Sea Salt and Poppy Seed Bagels! Somehow that sounds kind of elegant and grown up, doesn’t it? I think it’s the sea salt. That’s the international ingredient for sophistication. Remember when we used to put salt on things, and we didn’t mention it in the recipe title?
But I think sea salt definitely deserves to be in the title on this occasion. The Sea Salt takes these bagels to another level. It gives these babies a pretzely flavour, and makes the bagel the focus of your mouthful.
I present to you these bagels in the spirit of putting your best foot forward. It’s not always easy to do that. Sometimes it’s a struggle to put any foot forward at all. You might prefer to just stay still, right where you are. But nothing is ever achieved without a little forward momentum.
I had another post all ready to go for today. In fact, I didn’t make these bagels to go on the blog. I just made bagels because I wanted some bagels.
But once I had made them, and there they were sitting on the counter, I couldn’t help getting my camera out for a few photos. And those photos turned out to be way better than the original post that was scheduled for today.
I don’t know what the lesson is there – that you do your best work when you’re not trying? That doesn’t seem right.
But I do know that I want to show you all the things I’m most proud of, ya know? Of course, the only recipes that I publish are the ones that I believe in, but the photos are just as important to me. And I was super proud of these photos.
So instead of joining the cue and patiently waiting their turn to appear in this here space, BLAMMO, here they are!
Just in time for us all to stock up on lox, cream cheese and scallions for the weekend. And then? BAGEL PARTY! And there ain’t no party like a bagel party ‘coz a bagel party has CARBS!
So, to summarize, my biggest focus for this space is trying to make it as awesome as possible, at all times. Even if that means throwing out the rulebook. What are you focused on at the moment?
xx Sarah
- 4 + ½ cups (675g) plain flour
- 2 tbsp caster sugar
- 2 tsp salt
- 3 tbsp golden syrup (or honey or malt syrup)
- 1 + ⅔ cups (415ml) warm water
- 1 tsp dried active yeast
- ¼ cup poppy seeds
- 1 tbsp sea salt
- Place the flour, sugar, salt, into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook and stir briefly to combine.
- In a small jug combine 1 tbsp of the golden syrup with the warm water and the yeast. Stir well to combine and set aside for about 5 minutes or until foamy.
- Add the yeast mixture to the flour, and work on a low speed for about 5 minutes until the dough comes together and is elastic. It should cling to the dough hook in a ball.
- Cover the dough with plastic wrap and set aside for 1 + ½ to 2 hours or until doubled in size.
- Once the dough has risen, turn the oven on to preheat at 475F/250C, line a baking tray with greaseproof paper, and place a wide saucepan with about 3 inches of water and the remaining 2 tbsp of golden syrup in it over a high heat.
- Punch down the dough and divide it into ten pieces.
- Roll each piece out into a fat log, and then wrap each piece around your hand to form the traditional bagel shape. Roll the two ends of the dough together with your palm and then place the shaped bagels onto the baking sheet.
- One by one, place each bagel into the boiling water for 30 seconds a side, removing them with a slotted spoon, and placing them back on the baking sheet.
- Once they're all done, sprinkle them liberally with the poppy seeds and sea salt, and then bake them for 10 minutes, before turning the oven down to 400F/200C, for a further 10 minutes. Leave to cool on a rack, and eat.
What beautiful bagels! Pinned!
These are DREAMY. So, so good!
YEAHHHH BAGEL PARTY!!!!!!
Sarah, I totally want to come to the carb party, especially if these bagels are there! These lovelies look so amazing AND so fancy pants, what with your sea salt and all :)
I almost don’t want to eat these bagels – I sort of just want to stare at their wonderfully crispy, salty, seedy crust forever and ever and ever. <3
Great looking bagels!
I laughed so hard at “Remember when we used to put salt on things, and we didn’t mention it in the recipe title?”
Question though, do the bagels need to proof again once you shape them?
Bagels are something I’ve always wanted to try making but they always seemed like they would be too tricky. These don’t sound tricky at all though. definitely pinning them!
P.S. So glad you threw out the rule-book to bring these to us! You should be proud of your photos, too … they’re beautiful!
Ain’t No Party Like a Bagel Party is my new favorite song! These are such carb-filled beauties, I totally understand why they had to jump the que. It happens!
BAGELS!!! So pretty. And carby!!!
OH MY WORD. You definitely have a lot to be proud of with this post. The photos are absolutely killing me. Well done, lady. :)
Some of my best posts have been unplanned. So glad you went with it and posted these! There gorgeous!
Living in Italy I can never find bagels and I love bagels, for sure im going to be making these. Thanks
Could I substitute the poppy seeds with sesame seeds? Great photos by the way, these look delicious!
Absolutely! And thank you.
I just made these and they were great!! I used sesame seeds instead of poppy seeds and I was not disappointed – I’ve posted some pictures on my website. Thanks for the excellent recipe! :)
Party time, excellent!!
And I’m with you Sarah. My best shots are when I’m not trying at all. How frustrating is that?? Here, lemme just not care for a second.
These are so perfectly lovely…I cannot wait to make them! I love that you’ve added sea salt along with the poppy! This may be our Sunday morning breakfast! Thanks!
Sophisticated and grown up for sure!
Sarah, your photography is getting so gorgeous!! I’ve been wanting to make bagels for a while, this might be just what I needed to push me over the edge. Delish.
xo,
Katie
Thanks Katie! Your photos are always amazing, so thank you! Now, go to the bagels. They call for you.
These look freakin’ awesome. bagels here are le sigh, and im pretty excited at the prospect of making these fellas at home now. Thanks!
Can you please create a gluten free bagel? I miss the bagel more than I miss it’s cousin the donut.
Looking to make these tomorrow and just want to make sure with you that there is no second rise involved? they look deeelicious!
Hey Sarah! No there isn’t. By the time you’re finished shaping them, the first one you’ve shaped will have had enough time to rest. Does that make sense?
Yes, got it! I made them for my mama today and they were DELICIOUS and worked like a charm. Thanks for responding, it gave me more confidence making them!
I’m so glad you got my reply! And that you liked them and they turned out! YAAAAAAY!
I’m attempting to make these with beer…wish me luck!
Yum! Good luck!
I made these bagels today and they were the best I’ve ever made! My dad said they taste better than the store. I’ll probably be making this over and over again… THanks for sharing! =)
That’s awesome, thanks for commenting Kim!
Just made these with a friend and they came out beautiful! Such a good recipe
That’s brilliant! Thanks Liz! Enjoy one for me. :)
So excited to make these this weekend!
Is regular sugar ok or does it need to be castor?
Thanks!
Hi Maya! Normal sugar is totally fine – and you just inspired me to make a batch of these this weekend too!
hi! thank you for the recipe. so easy to follow and the taste is amazing!
The dough is super sticky – like can’t get it out of the plastic wrap. Is there a way to fix this?
Hey Linds, first of all – did you wrap it in plastic wrap? Because the recipe just says to cover it with plastic wrap, as in cover the top, which I realise is confusing so I might re-word it. Secondly, your dough shouldn’t really be too sticky, it’s quite a dry dough – less than half the volume of water to flour. But I also wouldn’t worry too much, yeasted doughs are super forgiving. I don’t think you need fixing! So just flour your work surface really well and proceed with the recipe. Anything from the altitude, to the brand of flour, to the humidity of the room, to slight variations in measurements could affect the outcome of the dough. Let me know how you go! xx Sarah