My run with yeast continues. Even though I’m still pretty full from the garlic butter pretzels, some leftover cream cheese in the fridge was calling out for me to make bagels.
But as they were going to be for brunch, I didn’t want regular sized bagels. Oh no. I wanted cheese-topped mini bagels that I could slather with butter and devour on their own or eat as part of a big weekend feast.
I have to say, after making pretzels, bagels are really not scary at all. In fact, they are made in similar ways, both being dropped into boiling water before being baked to give them that trademark chewy skin.
The hardest part for me with any bread product is not eating it at every meal. Seriously, I’m addicted to all things bread. When I was younger, my parents would always make fun of the fact that if we went out for a meal and there was a bread roll on the table, I’d eat it before even looking at the menu. So much for saving it for my soup…
These bagels are perfectly chewy and soft when baked, but even more delicious if you toast them and cover them with whatever toppings your heart desires. I may even recreate them as bagel breakfast sandwiches, filled with a runny egg and some avocado.
Please don’t be overwhelmed by the number of steps in this recipe – it looks a little long-winded but that is just because I’ve tried my best to describe each step in detail. It really isn’t that difficult – I promise!
So why not do what we did and put on a pot of coffee, crank up the Jack Johnson and enjoy a leisurely breakfast with these beauties on the table? You definitely won’t regret it.
Cheesy Mini Bagels
8
servings30
minutes25
minutes1
hourIngredients
7g sachet dried yeast
4 tbsp sugar
2 tsp salt
3 1/2 cups (450g) bread flour
8 tbsp grated cheese
Directions
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the yeast, 1 tbsp of the sugar and 100 ml (1/2 cup) warm water. Set aside and leave for 10 minutes, until the mixture has become frothy on top.
- Add 200 ml (1 cup) more warm water to the bowl, along with the salt and half the amount of flour. Add the flour gradually as you mix with your hands until a soft dough is formed. You may not need all of the flour or you may need a little extra – your dough should be soft but not sticky. Remove the dough from the bowl and knead for 10 minutes.
- Shape the dough into a ball and place into a clean bowl whose sides have been oiled. Turn the dough in the bowl so that it gets covered with a little of the oil. Then cover with cling film and leave in a warm draught-free place for around an hour, until doubled in size.
- Preheat oven to 220C / 425F. Bring a large pan of water to the boil and pour in the remaining sugar.
- Lightly flour a kitchen surface and then divide the dough into 8 equal-sized balls (you can make 9 or 10 if you’d like them even smaller). Shape each piece of dough into a ball, then flatten slightly with the palm of your hand. Use the end of a wooden spoon and your fingers to create a hole in the centre of the dough ball, working it further outward to create a hole big enough that won’t close up when the dough bakes and expands. The hole should be about 3cm in width. Cover each bagel with a clean tea towel while you shape the remaining dough.
- Slip the bagels into the pan of boiling sugar water using a slotted spoon (you will have to do this in turn – I put two bagels in the pan at a time) and boil for 1-2 minutes, turning occasionally, until the dough has puffed up and a springy skin has formed. Remove from the pan, drain any excess water and place on a lined baking tray.
- Once all of the bagels have been boiled, sprinkle 1 tbsp grated cheese over the top of each one and bake in the oven for around 25 minutes, or until crisp and browned.
I’m with you on the love affair with yeast. My sister and I joke about going on the “all carb” diet. Those look amazing. I’ve never made bagels before… its interesting that they are both boiled and baked. Thank you for not listing the calorie count on these:)
Those look SOOOOOOO good. I have done pretzels, so now this will be next. Off to the grocery store for yeast :).