Homemade Sesame Bagels
These sesame bagels are soft and chewy on the inside, with a beautiful golden crust and a crunch from the sesame seeds.
Ingredients
- 300 g water
- 25 g brown sugar or honey
- 7 g instant yeast or active dry yeast
- 500 g bread flour
- 9 g salt
Poaching
- 2-4 litres water
- 1-2 Tbsp brown sugar or honey
Egg wash and topping
- 1 Egg whisked with 1 Tbsp water
- 3-4 Tbsp Sesame seeds
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the water, yeast and sugar. If you're using active dry yeast, let this sit for 5-10 minutes to become foamy. Then add in the flour and salt. Mix it with a fork to create a shaggy dough. Then, switch to using your hands to combine it. Place it on a clean work surface and knead for around 8 minutes until strong and smooth. This can also be done in a stand mixer with a dough hook.
- Let the dough rise until doubled in size. After rising, punch down the dough, remove it from the bowl, and weigh it. Cut it into 8 equal-sized pieces and shape into balls. Let these rest for about 5 minutes to relax the gluten. To shape the bagels, press your thumbs and index fingers into the dough ball to create a hole, then gently widen the hole by rolling the dough around your fingers.
- Let the bagels have a short second rise at room temperature until slightly puffy. The bagels should look a bit puffed but not doubled in size. I place them on individual pieces of parchment paper so it’s easy to transfer them into their poaching bath.
- Bring a pot of water to the boil and stir in the brown sugar.
- Preheat the oven to 425°F/220°C. Line a baking pan with a silicone mat or parchment paper.
- Drop the bagels on their parchment paper squares in the boiling water, in batches one at a time. Remove the paper once the bagels are in the water.
- Let them poach in the water for 1 minute, flipping them after 30 seconds. Remove the bagels from the water using a slotted spoon and place them on the baking sheet.
- Brush them with egg wash and generously sprinkle with sesame seeds.
- Bake the bagels for around 20-25 minutes until deeply browned. Let them cool down before serving and slicing.
Notes
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The hot oven can make the bottoms of the bagels quite dark. I line my pan with a silicone mat to add a layer of insulation. Using a light-coloured pan can also help avoid this, or placing another baking pan underneath the one holding the bagels.
Nutrition
Serving: 1bagelCalories: 281kcalCarbohydrates: 50gProtein: 10gFat: 5gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0.003gCholesterol: 20mgSodium: 464mgPotassium: 127mgFiber: 2gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 35IUVitamin C: 0.2mgCalcium: 33mgIron: 1mg
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