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Bagels/Baglettes
Bagels
are traditionally a Jewish food. They are eaten a lot in
America. I think they are fantastic on a sunny day,
fresh from the oven with a decent cup of coffee.
Baglettes
are something that just occurred to me one day. Normal bagels
taste really good, but are a bit awkward to eat,
with the hole and everything you can't get a decent
filling in them without some hassle. So baglettes were
born. Basically a cross between bagels and baguettes.
The taste of bagels, with all the convenience of a
baguette shape.
You
need - for around 8 bagels:
475g
strong plain flour
220ml warm milk
6g easy blend yeast
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp caster sugar
( Bagels usually contain butter and an egg. But I have
found that they don't effect the taste that much, so have
omitted them to be a bit healthier).
Mix
the flour, sugar, salt, and yeast in a bowl. Make a well
in the centre of the flour, and tip in half the milk.
Stir it in then gradually add more, (you may not need
all the milk), to make a non sticky dough.
Turn the dough out onto a floured surface, and knead for
a good 5-10 mins until the dough is smooth. Shape into
a ball, score a cross in the top, cover with a tea towel
and allow to prove for around 20 mins.
In the meantime put a large pan of water on to boil, and
pre-heat the oven to 200°, and grease a baking tray.
Once the dough has risen a little bit, shape the dough
into, bagels, baglettes, or whatever you like, but be
aware the dough will rise by up to double when cooking.
Experiment with sizes, I find bagels of about 10 cms
diameter are the best, and baglettes of about 4-5 cm
wide by about15cm long, (score across the top with a
knife to get the funky lines).
Then 1 or 2 at a time submerge the bagels into the
boiling water, for about 30 seconds, remove using a
slatted spoon and shake off any excess water, then
transfer to the baking tray. Once all have been in the
water cook in the oven for around 20 mins.
For variations you can top with whatever you like (such
as poppy seeds, or sea salt) after they have been in the
water, or you can incorporate stuff into the dough
before shaping (such as ground almonds, or sultanas).
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