Homemade Bagels, made with love

See this man? this man is a saint, this man provided the monetary means for me to purchase my very first mix-master, and I love it…I mean HIM!

The mix-master provided me with inspiration, and as a thank you to Mr Bake&Bloom who has done nothing since we got home from America but talk about bagels I thought I would bake him some. As Nigella puts it, it might seem like a rather abstruse practice..making your own bagels. But I found it quite simple & not nearly as time consuming as one might expect. At any rate, the love received for the minimal effort spent was well worth it.

This one is for you darling.

Homemade Bagels

(From Nigella Lawson’s “How to be a domestic goddess”)

Ingredients:

• 1kg strong flour + extra for kneading
• 500ml warm water
• 1 7g packet dried yeast
• 2 tbsp white sugar
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil + extra for greasing
• 1 tbsp sea salt
• 2 tbsp malt extract or sugar for the poaching liquid

Method:

1. Combine the flour, salt & yeast in a large bowl. Add the sugar and oil to the water in a measuring jug & give it a little stir. Make a well in the dry ingredients & add the liquid, mixing the dough with a spatula or wooden spoon (I used a butter knife).
2. Knead the dough either by hand or with the dough hook of your fancy schmancy mix master. Try adding more flour if you can, you want a nice dry dough here. Continue kneading for quite a while, I managed about 12 minutes & I really think it could have done with a bit longer. You want a  really smooth elastic dough.
3. Form the dough into a ball & place into an oiled bowl .to proof, cover with clingfilm & leave in a warm dark place for 1 hour. It should be about tripled in size & should leave an impression when you poke it with a finger.
4. Punch the dough down, really punch it, then give it a good second kneading & divide into 3 pieces.
5. Using your hands, roll each piece into a long rope & cut into 5 even pieces. Roll each piece into a ball & then roll into another rope, curling it around to form a ring. Seal the ends by overlapping them & pinching together (I found a little water on my fingers really helped this)
6. Put a large stock pot of water to boil, when it begins to boil add the sugar or malt.
7. Sit the bagels on baking sheets & cover with a clean tea towel to rest for a further 20 minutes, by which time they should be puffy.
8. Preheat the oven to 240c / 460f (yes, I know that is REALLY hot. Trust)
9. When the sugary/malted water is boiling and your bagels are good & puffy, start poaching them. Drop 2 in at a time & poach for 1 minute, flipping after 30 seconds. Remove from the water with a spatula & place evenly on a lightly oiled baking tray.
10. Repeat until all your bagels are poached. If you’re going to use some toppings like sesame seeds or poppy seeds (or rosemary & sea salt like I did for some of mine) sprinkle them over now.
11. Bake for 10-15 minutes until shiny & golden brown.

Makes 15 bagels.

Mr Bake&Bloom likes his with cream cheese, free range bacon & tomato sauce…because I am pretty sure we Australians have a constitutional right to tomato sauce on EVERYTHING.