Bagels

My earliest memory of bagels is riding in the car on dark winter Sunday mornings at about 6 a.m. with a big bag of hot bagels on my lap, making our way home from the bagel bakery up on Bathurst Street, mouths stuffed with hot, fresh bagels ...


I'm not going to get into a debate of Montreal bagels vs New York bagels, or even pretend my bagels have any kind of authenticity to them. However, unlike any bagels we can buy at Bathurst Street's famed bagel bakeries, or the bagel factory at the top of the mountain in Montreal, or at Zabars in New York, my bagels are pretty good for you :).


Like their brethren, my bagels are boiled before being baked, which gives that sought after chewy bagel texture. However, they involve no white flour whatsoever. Sadly, even the whole grain options at the bagel bakeries tend to be at least 50% white flour.


My bagels are full of flax seed, whole grain flour, occasional additions of some super food, and are moist and tasty, if not authentic.




ingredients:


1 1/2 cups warm water
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp bread yeast


1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 egg (or 1 tsp egg replacer + 2 tbsp water, or just 2 extra tbsp water)
1/2 cup  spelt flakes
1/4 cup flax meal
4 cups organic red fyfe flour (up to 4 1/2)
1 tbsp sea salt




directions:


1. mix the honey into the warm water, and add the yeast. Set this aside to do its thing.
2. combine the flour, flax, spelt flakes,  and sea salt into a mixing bowl, or into the bowl of your mixer
3. add 1 beaten egg, the vinegar, and the foaming water/honey/yeast mixture, and gradually turn it into a dough. Add the final cup of flour bit by bit until you have achieved a dough that, while not sticky, retains a clammy feel and supple elasticity.
4. knead the dough for at least 15 minutes
5. once the dough has been kneaded enough, return it to its bowl, and cover it with parchment and a wet towel, and allow to rise for 45 minutes or 1 hour.
6. once the dough has risen nicely, divide it into 24 equal parts (approx 56 g each), and form these balls into rings by sticking your finger through the center and flattening slightly.

7. place the rings on lined baking sheets, cover with parchment and damp towels. Allow to rise for another 45 mintues or 1 hour.
(you will need 2 baking sheets for this, 12 per)
8. bring a large pot of water  with a couple table spoons of baking soda in it to a boil
9. boil the bagels 6 at a time (or 4 at a time if your pot is smaller) for 2 minutes per side (flip with a slotted spoon or slotted metal spatula)
10. return boiled bagels to the lined baking sheet (draining in the slotted spoon or slotted spatula
11. sprinkle bagels with seeds, sea salt, seasonings, spelt flakes, or whatever turns your fancy
12. bake at 345 for 25-30 minutes, swapping the upper and lower trays halfway through
13. eat with gusto and good friends
14. don't boil your bagels whilst naked.