I decided to make bagels this week, and settled on baking a classic sesame bagel. Sesame bagels are an all time favorite of mine. Sesame seeds, such simple little thing, somehow gives plain bagels that extra little push into crunchy, toasted goodness. I can’t even begin to describe how something so tiny can impart such a distinctive flavor.
Recipe makes 24 bagels.
Ingredients:
- 2 1/2 cup warm Water
- 1/4 cup Olive Oil
- 1 tbsp Tahini (optional)
- 5 tsp Yeast
- 1 1/2 tbsp Salt
- 1 1/2 tbsp Sugar
- 1 cup Spelt Flour
- 6 – 6 1/2 cups Flour
- 4 Eggs
- Egg Wash (1 Egg + 1 tbsp Water)
- Sesame Seeds
Directions:
- Beat together for ~ 2 minutes the water, olive oil, tahini, yeast, salt, honey, spelt flour, and 1 cup regular flour.
- Stir in the eggs, one at a time.
- Mix for another 2 minutes.
- Add the remaining flour 1/2 cup at a time until the dough pulls away form the sides of the bowl.
- Knead by hand for about 5 minutes or by machine until the dough is uniform and stretchy while still holding its form.
- Place the dough in a greased and sealed container to rise for a hour – a hour and a half.
- Place a large pot of water on to boil.
- Preheat the oven to 425 F (~218 C).
- Line a couple of baking sheets with parchment paper or grease.
- Divide the dough into 24 equal pieces.
- Roll each piece into a tight ball, and poke a hole through its middle with your finger.
- Carefully widen the hole until it is over an inch in diameter. The dough will bounce back slightly so the bigger the hole the better.
- Gently boil each bagel for 2-3 minutes on each side. You can probably fit 4-6 bagels in the pot at a time. They should sink at first and then rise to the surface.
- Use a large slotted spoon to transfer the bagels from the water to the baking sheets.
- Brush the bagels with the egg wash.
- Sprinkle the bagels with sesame seeds.
- Bake for 23-25 minutes.