Whole Grain Bagels

 

 

Whole Grain Bagels....This past week I ran out of bagels. I most always have some on hand in my freezer. But knowing that company was coming, I decided to make a batch of my homemade bagels.

As I was making them, a thought crossed my mind, why not make some whole grain bagels? Don't get me wrong, I love my homemade bagels. But ever since I made the whole grain sandwich bread(we just love it!), I have thought about making other breads using the 10 grain cereal mix.

I began my attempt at making the whole grain bagels using the same method from the sandwich bread recipe. I adjusted some ingredients and boiled the bagels as in my Best-Ever Bagel recipe. The result was wonderful...and I was quite pleased. They were nice and moist inside... they weren't dense at all. I think it would be wonderful to vary the bread basket a bit with these whole grain bagels. There's always one or two people who prefer a wholesome bagel. Hope you enjoy...

You will need:

2 1/2 - 3 cups bread flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

2 1/2 tsp salt

2 1/2 tsps instant yeast

3 TBS honey

3 TBS butter, melted

1 cup 10 grain hot cereal mix

2 cups boiling water

1/2 cup unsalted roasted sunflower seeds

Topping:

1 egg, beaten

1/4 cup oats

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, add boiling water to the hot cereal and stir to mix.
2. Stir every so often until it resembles a porridge and is just warm(110 deg).
It will be anywhere from 10-20 minutes depending how cool/warm your house is.
3. Stir in melted butter and honey.
4. Combine 2 1/2 cups of the bread flour, whole wheat flour, yeast and salt in your mixer bowl. Use the dough hook.
5. On low speed, add the cereal mixture and mix about 2 minutes.
6. Increase the speed to med-low and knead the dough until it is smooth and elastic....about 6-8 more minutes. Depending how humid the environment is, you might need to add a bit more flour so that the dough doesn't stick to the sides of the bowl...start with 1 Tablespoon at a time. The dough should not be too sticky or soft.... Add the seeds at the last minute or so of the kneading process.

7. Turn the dough on a lightly floured board and knead by hand to form a smooth ball.
8. Place the dough in a large oiled bowl and cover with a greased plastic.
9. Let rise in a warm place. I always like to turn on the oven for about a minute(or so) to make a cozy warm environment for the dough to rise in.
10. Let rise till doubled in size about 1 hour. Do not punch dough down and deflate. I noticed that it won't rise as much if you do this.
11. Take a lemon size chunk of risen dough and form into a ball.
12. Poke hole in the middle and stretch out a bit (in the form of a bagel). Make sure the hole is at least the size of a 25cent coin piece ...this way you can still see the hole after it has risen.
13. Let rise 20-25 minutes....they should look puffed.

14. In a large pot, boil about 6-8 cups of water and add 5 tsp baking soda along with 2 TBS sugar.
15. Bring to boil and boil 2- 3 bagels at a time for about a minute on the top side of the bagel. The bagels should rise to the top...if they don't, the bagels have not risen enough.

I usually do not turn the bagel to boil on the underside as I noticed that it can get too soggy.
16.  Lift each bagel with a slotted spatula and drain all the water.
17. Place on an oiled cookie sheet (bottom side down) or on a parchment lined cookie sheet that has been oiled ( I prefer the parchment as it makes the cleaning easier)....the oil makes the bottom crispier. 18. Brush the bagels with a beaten egg and sprinkle with oats( most times I skip the oats)

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19. Preheat oven to 375 deg F, place in middle rack, and bake for about 18-20 minutes or until nicely browned.
20. Cool and freeze....or toast and enjoy a nice warm bagel!