To me, a leisurely weekend breakfast out isn’t made of pancakes or waffles. Those are perfect for lazy at-home mornings. And though I do love diner-style hashbrowns, that’s not my perfect weekend-starter either.
It’s bagels and coffee.
There’s something about walking into a bagel shop with the smell of coffee hitting you in the face as you walk in, wrapping you in the warmth of it’s aroma. Whole wheat bagels, blueberry bagels, chocolate chip and cinnamon sugar…they all put a smile on my face.
Only, who has time to go sit and eat bagels and drink coffee all the time? Not me- not at least without skipping the getting-dressed-and-leaving-the-house part. So bagels and coffee at home it is.
One more problem. The only brand of whole wheat bagels sold at our grocery store are less than stellar. They’re not very…bagel-ly- more like round bread.
So you see the solution that’s coming, right?
I started with a basic bagel recipe and ramped up the whole grain to make for a nutritious, guilt-free breakfast or snack.
The mix starts with whole wheat flour, oat flour {aka oats coarsely ground in the food processor}, wheat germ, and flax. A little honey, yeast, salt and water, and you have your bagel dough.
Knead the dough until it becomes smooth and elastic, then set it aside in a covered bowl for about 10 minutes.
When it’s ready, divide the dough into 6 pieces. {I like the bagels as fresh as possible, so I make a smaller batch. Feel free to double the recipe to make a dozen bagels. You can always freeze any you can’t get to fast enough.}
Now it’s time to make your bagels.
There are two methods to chose from:
1. Roll the dough into a ball, then slightly flatten. Use your finger or knife to poke a hole in the center, then gently work the dough into a circle.
2. Roll the dough into a log, then loop the ends together to form a circle. Gently squeeze the ends together so they don’t fall apart during baking.
Once you’ve formed your bagels, let them rest for 20-30 minutes. Towards the end of this rest time, you can get your water and oven ready for the next steps.
Boil a large pot of water with at least 3-4 inches of water. When the water’s boiling, add in 2 tsp baking soda. {Remember those volcano experiments as a kid? It’ll bubble a bit like that- not as much, but it’s still fun to watch.} Preheat your oven to 450 degrees.
When the bagels are ready, drop them a couple at a time into the boiling water. They should drop and then return to the top to float. Cook each side of the bagel for ~30 seconds, then move onto a cooling rack with a towel under it to let excess water drip off.
If you’d like to add a topping to your bagel, like oats or nuts, this is the time to do it.
When all your bagels are boiled, place them on a lined or greased baking sheet. Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until tops start to lightly brown.
Remove from oven and let cool before eating.
I think these are best the first day- the outside has a nice bite to it, but the inside is soft and chewy. The next day, the outside starts to lose it’s crunch a little. Still delicious though!
Serve plain or with your favorite topping.
Whole Grain Bagels
Ingredients
- 1 1/2cupswhole wheat flour
- 1/2cupoat flour
- 2Tbspwheat germ
- 2Tbspground flax seed
- 1Tbsphoney
- 1/2tspsalt
- 3/4cupwarm water
- 1 1/4tspyeast
For cooking
- 2tspbaking soda
Instructions
Stir yeast into warm water and let sit.
Mix together remaining ingredients, then slowing pour in yeast mixture.
Mix until dough comes together. Finish by kneading with your hands on the counter.
Knead the dough until it becomes elastic-y to the touch.
Set aside in covered bowl for 10 minutes.
Divide dough into 6 pieces and form into bagels. Let rest for 20 minutes.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. {At least 3-4 inches of water}. When water boils, stir in baking soda.
Drop bagels a few at a time into water- they should float. Cook for 30 seconds on each side then remove and place on cooling rack to drain extra water.
When all bagels are boiled, move to a lined or greased baking sheet.
Bake for 15-18 minutes at 450 degrees or until lightly browned.
Remove from oven and let cool.
What’s your favorite kind of bagel? Where’s your favorite place to eat breakfast out?
Related
Faith @ For the Health of Iton October 4, 2011 at 9:22 am
I tried making my own bagels once and they looked professional but just lacked that delicious chewy factor. Maybe the trick is in adding the baking soda to the water? Regardless, those look awesome - I'll definitely use your recipe for my next batch!Reply
Heatheron October 4, 2011 at 9:37 am
I think it comes a lot from kneaded them enough to let some of the gluten develop- the baking soda in the water helps give the outside that extra "crunch".Reply
Lindsay @ Biking before bedon October 4, 2011 at 9:34 am
I love sesame and cinnamon raisin bagels. This recipe looks so fun! The bagels in Tx are not up to par so I am excited to try and make my own.Reply
brandion October 4, 2011 at 10:49 am
i still have never made my own bagels - these look good and easy!Reply
Emilyon October 4, 2011 at 11:50 am
This post might have made me brave enough to try to make my own bagels! Thank you!Reply
Jennyon October 4, 2011 at 2:13 pm
yummy! :DReply
Sophie @ LoveLiveAndLearnon October 4, 2011 at 4:48 pm
Oh wow those look amazing!I love bagels and I would love to try making my own but I think it'll have to wait because student kitchens aren't exactly equipped for that level of cooking :-PReply
Heatheron October 5, 2011 at 4:12 pm
It's so much easier than it sounds. If you can boil water and bake in an oven, you're good to go! Although there's no way I would've cooked anything in my college kitchen.... ;)Reply
Jill @ justfocuswellon October 4, 2011 at 6:54 pm
Bagels are my favorite! I could eat them every day if I knew they wouldn't go straight to my hips!Reply
Lu @ A Mix of it Allon October 4, 2011 at 11:51 pm
I'm making these... Nothing more to say here. If one wanted to add toppings, a la Everything Bagel, you'd do that after boiling, right?Reply
Heatheron October 5, 2011 at 4:21 pm
Yup! While it's still wet. If you forget, you could brush water over at the end, or using an eggwash/cornstarch wash, but it might not stick quite as well.Reply
Elena @CiaoMomon October 5, 2011 at 4:16 pm
DELISH!!! And flax is my new favorite ingredient in just about everything!Reply
Viola Rodrigueson February 24, 2013 at 12:57 pm
whats the size of the measuring cup you use?Reply
anggreon April 10, 2013 at 9:38 pm
First time i try this recipe my boyfrind realy love it the taste realy great thank you for sharingReply
