Whole Wheat Autumn Bagels with Sultanas 🥯
It was Bread Week on the Great British Bake Off and they challenged the bakers to bake Rainbow Bagels for the technical challenge. Although I love a good rainbow, I just could not bring myself to add that much food colouring to my baked goods, so I obviously opted for spiced bagels instead because in case you haven't noticed, Autumn is in full swing honey!! 🍁
These bagels were inspired by my friend Kim aka @kalesuckz and her Pumpkin Spice Bagels but also a whole wheat bagel recipe created by Baking Mad. Be sure to check those out too if you are curious. I know sultanas can be a bit of a unique twist but I really do love them in bread, if you don't, please feel free to leave them out. I served these wonderful bagels with crispy bacon, light / reduced-fat cream cheese spread, maple syrup and a lil sprinkle of sea salt flakes. I promise you, these will be such a hit especially when the weather is cold outside. Don't forget to tag us #SezPK if you make these wonderful bagels. Let's get started with these bagels shall we?
Serves: 5 bagels
Difficulty: Level 2
Wow factor: ⭐⭐️⭐️⭐⭐
Ingredients
For the bagels:
200gr strong whole wheat bread flour
50gr strong white bread flour
1tsp sea salt
1/2tsp active dry yeast
1tbsp light brown sugar
25gr melted unsalted butter
150ml warm water
40gr sultanas
1tbsp pumpkin pie spice (you can make this yourself by combining 3tbsp cinnamon, 2tsp ground ginger, 2tsp ground nutmeg, 1tsp ground allspice, 1tsp ground cloves - obviously only use 1tbsp okay? don't use ALL of it in your bagels, keep the rest for a rainy day)
Olive oil
To poach the bagels:
1tbsp bicarbonate of soda
1tbsp honey
1tsp salt
For baking:
I used double cream for fun but obviously the more traditional thing to do is 1 beaten egg or you could also use your choice of milk, I know almond milk is a good vegan egg wash alternative
sesame seeds / golden linseeds / poppyseeds
To serve (optional):
Light / reduced-fat cream cheese
Maple syrup
Crispy bacon
Sea salt flakes
Instructions
In a medium-sized bowl, combine yeast, sugar, warm water, and melted butter. Mix well and set aside for the yeast to activate - roughly 10 minutes.
In another large bowl, whisk together the flours, salt, sultanas, and spices.
When the yeast is foamy, make a hole in the middle of your large bowl and pour in the wet ingredients into the dry.
Tip shaggy dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 10 minutes until smooth. You can add a tiny bit more flour if you think the dough is too sticky, but I wouldn't recommend adding TOO much as your dough will be too stiff.
Lightly oil your large bowl with some olive oil or your choice of oil. Place the bagel dough back in and cover with clingfilm or a damp tea towel. Let this proof for 1.5 hours or so until it has doubled in size. It took around 2 hours in my kitchen as it's quite cold in there.
Once this has proofed, knock it back to get the bubbles out. Measure how heavy the dough is (if you are an obsessive gal like me) and divide it by 5. I was able to get around 100gr each. Shape tightly into a ball by rolling the dough on your work top, ensure the balls are smooth.
Line baking tin with baking parchment and place your balls on the tin. Ensure that the balls are far away from each other as they need space to grow. Cover and let proof again until double in size - around 1.5 hours.
When they have doubled in size, it is time to poach these babies! Pre-heat your oven to 200 degrees. Fill a large saucepan with water. Wait for it to reach boiling point.
When the water is boiling, reduce the heat so that it is still simmering but not OTT boiling. Carefully add the bicarb soda and step back as this will bubble up. Then add the salt and honey. Flour your hands and pick up one of the balls. Push through the centre and create a hole. Swirl it around your finger to make a bigger hole and drop this into your saucepan. Try to only do a few bagels at a time as you want them to have enough space to poach freely. Poach for a total of 2 minutes, turning them halfway. Use a slotted spoon to remove them from the hot water and do the remaining dough balls.
Once all the bagels are poached, egg wash them and sprinkle your choice of seeds on top. Bake for 15 minutes until golden brown.
When they are ready, remove them from the oven and let them cool on a wire rack before serving. These are so so good toasted so if you are not eating them straight away, I would recommend re-heating them in an oven for 3 minutes on 180 degrees.
Serve with your fav spreads. All I did was take some cream cheese, drizzle maple syrup on top, and add a sprinkle of sea salt and used this as the base underneath some crispy bacon 🤤 Enjoy!!
