Everything Bagels

I am not a fan of our pantry. I’ve mentioned it before – it’s a set of small, dark, deep, and inaccessible cabinets that barely qualify as a pantry. However, it’s better than nothing (or so I try to tell myself). Recently I found a forgotten half-eaten bag of store-bought bagels in the depths of the pantry. I can’t even tell you how long the bagels have been in there. Let’s just say weeks and weeks. Somehow… they were perfect. Not stale, moldy, or stinky. How weird is that?? It made me seriously question the ingredients inside packaged bread goods and gave me one more reason to pull out my trusty KitchenAid mixer to embark on another bread-making journey.

What is the weirdest/grossest thing you’ve found lurking in your pantry? Please tell me I’m not the only one…

How to make

Everything Bagels

Yield: 8 bagels

If you can't find non-diastatic malt powder, use brown sugar or barley malt syrup.

Ingredients

Dough:

• 1 tablespoon instant yeast
• 4 cups (17 ounces) bread flour
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 tablespoon non-diastatic malt powder, brown sugar, or barley malt syrup
• 1 1/2 cups lukewarm water

Water Bath:

• 2 quarts (64 ounces) water
• 2 tablespoons (1 ounce) non-diastatic malt powder, brown sugar, or barley malt syrup
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar

Everything Topping:

• 1 egg white, beaten
• 2 teaspoons poppy seeds
• 2 teaspoons sesame seeds
• 2 teaspoons onion flakes
• 2 teaspoons garlic flakes or 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt or coarse sea salt
• 1 teaspoon caraway seeds

Directions

1. Combine all the dough ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Knead on medium-low speed for about 10 minutes (or knead vigorously by hand for 12 to 15 minutes). The dough will be stiff and hold its shape without spreading. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover, and let rise until puffy but not necessarily doubled in size, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
2. Transfer the dough to a work surface and divide into eight pieces. Roll each piece into a smooth, round ball. Cover the balls with plastic wrap and let them rest for 30 minutes. They may puff up slightly.
3. Meanwhile, prepare the water bath by heating the water, malt powder, and sugar to a gentle boil in a large, wide pan. Preheat the oven to 425°F.
4. Use your index finger to poke a hole through the center of each dough ball then twirl the dough around your finger to stretch the hole to a 2-inch diameter. Place each bagel on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Transfer the bagels, 4 at a time, to the simmering water. Increase the heat to bring the water up to a gentle boil if necessary. Cook the bagels for 2 minutes, gently flip them over, and continue cooking for another minute. Use a skimmer to remove the bagels to the baking sheet and repeat with remaining 4 bagels. Beat the egg white with 1 tablespoon of water and coat each bagel with the mixture. Combine the remaining everything topping ingredients and sprinkle evenly over the bagels.
5. Bake the bagels for 20 to 25 minutes, flipping them over after 15 minutes, or until they reach their desired brown color. Remove the bagels from the oven and cool completely on a wire rack.

Recipe Notes

If you can't find non-diastatic malt powder, use brown sugar or barley malt syrup.

From the King Arthur Flour Baking Companion

Course : Breakfast

Cuisine : American

Recipe by Tessa Arias

Author: Tessa Arias

I share trusted baking recipes your friends will LOVE alongside insights into the science of sweets. I'm a professionally trained chef, cookbook author, and cookie queen. I love to write about all things sweet, carb-y, and homemade. I live in Phoenix, Arizona (hence the blog name!)