a softer bagel? Thanks!
    Yes, the steam created from the wet bagel in the oven promotes the crispy crust. You can omit this step if you would like. ~Amy
  • star rating 12/26/2011
  • articulatbills from KAF Community
  • I have to try this recipe again. The taste was really awesome, but they were a bit flatter than I expected. I'm not saying they had to be huge...but they just were kind of flat. This was my first attempt at bagels ever, so I completely believe this was me and that I can do better in the future. Despite being somewhat flat, these bagels were super, super tasty. They were also a bit crispy on the outside...when they were hot they were almost like they'd been fresh-toasted. As they cooled, they got a bit chewier...I was SO happy about that!!! I was looking for a good, chewy bagel. No matter what, they tasted great both alone and with butter or cream cheese on them. I finished them just before lunchtime and they couldn't be found by dinner time so I suspect my family thought they were pretty tasty as well. Definitely a recipe that may take a bit of tweaking for a "perfect" bagel, but well worth the effort because the taste is amazing!
  • star rating 11/14/2011
  • daveintexas from KAF Community
  • I give this recipe a 5 star because it has promise and the flavor is great. BUT, my problem is the bagels shrunk after the water bath. I followed the recipe and even read the blog. Only thing I did different is I used 1/2 KAF flour and 1/2 Sir Lancelot flour. They rose really nice, looked great, but after I put them in the water bath they deflated/shrunk way down. I only had them in the water bath for 1.5 minutes on each side. This is the second time using this recipe, first time I used staright KAF flour. Any body have any ideas whats going wrong?
    You may be proofing the bagels for too long, and using all Lancelot will help with this too. MJR @ KAF
  • star rating 08/11/2011
  • KS from AZ
  • Although I'm an experienced bread baker, I always balked at the water bath step in bagel recipes. But with so many successes with KA recipes and so many positive comments from first-time bagel bakers, I just had to try. Okay, I admit it. I've been a fool. These bagels are dead easy and utterly wonderful. I've made them both with and without the non-diastatic malt powder, and didn't find much difference. I have found, though, that leaving them in the water too long produces a flatter and flatter-tasting bagel.
  • star rating 07/19/2011
  • hylandkc from KAF Community
  • I made these using some of my sourdough starter instead of the starter in the recipe. Made awesome sourdough bagels, perfect on the inside and crispy outside! Topped with coarse kosher salt, just like Dave the disgruntled Jewish baker used to make in my hometown in NY. Like another reviewer, I also shaped them and refrigerated overnight to bake in the morning, and noticed that they got a little flattened. They still tasted great, but is there a way to help them keep their shape? I gave this recipe five stars as it is simple, easy to follow, and produces great results with a hint of nostalgia.
    Give us a call on the Baker's Hotline 1-800-827-6836 and we'd love to help troubleshoot! ~JDT@KAF
  • star rating 07/05/2011
  • Jackiex004 from KAF Community
  • I made with half kaf white and half kalf whole wheat white plus a tablespoon of gluten. After forming the bagels I refrigerated over nite. The bagels were fine, but flatter than I expected. It's my first time making so not sure why this is. They taste good, nice and chewy.
  • star rating 07/03/2011
  • Suezq14437 from KAF Community
  • My husband LOVES, LOVES, LOVES these bagels...The are easy and I'd make them every weekend, but when I think of it it's too late to start the starter :o(
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