Celebrate National Bagel Day With Homemade Bagels and A Bagel Spread!
I love googling food holidays- it’s so fun to see which foods people deemed worthy of having their own day. Sometimes I can’t help but think- really? That earned its own holiday? But then there are other days that I can totally get behind. January 15, National Bagel Day, is one of them.
Did you know that bagels date back to the 1600’s? We know this because if you look back at community regulations, you can see that in the Polish city of Krakow, it was required that bagels be given to women as a gift after childbirth. I think that’s just fabulous! Apparently, because of their round shape, it was said that bagels had magical powers, and that giving a woman a bagel brought good luck during childbirth and symbolized a long life. I don’t know if that’s true- but I’m all for bagels after childbirth!
Bagels may not actually have magical powers, but they are certainly tasty enough to warrant a celebration! Opposed to donuts, they are not deep-fried; they are boiled before baked, which provides a crisper outside while allowing everything to stay chewy and soft on the inside!
Many local bakeries have bagel options. You can get bagels at the grocery store, but I tend to prefer the freshly baked ones- heaven right there! If you’re lucky enough to live near an Einstein Bagel, that’s definitely the way to go- their bagels and shmear are so tasty!!
A fun concept would be to put together a bagel board or bagel buffet. There are SO many delicious combinations when it comes to bagels. You can’t just have one! Having a board with several options or everything laid out buffet style would allow all kinds of sampling! Just cut bagels into quarters or halves, or serve mini bagels to allow your family or guests to create more than one concoction!
Some things you might want to consider setting out:
- Different flavors of bagels- plain is a safe way to go, but you can do a mix of sweet and savory as well! Blueberry, cinnamon, everything, asiago cheese, etc.
- Peanut butter
- Nutella
- Jellies and jams
- Honey
- Marshmallow fluff
- Cinnamon sugar
- Cream cheese (again, plain is a great option, or you can have more than one and go with sweet and savory! Strawberry cream cheese is super tasty, or chive for a savory take!)
- Sliced bananas
- Sliced strawberries
- Blueberries
- Sliced tomatoes
- Sliced onions
- Lettuce
- Avocado
- Bacon
- Overhard cooked eggs
- Cheese slices
- Lox
- Capers
- Hummus
- Salt
- Pepper
- Everything seasoning
- Poppyseeds
- Sesame seeds
If you really want to go all out- make your own homemade bagels! This would be such a fun family activity- make and bake bagels together, and then have a big bagel spread! Definitely sounds like a holiday to me!
Homemade Bagels Recipe
This easy homemade bagel recipe proves that you can make deliciously chewy bagels in your own kitchen with only a few basic ingredients and baking tools! Author: Sally Total Time: 3 hours
Cook time:
Serving size: 8
Calories per serving: 241
Ingredients:
Serving size: 8
Calories per serving: 241
1 cup water and 1/2 (360ml) warm water (between 100-110°F 38-43°C)
2 teaspoons and 3/4 instant or active dry yeast*
4 cups bread flour (520g) bread flour (spoon & leveled) plus more for work surface and hands*
1 tablespoon granulated sugar granulated sugar or packed light or dark brown sugar (or barley malt syrup)*
2 teaspoons salt salt
teaspoon olive oil coating the bowl: nonstick spray or 2 olive oil
tablespoon egg whites egg wash: 1 egg white beaten with 1 water
2 quarts water water
1/4 cup honey (60g) honey (or barley malt syrup)*
Directions:
Prepare the dough: Whisk the warm water and yeast together in the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment. Cover and allow to sit for 5 minutes.
Add the flour, brown sugar, and salt. Beat on low speed for 2 minutes. The dough is very stiff and will look somewhat dry.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. With lightly floured hands, knead the dough for 4-5 minutes. The dough is too heavy for the mixer to knead it!
Lightly grease a large bowl with oil or nonstick spray. Place the dough in the bowl, turning it to coat all sides in the oil. Cover the bowl with aluminum foil, plastic wrap, or a clean kitchen towel. Allow the dough to rise at room temperature for 60-90 minutes or until double in size.
Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
Shape the bagels: When the dough is ready, punch it down to release any air bubbles. Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces. (Just eyeball it– doesn’t need to be perfect!) Shape each piece into a ball. Press your index finger through the center of each ball to make a hole about 1.5 – 2 inches in diameter. Watch video above for a visual. Loosely cover the shaped bagels with kitchen towel and rest for a few minutes as you prepare the water bath.
Preheat oven to 425°F (218°C).
Water bath: Fill a large, wide pot with 2 quarts of water. Whisk in the honey. Bring water to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-high. Drop bagels in, 2-4 at a time, making sure they have enough room to float around. Cook the bagels for 1 minute on each side.
Using a pastry brush, brush the egg wash on top and around the sides of each bagel. Place 4 bagels onto each lined baking sheet. Bake for 20-25 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through. You want the bagels to be a dark golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow bagels to cool on the baking sheets for 20 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Slice, toast, top, whatever you want! Cover leftover bagels tightly and store at room temperature for a few days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Source: ssallysbakingaddiction.com
Add the flour, brown sugar, and salt. Beat on low speed for 2 minutes. The dough is very stiff and will look somewhat dry.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. With lightly floured hands, knead the dough for 4-5 minutes. The dough is too heavy for the mixer to knead it!
Lightly grease a large bowl with oil or nonstick spray. Place the dough in the bowl, turning it to coat all sides in the oil. Cover the bowl with aluminum foil, plastic wrap, or a clean kitchen towel. Allow the dough to rise at room temperature for 60-90 minutes or until double in size.
Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
Shape the bagels: When the dough is ready, punch it down to release any air bubbles. Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces. (Just eyeball it– doesn’t need to be perfect!) Shape each piece into a ball. Press your index finger through the center of each ball to make a hole about 1.5 – 2 inches in diameter. Watch video above for a visual. Loosely cover the shaped bagels with kitchen towel and rest for a few minutes as you prepare the water bath.
Preheat oven to 425°F (218°C).
Water bath: Fill a large, wide pot with 2 quarts of water. Whisk in the honey. Bring water to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-high. Drop bagels in, 2-4 at a time, making sure they have enough room to float around. Cook the bagels for 1 minute on each side.
Using a pastry brush, brush the egg wash on top and around the sides of each bagel. Place 4 bagels onto each lined baking sheet. Bake for 20-25 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through. You want the bagels to be a dark golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow bagels to cool on the baking sheets for 20 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Slice, toast, top, whatever you want! Cover leftover bagels tightly and store at room temperature for a few days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Source: ssallysbakingaddiction.com
Recipe formatted with the Cook'n Recipe Software from DVO Enterprises.
What are your favorite bagel combinations? Share with us below!
Sources:
- https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2009/03/the-secret-history-of-bagels/6928/
- https://chompies.com/a-delicious-history-of-the-bagel-in-america/
- https://www.holidayscalendar.com/event/national-bagel-day/
- https://bestthingsut.com/bagel-shops/
- https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/homemade-bagels/
Camille Hoffmann
Weekly Newsletter Contributor since 2014
Email the author! camille@dvo.com
