13. Bagels

There ain't nothin' like a good bagel. Surprisingly easy to make and oh so delicious, you'll wonder why you never made them before.

Bagels

Makes a bakers dozen (13)

For the poolish:
570g strong white bread flour
550g warm water
6g dried active yeast

For dough:
450g strong white bread flour
15g salt
1 tbsp honey

1 tbsp baking soda (for boiling stage)
cornmeal
poppy or sesame seeds to decorate

Note: I usually start this recipe around 7 or 8pm the day before I want to boil and bake.

To start your poolish, get your warm water and tip in your yeast (Remember: if the water is too hot, the yeast will die; if it's too cold, it won't do it's business). Give it a few minutes to mingle and get bubbly and then mix in your flour. Cover the top with cling film so that it's airtight and leave it for 2 hours.

After 2 hours, the mixture should have doubled in size (a good sign that your yeasty friends are alive and well). At this point, it's time to get down and dirty. I add everything into the same bowl because, let's face it, we all could do with less washing up. So throw in your flour, salt and honey and mix until everything comes together.

Once everything is well incorporated, it's time to give your dough the kneady love it deserves. Tip it out onto a nice clean surface and give it a good ten minutes of love. Don't be shy, it's truly worth it. Remember, ten minutes of love now equals 13 deliciously plump bagels later. So if you feel the need to rest, give yourself the seventh inning stretch but knead that dough until it's nice and smooth and elastic. When your 10 minutes are up, give yourself a pat on the back because hey, all the hard work is done.

Now all you need to do is divide the large dough ball into 13 little dough balls. Make sure each one is nice and round before you rest it. This can be done by cupping your hand over the dough and, with the heal of your hand, creating small circles until the dough feels nice and tight. Allow them to rest for 20 minutes under a bit of cling film. Make your bagel holes by sticking your finger straight into the middle and then moving the dough around so that you create a hole that's about 2.5cm wide. Do this for each one and put them on a bit of parchment paper leaving space between bagels so they have a bit of room to grow. Cling film the tray loosely and put them in the fridge to rest for 10 hours.

Preheat your oven to 240ºC. Bring a large pot of water to the boil. Prepare your toppings. Get a clean baking tray out and sprinkle it with cornmeal. Once the water is boiling, add your tablespoon of baking soda and watch it bubble up (Woah). Then drop your bagels in a few at a time, top side down and boil for 30 seconds on each side. Drain for a second of two, then place on your baking tray and sprinkle with toppings immediately. Make sure to leave about 2cm between each bagel. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes until they are a lovely shade of bagel brown.