Doesn’t the name alone just make your mouth water? Since Spring of 2020 (when the world was thrown into Covid Chaos), I have created and kept a Sourdough Starter and have been experimenting with all things sourdough since.
Those that know me, know that I LOVE a really good bagel, always have, ever since music class in Grade 7 when I first introduced to them (why music class you wonder? I have no idea, must have been part of the curriculum lol), anyway, since then, I have adored bagels. Even traveled to Montreal for their famous bagels (which did not disappoint!)! So my journey of the past couple years led me to finally nailing down a great recipe from many trials.
What makes this bagel a teensy bit healthy is the whole wheat flour added. I have experimented with many dough recipes for breads, buns, etc using whole wheat, but you have to find a balance between the whole wheat and all-purpose flours or you end up with cardboard.
I am happy to report I finally found that balance with these bagels! So without further ado, I am sharing my recipe below for those that are just as crazy about bagels as I am.
I hope you enjoy them.
Sourdough Cheddar~Jalapeno Bagels
1 Cup + 2Tbsp warm water
1 1/2 Cups fed sourdough starter
2 1/2 Tbsp granulated sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 Cup whole wheat bread flour
3 Cups all-purpose flour + up to a 1/2 cup more (see below)
4 Tbsp vital wheat gluten (also called gluten flour)
1 1/2 Cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
2 small jalapenos (or one large), seeded and finely diced
1 Tbsp honey (for boiling the bagels)
Directions
Combine warm water and starter, mix well. Whisk in sugar and salt.
Add the 1 cup of whole wheat bread flour and the vital wheat gluten, mix thoroughly. Add the cheese and diced jalapenos, mix well. Add 2 cups of the all-purpose flour, mixing after each addition.
Lightly flour your work surface and scrape the dough out of the bowl and onto the work surface. Add the last cup of all-purpose flour and knead it in.
The dough will still be a bit sticky, so add 1/3rd cup of additional flour, a tbsp at a time, up to 1/2 cup (no more) and continue kneading until all the flour is incorporated and the dough no longer sticky.
Oil the bowl that you mixed the dough in, place the dough into the bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for 4 hours. Place the dough in the fridge and let sit another 12 hours. I make the dough in the late afternoon so that the dough is ready for baking in the morning.
Next morning; take dough out of fridge and let sit for about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, prep 2 baking trays by placing parchment on them, then very liberally spraying the parchment with cooking spray. Note: this is an important step here, otherwise the bagels will stick to the parchment.
Also prepare a large pot with water, enough water that 2 bagels can float without crowding. Heat on high until water comes to a boil; add the honey and stir to dissolve.
Back to the dough now; take the dough out of the bowl and leave it in it’s rounded shape. Using a pastry cutter or long, thin knife, equally divide the dough into 8 pieces, like slicing a pie.
Shape each bagel into a circle, then, using your thumbs, punch through the centre of each dough ball and shape into a donut shape. Place each bagel on the prepared baking pans.
Preheat your oven to 425F (218C).
Using a slotted spoon, gently pick up one bagel and lower it into the boiling water. Start counting. Hold the bagel on the slotted spoon just under the water for about 12 seconds, the bagels will float after that. Continue counting and then place another bagel in the pot like the first. When you get to 60 seconds, remove the first bagel. Each bagel takes about 60 seconds to boil.
Place the boiled bagels back on the baking sheet. When you have finished boiling them all, pop them into the oven and bake for about 25 to 30 minutes, depending on how hot your oven runs.
Remove and cool the trays on pot holders or wire racks. When cool, remove bagels and enjoy! Will keep in the fridge for several days, but for optimum freshness, freeze them and just take out as when you want one.
Slather with cream cheese or they are simply awesome for toasted cheese/tomato bagel sammies!
**Note: You can omit the cheddar/jalapeno and just have these bagels plain, or add 1 Tbsp of cinnamon when combining the flours BUT REMOVE 1/2 cup of all-purpose flour or they will be too dense.
Enjoy!
Deborah