Recipe: Steam cooked bagels
The humble bagel a versatile vessel for all sorts of deliciousness. Lox and a schmear of cream cheese? Classic. Mountains of salt beef and pickles? A must. They’ve even been trending – the admittedly enjoyable cragel and the garish rainbow bagel have both found intense, but fleeting fame on Instagram.
While you might be forgiven for thinking that bagels were invented in the crazy streets of New York, they actually originated in the Jewish communities of Poland as early as the 13th century, as a gift to women in childbirth. Their round shape led to the belief that they were lucky, symbolizing a full and long life. Originally attainable only by the wealthy (white flour was seen as a luxury), bagels are now firmly established as everyday street food for everyone. And they’ve spread around the world – you can’t walk down the street in East London, New York, or Montreal without seeing those dense, chewy rings of goodness. They’ve even made their appearance in New Zealand’s food scene.
In recent years, bakers have developed a method of steaming bagels, which eliminates the need to boil the dough before baking it. Steam cooked bagels are fluffier and less chewy than their boiled counterparts.
UnserHaus’ own Brigitte Kriehn has shared her fool-proof recipe so you can make these at home, using your NEFF Steam Oven and your own two hands.
RECIPE
Makes 10
Steam cooked bagels
- 3 tsp instant yeast
- ¼ cup warm milk
- 3½ cups flour plus extra for kneading
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 1½ tsp salt
- 1 cup of warm water
- 1 egg beaten with 1 tbsp water for egg wash
- Olive oil spray
- Poppy seeds, sesame seeds or coarse salt for topping
PREPARATION
Place the yeast with the warm milk into your mixer’s bowl to activate for 5 minutes.
Put the flour, sugar, salt, and warm water into the mixing bowl with the yeast. Attach the dough hook and slowly mix until combined. The dough will be sticky and will need to be mixed until smooth. Remove the hook and dough.
Lightly spray the mixing bowl with olive oil, place the dough back in the bowl and prove using your NEFF oven’s DOUGH PROVING SETTING for 30 minutes (Or cover with a damp cloth and place in a warm area 30degrees for 30 minutes).
Once proved, knock back the dough to release any air bubbles and divide it into 10 equal parts. Shape the dough into balls, and with your index finger make a hole in the center to form the bagel shape.
Set the oven to 100% FULL STEAM. Evenly spread the bagels on the oiled steam tray and let them rest while the oven heats up. Once ready, place them in the oven and steam for 8 minutes.
Once they’re steamed, brush the egg wash on the tops and sides of the bagels, and sprinkle over your choice of toppings.
Heat the oven to BREAD-BAKING 220°C and bake for 15 minutes, or until the bagels are a dark golden brown.
Store at room temperature for a few days, or in the fridge for up to a week.
