Dill-icious Ranch Bagels
a bread recipe
Rena is a self-taught cook and baker who enjoys experimenting with ingredients, flavors and culinary techniques from around the world. Her Asian/American heritage, youth spent in the Middle East and European husband have greatly influenced her palate and creativity with food. She shares her small-batch recipes and photos/videos of her creations and the process on (
@agirlandaspoon) and blog (
agirlandaspoon.com).
These bagels are made for sandwiches! Full of herby flavor from dill, parsley, and chives, with savory garlic and onion to ground it all. Bake as is or top with your favorite toppings after boiling. This lean dough is easy to handle, and an overnight rest (cold proof) gives you lovely blistered crusts ready to bake fresh in the morning. (Prefer smooth and shinier bagels? See Tips)
My favorite combo: Caraway seed topping, bagel sliced and untoasted with tuna salad.
I highly recommend weighing ingredients for consistent results. Also, rising times vary with temperature, humidity, and yeast freshness - use visual cues as your guide.
TIME (ACTIVE) | 1 H 10 M
TIME (INACTIVE) | 13 H
TOTAL | 14 H 10 M
6-8 SERVINGS
| 1 Bagel
Make the dough:
- Combine warm water, sugar (if using), and yeast. Let sit a few minutes, then mix in Dill-icious Ranch seasoning and wait about a minute before adding flour and salt (and disastatic malt powder, if using).
- Knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes or so. Ideally, it should pass the windowpane test. Shape into a ball, place in a lightly oiled bowl, cover and let rise 45-60 minutes until risen about 50-75%. Prepare two large baking sheets with lightly oiled parchment.
Shape the bagels:
- Once the dough has risen, punch down and divide into 8 pieces for smaller bagels or 6 for larger ones.
- Method 1: Shape into balls and rest covered for 10 minutes. One by one, poke a hole through the center of each ball, creating a hole, and gently stretch it so the center is about 2 inches wide.
Method 2: Roll each piece of dough into a short rope and rest for 10 minutes. Then, roll each rope to about 8-9 inches long. Join the edges together, overlapping about an inch, so you have a ring. Squeeze tightly to seal.
- Use your hands to gently squeeze around the bagels for uniform thickness, as needed. Set them on the baking sheet, covered.
Cold-proof the bagels (optional):
- For deeper flavor and better texture and color, refrigerate the bagels overnight (or at least a few hours). Otherwise, proceed to the next step.
Prepare for boiling:
- Remove the bagels from the refrigerator if you cold-proofed them. If using toppings, pour them into a flat pan or plate and set aside. Preheat the oven to 450°F. Bring a large pot with 4-5 inches of water to a gentle boil and stir in the molasses, brown sugar, or honey.
Boil the bagels:
- Gently place 2-3 bagels into the boiling water, keeping in mind that they will expand slightly. Boil 30 seconds per side, and remove with a slotted spoon back onto the baking sheets. If using toppings: place them top-down into the toppings while still tacky, but not soaking wet.
- Once all the bagels are boiled, bake for 20-25 minutes, rotating the pans halfway, until they are a light to deep golden brown. Cool completely on a wire rack before enjoying.
Enjoy same-day for fresh bagels; otherwise toast and enjoy within 3 days.
If you prefer a smoother, unblistered finish to your bagels, bring them to room temperature first before boiling and baking (if you cold-proofed) or skip it altogether. The blistering is typically a result of long-rested or cold dough baking.
For an even shinier finish, you can also brush egg white on your bagels before baking. Although not traditional, it is a common method to achieve even shinier crusts.
granulated
Granulated molasses provides rich, sweet molasses flavor in an easy-to-use, dry form.
0.28 oz - PORTION$0.50
2 oz - JAR$4
2 oz - REFILL$3
8 oz - REFILL$10
whole
Caraway seed is a small, crescent-shaped seed with a distinctive earthy aroma and a warm, slightly spicy flavor with a hint of bitterness.
0.28 oz - PORTION$0.50
1.5 oz - JAR$4
1.5 oz - REFILL$3
6 oz - REFILL$9
