 How to Make Your Own Bagels
Each kind of specialty bread is special in it's own way and quite different from all the other; what they have in common is that they are all good eating,
Bagels should be found in the dictionary under fun, but according to Webster (who probably liked his with a shmear) a bagel is "a hard bread roll made of yeast dough twisted into a small doughnutlike shape, cooked in simmering water, then baked." The bagel is the only bread product that is boiled before it is baked. That's what gives the bagel its unique texture and the crust its characteristic shine.
Legend has it that in 1683 in Vienna, Austria, a local Jewish baker wanted to thank the king of Poland for protecting his countrymen from Turkish invaders. He made a special hard roll in the shape of a riding stirrup-Bugel in German - commemorating the king's favorite pastime and giving the bagel its distinct shape.
 Over the many years the bagel was perfected in the bakeries of the Eastern European countries and brought to North Amercia with the immigrants in the early 1900's. In modern times, prepackaged bagels first became available in grocery stores in the 1950's. With the introduction of frozen bagels in the 1960's, consumers had access to bagels even if they didn't live near a bagel bakery.
Bagels can be made from just about any bread dough. For years we have shown how to make them from the same old bread dough (SOBD) that we make with our Bosch Universal Plus from the basic bread recipe. I have however, provided some recipes below for you to follow for making just bagels.
Whole Grain Bagel Recipe
While kneading the dough start a large pot of water to boil on the stove with 1/4 cup of brown sugar in it.  The bagel dough needs to be kneaded as much as the regular bread dough (longer if using whole wheat) From the risen dough you can make three large balls that you can let rest for about 10 min. Take each ball and with oiled hands and counter cut into baseball size pieces and shape into a ball ( I get approx. 4 out of each ball so I cut the larger ball into quarters) I shape the balls by rolling under your cupped hand. Let the ball rest again briefly and then flatten each ball with your hands and poke your thumb through their middles, twirling each new bagel on your thumb to enlarge the hole until the hole is about 1 1/2" in diameter. If you don't make the whole big enough it will disappear when you go to boil the bagels. Preheat the oven to 425°F.
Let each bagel rest for about 5 to 10 min. to let them rise just a bit and then  place them in the boiling water. Cook only 2 or 3 at a time. The bagels will sink, then rise in a few seconds--if they don't sink, they rested too long. No harm done, just turn over so that both sides get wet. After a minute in the water, remove them with a slotted spoon and place them an inch apart on a greased cookie sheet. Bake at once for about 35 minutes, turning the bagel over at the halfway point if they haven't browned evenly.
Fancy Bagels: You can add extras to the bagels once they are boiled and before they are baked. You can sprinkle them with sesame seeds, poppy seeds, sauteed minced onion, (with or without garlic), or caraway seeds. I like to brushed the boiled bagels on the top, with 1/2 beaten egg and 2 Tbsp. of water and then sprinkle the chosen garnish. You can also just dip the wet bagel fresh from the boiling water into the seeds to coat one side. The wash makes an ungarnished bagel shiny and pretty though so you can use that even on the ungarnished ones. You can also make different flavoured bread doughs into bagels, like rye, whole grain, herbed and cheese. Be imaginative!!
Whole Wheat Bagel Recipe |
How to Make Your Own Bagels
Over the many years the bagel was perfected in the bakeries of the Eastern European countries and brought to North Amercia with the immigrants in the early 1900's. In modern times, prepackaged bagels first became available in grocery stores in the 1950's. With the introduction of frozen bagels in the 1960's, consumers had access to bagels even if they didn't live near a bagel bakery. 
The bagel dough needs to be kneaded as much as the regular bread dough (longer if using whole wheat) From the risen dough you can make three large balls that you can let rest for about 10 min. Take each ball and with oiled hands and counter cut into baseball size pieces and shape into a ball ( I get approx. 4 out of each ball so I cut the larger ball into quarters) I shape the balls by rolling under your cupped hand. Let the ball rest again briefly and then flatten each ball with your hands and poke your thumb through their middles, twirling each new bagel on your thumb to enlarge the hole until the hole is about 1 1/2" in diameter. If you don't make the whole big enough it will disappear when you go to boil the bagels. Preheat the oven to 425°F. 
place them in the boiling water. Cook only 2 or 3 at a time. The bagels will sink, then rise in a few seconds--if they don't sink, they rested too long. No harm done, just turn over so that both sides get wet. After a minute in the water, remove them with a slotted spoon and place them an inch apart on a greased cookie sheet. Bake at once for about 35 minutes, turning the bagel over at the halfway point if they haven't browned evenly.
sauteed minced onion, (with or without garlic), or caraway seeds. I like to brushed the boiled bagels on the top, with 1/2 beaten egg and 2 Tbsp. of water and then sprinkle the chosen garnish. You can also just dip the wet bagel fresh from the boiling water into the seeds to coat one side. The wash makes an ungarnished bagel shiny and pretty though so you can use that even on the ungarnished ones. You can also make different flavoured bread doughs into bagels, like rye, whole grain, herbed and cheese. Be imaginative!!
