Celebrating Quarantine Birthdays, Sourdough Bagels

Have you celebrated a Quarantine Birthday? Are you ready to chat more about sourdough? I am excited to share more about my sourdough journey.

Both my husband and I turned another year older this week and trust me, I am all about celebrating birthdays. In fact, the older we get the less we worry about what to get each other and the more excited we get planning a fun day together.

This year we obviously celebrated a little differently since we most often head into Minneapolis and or St Paul to check out a new cafe for brunch, if it’s nice we hit an outdoor farmers market, and maybe do a little shopping at a local coop. I have also been lucky in the past to find a local race which we all know I love.

Even though we did not get to do all our favorite things, we made the most of our Sunday together! Luckily it was a beautiful day which allowed us to spend the entire morning outside. We definitley worked up and appetite and oh my, did I have a special birthday treat planned!

Who loves sourdough? If you do (specifically bagels) you are going to want to save this recipe for life! I am not a huge Bagel fan but I believe after tasting these, I am converted!

Remember, like most naturally leavened breads, sourdough bagels take more time to make, but are 100% worth the effort. They are crisp on the outside, chewy and fluffy on the inside, and full of flavour.

HOW TO MAKE NEW YORK STYLE SOURDOUGH BAGELS

If you don’t have an active sourdough starter, I highly recommend purchasing one, or getting one from a friend, or starting your own. Starter (wild yeast) replaces traditional dry yeast for this recipe and, when combined with a long proofing time, adds boatloads of flavour to your traditional bagel. Hands down the best bagels ever!

Once you have your starter you only need time and some simple ingredients!

• Organic Unbleached Bread or All-Purpose Flour
• Water
• Fine Salt
• Baking Soda, Malt or Maple Syrup, & Brown Sugar

Like any New York style bagel, this recipe involves boiling the bagel dough before baking – boiling gives these bagels their chewy texture and super soft crust.

I have never made bagels before but if you have, you are going to find out, sourdough bagels take much longer to make. The key with any sourdough is a long proofing time (12-24 hours); this allows the dough to ferment slowly and develop that classic sourdough flavour.

Cover with plastic wrap or towel, and allow to rest at room temperature for several hours. Place the sheet of bagels in the refrigerator and allow to cold ferment for 12-24 hours (the longer the ferment the better the flavor!).

Preheat your oven to 500 degrees Fahrenheit, and move a rack to the middle position. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, and stir in your brown sugar and baking soda.

Boil the bagels four at a time for 1-2 minutes (the longer the boil, the chewier the crust of the bagel— I like to boil mine for the full 2 minutes).

While the next set of bagels is boiling, you can either leave plain or brush with egg wash (beaten egg white) and top with desired toppings. My personal favorite topping is a sprinkling of kosher salt and fresh ground telicherry peppercorns. Place the topped bagels topping side down on a sheet pan.

Once all the bagels have been topped and placed on the baking sheet, put the sheet in the oven and bake (topping side down) at 500F for 10 minutes. Flip the bagels (topping side up now), and bake for another 6-8 minutes (or until bagels are golden brown.

The crumb looks great— plenty of nooks and crannies for cream cheese if that is your jam! My favorite spread is a little butter with a sprinkle of sea salt.

The bagels are amazing fresh out of the over or toasted and will keep fresh for a couple days. However I like to slice mine, wrap, and place in a freezer bag. Thaw, toast and enjoy!

SOURDOUGH BAGELS

INGREDIENTS:

• 200 grams bubbly, active 100% hydration starter (from Leaven)
• 315 grams water
• 30 g maple syrup
• 750 g (5 cups) all-purpose flour
• 10 g (2 tsp) fine salt
• Flour or semolina for proofing

FOR BOILING

• 1 tablespoon baking soda
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar

FOR TOPPING

• 1/2 cup of any combination of poppy seeds/dried onion flakes/dried garlic flakes/sesame seeds/flaky salt/TraderJoes Bagel Seasoning

INSTRUCTIONS

DAY 1

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix your bubbly, active starter with the water and maple syrup until well-combined. Alternatively, mix in a standard large bowl with a fork or whisk.
2. Add in the flour and salt and transition to a dough hook. Knead on medium until the dough is smooth and somewhat pliable, about 6-7 minutes. Alternatively, you can knead the dough by hand on a countertop until smooth and pliable but very challenging!
3. Shape into a ball (return to bowl, if applicable) and cover bowl with a towel. Rest for about an hour.
4. Divide the dough into 12 equal size pieces. Shape each piece into a small ball by tucking the corners underneath, cupping the dough, and rolling it in a circular fashion on a clean, flour-free countertop.
5. Cover dough balls and rest another 30 minutes. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and sprinkle generously with rice flour or semolina.
6. To shape the bagels, I like to flatten the ball of dough into a disc and use your fingertips to roll into a log about 8-inches long. Wrap the log around your three middle fingers with the ends overlapping by 2″ on the inside of your hand. Roll gently, palm down, until the ends are joined together. This will create a larger hole in the centre of the bagel. Place on the lined baking sheet and repeat with the rest of the bagels.
7. Cover the shaped bagels with a towel, let them proof at room temperature for about 6 to 8 hours, or until puffy. This could take more time, depending on the temperature in your house.
8. Once proofed, cover the pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate 12 – 24 hours.

DAY 2

1. Preheat oven to 500°F. Place toppings on flat plates, so they are ready to go.
2. Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil and add the baking soda and brown sugar. Remove the bagels from the fridge and gently place them, a couple at a time, into the water. Boil for 1 minute each side.
3. Remove, place on your baking sheet, brush with egg white wash and brush with your desired toppings.
4. Bake at 500 for 10 minutes topping side down. Carefully remove pan, flip bagels, return to oven, bake 6 to 8 more minutes.
5. Cool on wire rack.
6. Enjoy warm, or cool, slice, freeze, enjoy toasted when you’re ready to enjoy a fresh out of the oven toasted bagel. SO GOOD!

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Have you celebrated a quarantine birthday? How did you celebrate if so?

Have you jumped on the sourdough bread baking journey?

What is the first thing you are going to do when the quarantine ends?

I am going to my favorite coffee shop!