500gStrong White Flour (Bread Flour) - + extra for kneading
2tbspSea Salt Flakes
1Egg
1tbspUntoasted Sesame Seeds
Instructions
Add 7g Instant Yeast, 1 tbsp Sugar and 0.5 tbsp Vegetable Oil to 300 ml Warm Water. Stir and set aside.
Combine 500g of Strong White Flour and 2 tbsp Sea Salt Flakes in a mixing bowl - ideally in a stand mixer with a dough hook.
Add the yeast mix to the flour mix.
Knead the dough for at least 10 minutes. It should be a stiff/hard/quite dry dough. Add more flour or water to achieve that consistency if needed.
Put the dough into an oiled bowl, cover and leave in a warm place for 1 hour to prove.
In the meantime, line a baking sheet with greaseproof paper and oil the paper.
Continue once the dough is well risen (it should retain the impression of your finger when prodded).
Punch the dough down and knead it a little until smooth.
Divide the dough in half, half again and then half again to make 8 mounds of dough.
Roll each mound into a ball using the palms of your hands then flatten a little.
Poke a hole in the middle and stretch the now doughnut shaped dough - I like to use the spin-it-around-your-index-finger technique.
Lightly cover them and leave each bagel resting on the oiled baking tray for 20 minutes to second prove.
Meanwhile preheat the oven to 240c or equivalent and put a full kettle on to boil. Also fill a large pan with a little water and 4 tbsp Sugar stirred into it on the hob on a medium/high heat.
Add the now boiled kettle water to the pan and bring back to the boil.
The bagels should now have risen again and puffed up.
Poach each of the bagels in the sugared water for 1 minute - do this in batches commensurate to the size of your pan - do not overcrowd the pan. Carefully turn the bagels once in the water.
Replace the bagels back on their oiled baking sheet once poached.
Beat 1 Egg and use a brush to glaze the top.
Sprinkle the ugly-ass boiled bagels with 1 tbsp Sesame Seeds.
Bake the bagels for 10-15 minutes until golden brown.