American Bagels
3 Reviews
How to make bagels
Try something different for breakfast with these delicious fresh American bagels, made with Allinson's Strong White Bread Flour.
What can I put on a bagel?
The great thing about bagels is how versatile they are. They make a delicious savoury breakfast with cream cheese and smoked salmon. You can also add mashed avocado, bacon and a poached egg.
If you have more of a sweet tooth, you can enjoy a bagel with chocolate spread or a banana with peanut butter.
Why do bagels have holes?
There are a couple of practical reasons why a bagel has a hole. Firstly, this helps the bagel cook evenly when placed in boiling water. The hole was also traditionally used as a makeshift handle to bring in and out of boiling water. It also helped when transporting bagels, as they would get piled high with a dowl placed through the hole.
Are bagels healthy?
Bagels tend to have more calories than traditional bread, although this is because they come in a bigger portion size. If eaten in moderation bagels aren't too unhealthy, especially when eaten with nutritious fillings like smoked salmon, avocado, eggs, peanut butter or a banana. You can also see our wholemeal bagels for an even healthier bagel alternative.
Why do I need to boil bagels before baking?
Boiling bagels before baking gives them their unique smooth and chewy exterior. They don't need boiling for too long. One or two minutes is long enough for the starch to turn smooth and hard whilst keeping the inside of the bagel soft and chewy.
Ingredients
- 450gAllinson's Strong White Bread Flour
- 2 tspSalt
- 1 tspBillington's Unrefined Golden Caster Sugar
- 1 tspMalt extract
- 1 (7g)Allinson's Easy Bake Yeast Sachet
- 300mlWarm water
- 1 tbspMalt extract
- 1Egg glaze
- A handfulPoppy seeds
- A handfulCaraway seeds
Method
Step 1
Place the dough ingredients into a mixer with a dough hook attached and mix to a soft dough and knead for 5 minutes. If mixing by hand, put the flour, salt, sugar, malt extract and yeast into a bowl and mix to a dough with the warm water.
Ingredients for this step
- 450gAllinson's Strong White Bread Flour
- 2 tspSalt
- 1 tspBillington's Unrefined Golden Caster Sugar
- 1 tspMalt extract
- 1 (7g)Allinson's Easy Bake Yeast Sachet
Step 2
Knead on a floured board for 10 minutes.
Step 3
Divide and roll the dough into 8 flat circles, make a hole through the centre of each with your thumb and place onto a greased baking sheet.
Step 4
Leave to prove until double in size. Preheat 190°C (170°C fan, gas mark 5).
Step 5
Bring the a saucepan of water with 1 tbsp of malt extract to the boil, reduce to a simmer and poach the bagels, a few at a time, for one minute on each side.
Ingredients for this step
- 1 tbspMalt extract
Step 6
Place the poached bagels back onto the baking sheet.
Step 7
Brush with the egg and sprinkle with seeds.
Ingredients for this step
- 1Egg glaze
Step 8
Bake for approximately 20 minutes.