Bagels for lunch

I had a day off today and the sun was shining and Giles came to visit and everything was good so I thought it would be fun to make something new - bagels!  I have a recipe in the Great British Book of Baking but it wants malt extract and my locval Tesco (average customer age approximately 85 years old) could provide me with horlicks malt at best so I had a google and got myself a BBC good food recipe instead.

I used wholemeal flour instead of white because I'm on a bit of a health kick at the moment and topped them with sesame seeds which proceeded to drop off when the bagel was turned to slice.  I've never made them before and the poaching process was met with concern from my sister who wanted to know why I was deep-fat frying them and weren't bagels supposed to be good for you....

Most of them weren't overly round but I did enjoy swinging them round the wooden spoon handle, as did the dog who followed me around patiently waiting for my dough to crack and make his year.

The recipe says it makes 10 bagels and advises each should weigh 85g; I weighed mine and only got 8 from the dough, all weighing 84-86g each!
Despite using wholemeal flour to make them filling, Giles managed to eat 3 filling them with hoummous and ham and my mother's choice of goats cheese and honey.....

'Bagels for brunch' recipe from BBC Good Food
7g sachet dried yeast
4 tbsp sugar
2 tsp salt
450g bread flour
poppy, fennel and/or sesame seeds to sprinkle on top (optional)

1) Tip the yeast and 1 tbsp sugar into a bowl, pour over 100ml warm water. and leave for 10 mins to go frothy.

2) Pour 200ml warm water into the bowl, then stir in the salt and half the flour. Keep adding the remaining flour (you may not have to use it all) and mixing until you have a soft, not sticky dough. Knead for 10 mins until the dough feels smooth and elastic. Shape into a ball and put in a bowl covered with cling film and leave to rise for about 1 hour.

3) Heat oven to 220C/fan 200C/gas 7. On a lightly floured surface, divide the dough into 8 pieces, each about 85g. Shape each piece into a flattish ball, then take use the handle of a wooden spoon to make a hole in the middle of each ball. Slip the spoon into the hole, then twirl the bagel around the spoon to make a hole about 3cm wide.

4) Meanwhile, bring a large pan of water to the boil and tip in the remaining sugar. Slip the bagels into the boiling water - no more than four at a time. Cook for 1-2 mins, turning over in the water until the bagels have puffed slightly and a skin has formed. Remove with a slotted spoon, sprinkle over your choice of topping and place on a baking tray lined with parchment.

5) Bake in the oven for 25 mins until browned and crisp - the bases should sound hollow when tapped.