The Fresh Loaf

A Community of Amateur Bakers and Artisan Bread Enthusiasts.

XXVII – Seeded Sourdough Bagels

lumos's picture
lumos

XXVII – Seeded Sourdough Bagels

….Gosh, been really busy last few weeks and haven’t been able to post or blog for at all. A few people gave me PM/email messages, concerned about my absence (Thank you! :)), so thought I’d better re-appear once before Christmas just to prove I’m still alive and baking!

 So, here’s my last blog in 2011…..Seeded sourdough bagels.

 

 The formula is very similar to my regular basic sourdough WW bagels that I blogged about which seems like zillion years ago, only with added seeds and reduced WW. The procedure is exactly the same, except for spread & fold method, introduced by Eric, instead of kneading, which is so easy and works like a magic, especially for seeded dough = no need to chase around escaped seeds during kneading! (Thank you, Eric!) 

 

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★Please note that I've been making this without added yeast as in original recipe lately.  It needs longer fermentaion, obviously, and the crumb is somewhat denser, but choice is yours! :) ★

 

Sourdough bagels with Mixed Seeds

 Levain …. Fed twice during 24 hr period before use with 120g high-gluten flour (see below) and 80g water (1st feed = 40g flour + 25g water,  2nd feed = 80g flour + 55g water)

 

 Main Dough

  High-Gluten Flour   470g (I use Watirose’s Canadian Very Strong White Flour)

  WW bread flour  100g

  Mixed Seeds   110g

  Non-diastatic malt powder   12g

  Sugar   14g

  Skimmed milk powder  2~3 tbls

  Wheatgerm   1~2 tbls

  Instant active dry yeast   1/4 tsp  optional (see Note above)

  Salt   12g

  Water  320g

 

Mix all the ingredients, leave for 30 mins.  ‘Spread & fold’ a la Eric-style (the link above) 3 times every 30~40 minutes.  Pre-shape → shape and place them on baking sheets (six per sheet), cover and cold retard in the fridge for 12 – 18 hrs to develop flavour.

 

  Just FYAI,  this is how I proof and boil bagel. (Note : those pictures are of the other batch of sourdough WW bagels with reduced WW which I baked during my absence, before seeded ones, but haven’t been managed to blog due to lack of time….)

A bit difficult to see, but I place thin strips of reusable baking sheet and sprinkle semolina under bagels…..

 

……which makew picking up fragile, proofed dough and putting them into boiling water gently so much easier.

 

 

A large, deep roasting pan is my trusted friend for boiling bagels, six at a time, which is ideal for my routine of baking 12 bagels at a time…..boil first six, 1 min a side → fish them out to drain on a tea towel while I put next six into the boiling water → load the first six into the oven → fish the second batch out, drain and into the oven. Switch the fan on for even temperature.

 Bake for 18 – 20 minutes @ 200C. (Take the first batch out after 18 – 20 minutes, move the second batch to the higher shelf, switch off the fan and bake another 2 minutes or so.)

 

…..and this is how they come out. (the photos miraculously change to those of seeded bagels! :p)

 

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 Thank you so much for all your wonderful bready info, advices, help and  friendship in 2011 and

Very best wishes for merry Christmas and happy baking in 2012, too! 


Comments

Mebake's picture
Mebake

Lovely Bagels, lumos! and lovely to have you back!

Haven't baked Bagels, nor sampled one so far. Have to take the plunge someday..

Happy Holidays!

lumos's picture
lumos

Hi, Khalid! Thank you!

I see you're back from your bit of absence. Been worried about you, so lovely to see you back, too! :)

varda's picture
varda

Lumos,   Great to see you back.   Lovely bagels and such excellent shaping.  -Varda

lumos's picture
lumos

Thanks, Varda! :)

SylviaH's picture
SylviaH

Nice to see your home baking some great looking bagels and what a lovely looking town photo.  

Sylvia 

lumos's picture
lumos

Thank you, Sylvia! :) 

 

PiPs's picture
PiPs

Best Christmas wishes Lumos,

The bagels look fantastic ... mmm ... what to top them with?

Cheers,
Phil

lumos's picture
lumos

Hi, Phil. thanks!

I usually have bagels for breakfast, so just butter and jam most of times, but for Sunday branch definitely smoked salmon and cream cheese (or cottage cheese for healthier option). But I'll let you have it with Vegemite if you beg....:p

BBQ on the beach on Christmas day?

Janetcook's picture
Janetcook

Lumos,

Welcome back :-)

These look great and bagels are on my 'to bake' list.....really close to the top of the line so within a month's time :-)

This is also timely as I am more than ready to get back into the simple lean or slightly enriched breads after all of my holiday baking....phew and phew again....

Bagels I have made in the past have all been from WGB but I am ready to give sd a try AND my husband and daughter like having seeds in breads now so your formula looks just about perfect :^).

Take Care and thanks for the post and photos,

Janet

lumos's picture
lumos

Thanks, Janet. :)

I'd always baked bagels with dried yeast until I started  using SD, too. I still like the taste, but SD definitely gives deeper and more complex flavour.  Though never been too successful with leavening just with SD; tends to come out a bit flat for some reason. That's why I add a little dried yeast to boost.

Looking forward to your SD bagels before too long. :)

Janetcook's picture
Janetcook

Lumos,

I, too, had to use a bit of IY with sd recipes but in the past few months I have skipped it and somehow I am getting good results without.  I retard most of my breads overnight - bulk - and am thinking it has to do with letting them sit out on the counter for a couple of hours before putting it into the refrig. and then in the morning, the dough sits out - under a lamp and on top of a heating pad for a few more hours before being shaped and proofed....I think all the extra bulk time allows the yeast a lot of time to increase their numbers and hence, their by-products.  Proofing happens pretty quickly and my loaves are indistinguishable from the ones that I have used IY with in the past.

I am anxious to see how the bagels fare without the IY.  I am sure my daughter will let me know....I am thinking bagels will get done within the next few days as my curiosity has been piqued....

Take Care,

Janet

 

Syd's picture
Syd

Beautiful looking bagels, Lumos.  That shaping looks very professional!

Happy holidays to you, too.

Syd :)

lumos's picture
lumos

Hi, Syd, thanks! :)

One day, wish I could shape bagels like real professionals, like this....:p

ehanner's picture
ehanner

Good to see you are well Lumos. The seeded bagels are beautiful. I am intrigued by your boiling method, quite a process.

Thank you for sharing your wishes this season and the lovely image. Wishing you and your family all the best in 2012.

Cheers,

Eric

lumos's picture
lumos

Thank you, Eric.

Very best wishes for you and your family, too. :)

Janetcook's picture
Janetcook

Lumos,

Well, as I type my leaven is ripening for a batch of bagels....I simply couldn't wait and I was longing for something other than yet another super enriched holiday dough to get my hands into - nothing like a good stiff dough to satisfy that urge.

So, a question as I have never retarded a bagel dough...do you let the shaped bagels warm up before boiling after their stint in the refrig?

Take Care,

Janet

P.S. Also, I am so glad your took photgraphs  of your boiling pan - what a wonderful idea :-) I will be trying it out and am hoping my pan will withstand the burner temp. without warping....I also have small pieces of parchment paper that I use when freezing cut loaves of bread and I am thinking they will work beautifully as you have demonstrated.

lumos's picture
lumos

Hi, Janet

Re retarding shaped bagels:  To avoid the shaped bagels proofed too much (or the texture would be like ordinary bread), I put them as soon as I shaped them. So usually they won't be proofed enough when I take them out of the fridge, anyway, I'd have to leave them at room temperature for a while until they reach the right degree of ripeness.  Length of time I need to proof them all depends upon the room temperature and the vitality of your leaven, so I can't say how long, but in my case usually 2-3 hrs in warmer season and 3-4 hrs in colder season.....more or less. 

Good luck with your bagels. Looking forward to seeing the result! :)

 

p.s.- I used to use cut pieces of parchment paper, too, but because I bake bagels so frequently for ourselves and my friend's family  (almost every week), I switched to using re-usable ones.

 

Janetcook's picture
Janetcook

Hi Lumos,

No photos....too stressful for me to try to figure out all the transferring and photo taking so I leave that to people who have nerves of steel :-)

Baked the bagel....Things here are super busy and I ended up forgetting to add the seeds!  I pieced together 3 different recipes - yours, Eric's and then the one he referred to on Mike Avery's site.  I followed Mike's proportions because I wanted a small batch and I did your method of retarding.  I used Eric's method of S&Fs and loved it. I didn't use any IY and all turned out just fine. (My sd loves my freshly ground grains. My leaven made up 20% of the total flour in the formula  - 60g to 300g of flour.)

As soon as the bagels were formed they went straight into the refrig.  Took them out this a.m. when I could watch them.  I boiled them via a pan like yours on my stove top....I really like that method!

My daughter said they did taste like bagels - chewy on the inside - which I was concerned about since the flour I used was my usual hard spring white whole wheat....I toyed with the idea of adding gluten powder but didn't and I am glad I didn't....

Now that I know how the formula works I will go for a larger batch and it will include the seeds!    [ I hope :-) ]

I am not sure if you have ever tried Hanseata's Turkish Simit Rolls - but if you like bagels - these are similar and people I give them too LOVE them.  

http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/25707/simit-turkish-sesame-bread

Thanks for the inspiration.....It was so nice to work on a nice plain dough again!

Janet

lumos's picture
lumos

Good to hear it went successfully and your daughter liked it. Thank you very much for letting me know. :)

Merry Christmas!

codruta's picture
codruta

Lumos, I missed you. I was wondering why you don't post anymore, but I've been busy myself lately, so I understand your absence very well. Anyway, it's good to see you're back. Bagels are still on my to-do list, but it will be plenty of time for them next year.

I wish you all the best in the next year, be healthy, lovely and wonderful, and share with us your baked goods and your nice stories.

codruta

lumos's picture
lumos

Hi, Codruta

 Noticed you haven't been posting very much, so I missed you.... and your beautiful breads, too! :)

Very best wishes for Christmas and a happy new year to you and your boyfriend, and looking forward to seeing more of your wonderful creation in 2012, too! :)

lumos