Sourdough Rye Bagels
Context for what I’m about to tell you. I am Irish-American, as in, a real Irish-American. I have one parent from each country, and spent my childhood mainly in Ireland but with a lot of time in the states, New Hampshire in particular. People love to hate American food, but I know you can get some really great stuff over there. I have many happy childhood memories of driving to farmstands with my Granny to buy fresh eggs, tomatoes, and corn on the cob. And some of my fondest food memories of all are of bagels from my Granny’s local bakery. (Shout out to Bagels Plus in North Conway, NH!)
Every time we went to visit her, she would get our bagel order in advance and bring us one for the car ride from Logan airport. And when we arrived at her house, the freezer would be filled with them, already sliced in half for convenience.
My Grandad would have one for lunch nearly every day. He would slice some green olives in half, melt some cheddar cheese on top, then cut each bagel half into quarters. ‘You see how the olives are under the cheese? That’s no accident,’ he liked to point out.
So bagels are a deeply nostalgic food for me. Nothing makes me more sad than a bad bagel. The ones on this side of the pond (writing this in London) have never not disappointed. These days, you can find pretty much anything from the US over here—gone are the days of packing bags of Reese’s Pieces and tubs of marshmallow fluff in our suitcases to tide us through the year—but real bagels are still hard to come by.
I developed a sourdough rye bagel recipe for Hodmedod’s earlier this year and got into a really good groove with them. Being honest, I’m still not sure these are as good as one of my Granny’s bagels, but I am pretty happy with them nonetheless.
Beyond my personal experiences with them, I love the background story of bagels. Legend has it they were created by Jewish Polish bakers who were banned from selling baked goods. They figured that didn’t apply to bread that was boiled-then-baked, so started poaching their dough before it went into the oven. That badass loophole not only allowed them to make a living—it gave birth to the chewy bagel we know and love today.
Barley malt extract, used in traditional New York-style bagels, imparts a distinct flavour. It’s available online and in some health food shops. You could use honey or molasses instead, but I feel like if you’re going to the trouble of making your own bagels, why not source the real deal.
Makes 8 bagels
First:
200g active starter*
250g warm water
1 tbsp barley malt extract
250g rye flour
125g wholemeal flour
125g strong white flour
Then:
2 tsp fine salt
2 tbsp water
To boil:
A few spoonfuls of barley malt extract
About 1 tbsp bicarbonate of soda
To bake:
Olive oil
Semolina
Flaky sea salt and seeds—sesame, poppy, and everything bagel seasoning are my favourites.
*(The night before you want to bake, feed your starter with 100g rye flour and 100g water. It should be bubbly and doubled in size the next morning.)
Place 250g of warm water into a mixing bowl. Add the starter and make sure it floats on the surface—even briefly—which indicates it’s ready to bake with. Add the barley malt extract and whisk to combine, ensuring everything is fully incorporated.
Add the flours and knead for 5–6 minutes. The dough should start to transform, becoming more smooth and elastic.
Cover the bowl and set aside to autolyse for 90 minutes to 2 hours.
Add the salt and 2 tablespoons of water. Use your hands to squidge this into the dough until fully incorporated. Cover again and leave to prove for 3–4 hours, or until it has increased in size by about a third.
Place in the fridge to rest overnight.
The next morning, divide the dough into 8 equal portions. Shape into balls. Use a finger to poke a hole through the centre of each ball and gently widen it to about 1.5 inches in diameter.
Place on an oiled baking tray. Lightly brush the tops with oil and cover with cling film. Leave to prove for about an hour, until puffy. (They won’t double in size but should look noticeably puffier.)
Preheat the oven to 240°C. Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil (fill it about halfway—the water can boil over easily).
Line a baking tray with parchment paper, lightly grease with olive oil, and sprinkle with semolina.
Once the water is boiling, add a few spoonfuls of barley malt extract and about a tablespoon of bicarbonate of soda. You want the water to be as dark as a cup of tea. Be careful—these additions make it fizz up quite a bit, so stir vigorously and be ready to turn the heat down or off if needed. This is why you only filled your pot halfway.
Add the bagels and simmer for 30 seconds on each side. Remove with a large slotted spoon and transfer to your prepared baking tray.
Sprinkle with seeds and flaky salt while still wet.
Repeat until all bagels are poached and ready.
Bake for 20 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before slicing.
