Bread #5: The Bagel

Finally. . .bread #5! I don't think I've necessarily saved the best till last, but I've saved my favourite carbohydrate till last. Let's do it justice.

In general, I'm quite intrigued by the origins of the bagel and did indeed find some interesting facts. I mean, bread with a hole. . . it's already exciting!

Bagels facts  

•   The bagel is a Polish creation (originating in Krakow) - the 'bajgiel' became a staple of their diet as early as the 16th century! It's also often associated with the Jewish community - bagels were brought to the big cities in the States by Polish-Jews. They have since grown in popularity in America, hence the 'New York Bagel'. 

 

• There are several different spellings for bagel. In Brick Lane, they're known as 'beigels' - they've been selling them there since the 19th century! Further afield. . .in Russia, they're called 'bubliks' (lol). In Finland, they're 'vesirinkeli' and in China, 'girdeh nan'. Not as catchy?

• I just liked this whole thing (found on the reliable wikipedia page of course :P. "Bagel is a Yeshivish term for sleeping 12 hours straight, e.g., "I slept a bagel last night." There are various opinions as to the origins of this term. It may be a reference to the fact that bagel dough has to 'rest' for at least 12 hours between mixing and baking, or simply to the fact that the hour hand on a clock traces a bagel shape over the course of twelve hours". Who comes up with this??!

 

• One more fact! The Canadian-born astronaut Gregory Chamitoff was apparently the first person to have taken a batch of bagels (18 sesame seed bagels to be precise) into space on his 2008 Space Shuttle mission. What a guy!

 

Enough of the bagel facts. . .I think I've done enough and quite frankly, it's getting a bit weird.  

 

Now for the main part of the blog! Sorry in advance. . . these photos may all seem a bit 'samey'. Bread is bread after all.

7g satchet yeast + 1 tbsp. sugar + 100ml warm water -> leave in a warm place for 10 minutes or until frothy.

Add frothy yeast mix to a further 200ml of warm water

Slowly add 450g strong white bread flour - you may not need it all!

Knead for a few minutes and ensure dough is smooth and elastic

Lightly grease a bowl. Put dough in. Cover with cling film. Leave in a warm place for an hour or so.

Dough should double in size. Note to self: lightly grease the clingfilm - otherwise the above will happen.

Dough!

Divide the dough into 8-10 pieces (roughly 80g each). I got 9!

Flour a wooden spoon and stick it in the dough to form a hole. Twirl it around a bit to widen the hole.

Meanwhile. . .

Bring a large pan of water to boil and add 3tbsp. sugar. Then place the bagels in the water (slowly) - 3 or 4 at a time

Most satisfying bit! Leave the bagels to boil for 1-2 minutes and turn over - they should become puffy and form a skin.

Place the boiled bagels on a baking tray (ensure the water has drained away!)

Looks a bit gross to be honest. . . scaly bagel.

Add the desired topping. This time I used various seeds - fennel, poppy and sesame. Next time I might make them with some grated cheese or sea salt + black pepper sprinkled on top!

Then bake in the oven for 20 - 25 minutes! You'll have to wait to see the results! 

I might go and take a 'bagel' now - this blogging business is quite tiring! The Bread Gallery will be on in the next few days. . .watch this space.