Someone recently requested that I remake my old Turkish bagel recipe to fit my new baking style. They asked if I could make it cold fermented and no-knead. The not kneading part is a no-brainer, but I stuck with same day fermentation. Cold fermentation makes the bread slightly chewier and tougher and that is the opposite of what I want in this type of bread. It should be as soft as possible while being as simple as possible to make.
These beautiful twisty rings are light and slightly sweetened. There are no special ingredients or methods here, just a little bit of butter and sugar. You could of course make them with a scald for extra softness and longevity. But I prefer it the simple way because I’m not storing this type of bread. It will be eaten soon after it comes out the oven.
This recipe makes 4 bagels.
Watch the video down below for detailed instructions.
Ingredients
For the dough –
160g (5.65oz) full fat milk
3g (0.1oz) instant dry yeast or 3.6g (0.13oz) active dry yeast or 9g (0.32oz) fresh yeast
5g (0.17oz) salt
10g (0.35oz) sugar
20g (0.7oz) butter
250g (8.8oz) white bread flour
1 egg for glazing
Seeds to sprinkle on top
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.
Method
- Dissolve the yeast, salt, and sugar in the milk. Add the butter and the flour. Mix to a dough. *Desired dough temperature around 23C (73F). If your dough is warmer, then it will ferment more rapidly. If it is cooler, then it will take longer. Adjust fermentation time accordingly.
- Cover and ferment for 45 minutes.
- Fold.
- Ferment for 45 minutes.
- Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces and shape into balls.
- Cover and rest for 20 minutes.
- Roll the dough balls to long strands around 40cm (16in) long.
- Twist two strands together and connect the ends to form a bagel.
- Place on a non-stick paper lined baking tray and cover.
- Final proof 1.5 hours.
- Glaze with egg, let dry for 5 minutes, and the glaze again. Sprinkle with seeds.
- Bake at 170C (340F) fan on or 190C (375F) fan off for 20 – 25 minutes.
Leave to cool down slightly and enjoy!
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.
