There are at least four more bagel videos on my channel and all of them are slightly different from each other. I’m never totally happy with anything I bake and that is what keeps me at it. Adjusting ingredients and methods is the whole point of breadmaking. Saying that, four bagel videos should be plenty, but someone recently asked me if we could use the scalding method to make them. So, here’s the fifth!
What’s funny is that bagels are already scalded when they’re boiled, but that’s only on the outside. Using the scalding method to par-cook a portion of the total flour and then add it to the main dough makes the bagels in this recipe scalded both inside and out.
The result is not only a chewy crust but also a chewy interior which exceptional keeping quality since the scalded gelatinized flour is able to hold on to moisture a lot better. Not that you should store bagels, but at least you can, for a while anyway.
You can modify these recipes by using white flour as well as whole wheat in the same dough. You can swap the oil for butter, honey for sugar or leave it out altogether. Same goes for the boiling solution. Leave out the honey or the soda. Play around with it. It is the boiling process that makes the crust chewy. The honey and soda give the bagel a rich colour.
Each recipe makes two large bagels. To make more simply multiply the ingredients. The boiling liquid does not need to be scaled up.
Watch the video down below for detailed instructions.
Ingredients
For the white flour bagels –
Scald:
30g (1.05oz) white bread flour
95g (3.35oz) boiling water
Dough:
2g (0.07oz) instant dry yeast or 2.4g (0.085oz) active dry yeast or 6g (0.21oz) fresh yeast
3g (0.1oz) salt
5g (0.17oz) olive oil
5g (0.17oz) honey
120g (4.32oz) white bread flour
For the whole wheat bagels –
Scald:
30g (1.05oz) whole wheat bread flour
115g (4.05oz) boiling water
Dough:
2g (0.07oz) instant dry yeast or 2.4g (0.085oz) active dry yeast or 6g (0.21oz) fresh yeast
3g (0.1oz) salt
5g (0.17oz) olive oil
5g (0.17oz) honey
120g (4.32oz) whole wheat bread flour
For boiling –
1.5L (0.4gal) water
20g (0.7oz) baking soda
30g (1.05oz) honey
To top –
1 egg for glazing (optional)
Seeds of your choice. I used sesame, flax, caraway, and dill seed.
Method
To learn more about no-knead bread dough temperature control click here.
The flour I use has a protein content of 13%. If your flour is weaker, then you may need to lower the hydration.
If you are using active dry yeast, then you may need to let it sit in the water for 10 minutes before adding the other ingredients or else it could take a lot longer to raise the dough.
1. Make the scald. Combine the flour and boiling water. Mix well. Cover and leave to cool down completely.
2. Make the dough. Add the yeast, salt, oil, and honey to the scald. Mix. Add the flour and mix to a dough.
3. Cover and ferment for 45 minutes.
4. Fold.
5. Ferment for 45 minutes.
6. Divide the dough. Pre-shape and leave to rest for 30 minutes.
7. Shape the bagels and place on a non-stick paper lined baking tray.
8. Cover and final proof for 30 minutes.
9. Boil the bagels in the water, baking soda, and honey solution for 30 seconds per side.
10. Place back onto the non-stick paper lined baking tray. Brush with egg and sprinkle with seeds.
11. Bake at 180C (355F) fan on for 16 – 18 minutes.
Keep in mind that the conditions in each kitchen are different, so fermentation times may vary for you. It is up to the baker to control the bread and react accordingly.
Your oven may be different too, so your baking time may vary.
