My Bagel Recipe

Whole Wheat Soaked Bagels

Start with my basic bread dough recipe:

Caralee's Soaked Wheat Bread Dough

Ingredients:

10 1/2 to 11 cups freshly ground whole wheat flour
3 cups cultured buttermilk (Winder is a good brand)
1 cup filtered water
1/3 cup coconut oil or melted butter
1 Tbsp. Real Salt
1 Tbsp. baking soda

Grind six cups whole wheat (this should yield approximate 10 1/2 to 11
cups flour) and pour into your Bosch mixing bowl or other large mixing
bowl. Add 3 cups cultured buttermilk* and one cup filtered water**,
and 1/3 cup coconut oil or melted butter to the flour. Knead until
all ingredients are well incorporated and the dough has taken on nice
bread dough consistency. Cover with lid or flour sack towel and leave
on counter at room temperature for 12 to 24 hours.

*Be sure to use only real cultured buttermilk. Winder Dairy is a good
brand. To make a gallon your own buttermilk, stir in one cup Winder
buttermilk in one gallon of raw milk, and place on counter for 24
hours. Refrigerate and use when needed for bread, making sure to
reserve a cup for the next time you wish to make more. A side note- I
like mine thick. It works well, and I know for sure that it is
completely cultured. Do not be distraught if your buttermilk turns
out a lot thicker than the Winder brand. It still works great, if not
preferable.
**Kefir or yogurt may be used in place of buttermilk. If using
yogurt, only use 2 cups yogurt and 2 cups water, or the dough will be
too thick.

When you are ready to make your dough into bread, or bagels, in this
instance, you will add one tablespoon Real Salt and one tablespoon
baking soda to the dough. Knead with your dough hook (or your hands)
until the salt and soda are well incorporated. I usually let my Bosch
mixer knead for four or five minutes. The dough is now ready to turn
it into whatever you'd like to make! (rolls, garlic bread, pizza
crust, cheese bread, cinnamon rolls, muffins, scones, bagels, etc.)

Bagels:

Preheat oven on 350º. Put on a medium sized pan of water to boil on
the stove while you form the dough into bagels.
Grab a chunk of dough with your hands and roll into a snake or a log.
If the dough seems a little sticky, I like to use a little bit of
arrowroot powder, in the way that most people use white flour to
prevent sticking. It does not matter what size you make the bagels.
If you need help figuring this part out, I found it useful to Google
'how to make bagels' and watch the professionals do it. Connect the
ends of the log to form what looks like a bagel or a doughnut. Side note:
I have found that this process is much easier and faster if I use a round cookie cutter to make the bagel shape and cut out a smaller hole in the middle with a smaller cutter to create the bagel shape. This method does not fall apart when put in the boiling water- I prefer this way!
Proceed until you have a least a dozen. The water should be boiling
at this point. Drop each bagel in the water (It worked for me to do
about four at a time). They will sink to the bottom for a minute, and
then suddenly pop up. Turn the bagel over with a slotted spatula or
large slatted spoon and let boil for another 30 seconds. Take the
bagel out of the boiling water and set on a pan that you have
sprinkled with ground cornmeal (this helps to prevent sticking). I
prefer stoneware. Brush the bagels with eggwhite/water mix (one
egg white and one Tbsp. water, whisked with fork until frothy) and
sprinkle with favorite toppings. I have done poppy seeds, sesame
seeds, cheese, etc. What I put on the ones you ate was sesame seeds,
dehydrated onions, and a hard, parmesan-type cheese I bought from
Costco (I can't remember the name of it) that I grated on.

Bake at 350º until bagels are golden brown and smelling heavenly,
somewhere between 20 to 30 minutes, depending on your oven. Find out
what length of time works best for you, and write it down! Please let
me know if you have any questions.

Another option is to knead in a Tbsp.cinnamon, a cup of raisins and
1/2 cup of sucanat into the dough when you put in the salt and soda
for cinnamon raisin bagels! The egg white/water mix is optional, but
my husband says he likes it better with it. I think it's fine either
way. You decide! Happy baking!