Bagels

As a child, I worshipped at the shrine of the Golden Arches. Yes, I'll admit, I loved eating McDonalds. (Don't give me that look. I'm long over those days already.) Don't ask me what was my favourite thing on their menu because I loved practically every single thing on their menu. From their burgers, to french fries, to breakfasts. I can still remember spending my Saturday mornings there, drowning my hotcakes in their "maple syrup" or chomping into their quarter pounder burgers. (I can't help but cringe as I look at my younger self.) Occasionally, they served specialty items like Nasi Lemak and for a period, spaghetti. And for breakfast, they once served bagels with cream cheese and jam. I was so hooked onto it. I couldn't resist the warm, bagel served with a generous helping of tangy, creamy cream cheese and sweet jam. When it was taken off the menu, I recall being pretty upset about it. My experience with bagels at Macs with my first and for the longest time after that, I hadn't gotten the chance to have bagels again.

After all these years, I guess I do get a chance of reunion at bagels. And this time, I know that it's not going to be filled with any sort of additives chemicals.

Basic Bagels, adapted from 17&Baking

Ingredients:

2 1/4 tsp dry yeast(1 envelope)
1 1/2 tbsp sugar
1 1/4 cup warm water
3 1/2 cups unbleached flour(I used white whole wheat flour), plus extra for kneading
1 1/2 tsp salt

Method:
1. Sprinkle the yeast and sugar into 1/2 cup of the water in a small bowl. Leave for 5 minutes and then stir to dissolve. 

2. In a large bowl, mix the flour and salt together. Form a well in the center and pour in the dissolved yeast.

3. Pour half of the remaining water into the well. Mix in the flour and stir in the reserved water as needed, forming a firm and moist dough.
4. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. Gradually work in as much additional flour as possible while comfortably kneading to form a stiff and firm dough.
5. Put the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, turning the dough to coat it. Cover with a towel and let rise for 1 hour or until doubled in size. Punch down and let the dough rest 10 minutes.
6. Divide the dough into 8 pieces. Shape each piece into a ball – cup between your hands and press the bottoms together between your palms. Press down to get rid of air bubbles and roll the dough between your palm and the work surface to form a smooth ball. Coat a finger in flour and press it through each ball to form a ring.
7. Work the rest of your fingers into the hole, stretching the ring and widening the hole to about 1/3 of the bagel’s diameter. Place the bagels on a lightly oiled baking sheet and cover with a damp towel. Let rest for 10 minutes and preheat the oven to 220C/425F.
8. Bring a large pan of water to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Use a perforated skimmer to lowel the bagels into the water in batches of 2-3. Boil, uncovered, until they rise to the surface, about 1 minute. Turn them over once. Then remove from the pan, letting the water drain, and transfer to a lightly oiled baking sheet. Bake 20 minutes, until golden, and cool on a wire rack.