Homemade Bagels

I love bagels. Especially the ones freshly toasted and slathered with a ton of cream cheese. Top it with some yummy smoked salmon and you’ll have a complete breakfast.

I tried making my own bagels before which turned out pretty yummy, however it wasn’t very long before they became a bit stale. So I found another recipe by Serious Eats which applies the Japanese method of using yukone, a water-based roux which is supposed to improve the browning and shelf-life of bread.

The downside of this recipe is that it requires two days to make, and you’ll need to let the dough rest overnight in the fridge for up to 36 hours. However the results were very satisfying, and we got to enjoy flavorful bagels which stayed just as fresh even after a couple of days.

My first time making this I didn’t stretch the bagels out enough, and yet again ended up with belly buttons in my bagels. When stretching out your bagels, be sure their diameter is about 5 inches. I also forgot to let the dough rest for a bit after rolling them up into balls, which I think resulted in slight unevenness when i was stretching them out. Will definitely watch out for these pitfalls next time.

If you’re in desperate need for bagels I recommend my other recipe, however if you have the time to invest in making reallllly good bagels, try this one, it will not disappoint.

Ingredients

For the yukone

100 grams bread flour
200 grams water

For the dough

355 grams bread flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons (9 grams) salt
1 teaspoon instant dry yeast
100 grams water
1/4 cup maltose OR barley malt syrup

Directions

First, make the yukone. In a large skillet, add the flour and water, and whisk to thoroughly combine.

Transfer the skillet to the stove over medium heat and cook, stirring, until the yukone thickens and achieves the texture of creamy mashed potatoes, about 2 minutes.

Remove from heat and transfer to a plate or flat container, spreading out the mixture to about 1 inch thickness.

Cover and let cool, about 30 minutes. You can also make ahead the yukone and store it in the fridge until ready to use.

In your food processor, add the flour, sugar, salt and yeast. Blitz until combined.

Add the yukone and water to the dry ingredients.

Turn on the food processor on maximum speed, until the dough comes together, about 2 minutes 30 seconds.

The time required for your dough to be ready may differ depending on your machine’s power and capacity. Use the windowpane test to determine whether your dough is kneaded enough.

Turn the dough onto a clean surface and divide into 8 equal sized pieces. I used a weighing scale for accuracy.

Working with one piece of dough at a time, shape the dough into a ball, cupping it with your hand and rolling it quickly in a circular motion. Repeat for the remaining dough.

Cover and let rest for 15 minutes.

Shape the bagels. Working with one dough ball at a time, using a damp fingertip, poke a hole in the middle of the dough.

Using two damp fingers, gently stretch out the dough to form a ring about 3 1/2 inches in diameter. Arrange the bagels in a lightly greased tray lined with parchment paper or silicone baking sheet.