Stuffed bagels
Recently my wife brought home an assortment of handmade bagels from a cafe in Taibei (Taiwan) which each had a generous chunk of something (e.g. soft farmer's cheese in one, sweetened sesame paste in another) stuffed inside the ring. I'd never heard of stuffed bagels before, although I suppose it was inevitable.
We liked them, but the dough was all from refined white flour, and the filling was one pinkie-sized lump on just one side of the bagel. Not only was the filling not well distributed around the ring, but it tended to have some air around it (not sure why), and looked like it would fall out if put vertically into toaster slots.
I decided to have a go at a whole-wheat, sourdough version with better distribution. I went with an overnight retarded sponge that was half of the final dough; it was half high-gluten flour, and the other half around 90% whole wheat, 10% whole rye.
After mixing the main dough the next day and shaping balls (pic, top center) and covering them for 20 minutes to let the gluten relax, I gently flattened and stretched them into thick pita-like disks, and added one of various groups of toppings in a neat ring shape (pic, center) -- for instance, dried figs or dates with chopped walnuts and a drizzle of organic honey; or chunks of smoked gouda; or prosciutto, sun-dried tomatoes and olive oil.
I then gently pulled at two sides of the disk at the side edges, stretching the dough a bit and folding it over to the center, pressing firmly to seal. I repeated this at the top and bottom (see pic on right). I then did the same with what were then protruding corners, making a roughly round shape. I repeated this motion to smooth out any folds some more until it was nice and round, and then poked a finger through the center to make the hole and gently stretch it as usual (see shaped bagel in pic on left). They got boiled, topped with different seeds for each filling type (for better visual identification) and baked in the usual manner. Some needed a few minutes of additional baking to make up for the additional moisture in the fillings.
The results were excellent. The stuffing technique, as opposed to just adding the extra ingredients in the dough, means that the exterior of the bagels stays very intact, as opposed to the messiness and tearing you might get when trying to shape something that has had nuts or something moist added. Also, the honey isn't dispersed, so you get the honey flavor right where the nuts and either figs or dates are, which is perfect. And since the fillings are pretty much centered, you get a very nice visual effect when you slice the bagel before toasting. Finally, unlike the purchased bagels that inspired this project, the fillings in mine seemed solidly embedded enough that I was able to put the bagels vertically in a toaster without fear of them falling out.
I don't have more pics of the baked exteriors or crumb, as I was juggling this with toddler care, but thought I'd share this idea, including a photo to show the stuffing technique I tried, and see who else here has been doing stuffed bagels (a search showed nothing). I may try chorizo-scrambled egg-cheese, or cream cheese-blueberry, or mozzarella - sun-dried tomato - olive next.
Will have to give this a shot during the next bagel bake.
Happy baking
Great iidea thanks for sharing
A nice idea, but how would you toast them? I'd really think something was amiss if I was served an untoasted bagel!
Was that sesame paste a black sweet sesame paste?
the mini, comvection, toaster oven I baked the bagels in! No worries..
Yeah, a sweet black sesame paste like they put in the steamed mantou buns here. And I'd use a toaster oven (if you think the fillings will fall out if you tilt the sliced bagel vertically), but as I said, "unlike the purchased bagels that inspired this project, the fillings in mine seemed solidly embedded enough that I was able to put the bagels vertically in a toaster without fear of them falling out."
Ah, I understand now. I always assume bagels are toasted, sliced, and horizontally, and in a toaster as opposed to the broiler/grill. So I guess you could toast this whole, and eat it by itself w/o a spread/topping?
Neat idea. I'm thinking oozing fillings. I'd love one with like a pretzel type boiled crust, sprinkled with salt, with an oozing bitter, chocolate inside.
Super sweet idea! I must try it too!! Thanks for sharing!
Another technique for stuffing bagels, the one they use at Good Cho's in Taibei, Taiwan, is to roll out a 6" bar of dough, (let rest) then roll that flat into a rectangle about 2" x 7.5", then spoon a ribbon of filling down the center or place a bar of cheese down the center. Then fold vertically and seal to forma filled bar. Then bring the ends together in the traditional rope-version of bagel shaping.
I get a better final shape with the other version I posted in the OP, but each person may find they prefer a different one after trying both a couple of times.
I find that both methods work poorly if all you're adding is something dry like chocolate chips or dried cranberries, as things like that are best if dispersed throughout the dough, so I'd probably just add them near the end of the mix. But the two stuffing techniques work well with something you don't want to break up, like a bar of cheese, or a mixture of chopped sundried tomatoes, pesto (or just basil leaves blended with extra virgin olive oil), and optionally a bit of manchego or a hard grated Italian cheese (Romano, Grana Padano, or Parmesan).
When you slice and toast the bagel, all you need to do is brush it with a bit of olive oil and it's ready.
It seems Bantam Bagels of NYC has taken this to a new level with Shark Tank funding and 3rd best bagel rating in NYC