Bagels

Ingredients

  • 360 g warm water
  • 8 g active yeast
  • 520 g Bread flour
  • 5 g brown sugar
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 1 tbps olive oil
  • 1 egg
  • 8 cups water
  • 60 g honey

Directions

  1. Whisk the warm water and yeast together in a sealable container. Seal and let it sit for 5 minutes
  2. Transfer the water mixture to a large mixing bowl, add the flour, brown sugar, and salt. Then mix together (about 2 minutes)
  3. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. With lightly floured hands, knead the dough for 6-7 minutes. After kneading, the dough should still feel a little soft. Poke it with your finger—if it slowly bounces back, your dough is ready to rise. If not, keep kneading.
  4. Place some olive oil in your hands and cover the dough with the oil, place it in a large mixing bowl and cover the dough with a damp cloth and let it rise for 60 - 90 minutes.
  5. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
  6. When the dough is ready, punch it down to release any air bubbles. Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces. (Just eyeball it– doesn’t need to be perfect!) Shape each piece into a ball. Press your index finger through the center of each ball to make a hole about 1.5 – 2 inches in diameter.
  7. Preheat oven to 425°F (218°C).
  8. Fill a large, wide pot with 2 quarts of water. Whisk in the honey. Bring water to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-high. Drop bagels in, 2-4 at a time, making sure they have enough room to float around. Cook the bagels for 1 minute on each side.
  9. Using a pastry brush, brush the egg wash on top and around the sides of each bagel. Place 4 bagels onto each lined baking sheet.
  10. Bake for 20-25 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through. You want the bagels to be a dark golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow bagels to cool on the baking sheets for 20 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.