Cheddar & Olive Bagels
Homemade bagels with sharp cheddar cheese and your favorite olives
Equipment
- Large soup pot
- 2 baking sheets
- 1 cooking rack
Ingredients
Bagel Dough
- 1 1/2 cups warm water (at 110-115°F)
- 1 tablespoon dry active yeast
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon dark molasses
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 4 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 cup cornmeal for lining the baking sheets, not for the dough.
Kettle Water
- 6 quarts water
- 1 teaspoon dark molasses
- 1 teaspoon salt
Toppings
- 1/2 cup sliced green olives (Greek or Castelvetrano)
- 1 1/2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
Instructions
Kettle Water
- Fill large kettle or soup pot to within 3-4 inches of the top with water and bring to a boil.
- Add 1 teaspoon molasses and 1 teaspoon salt to the water.
- Turn water to low and simmer until ready to boil bagels.
Bagel Dough
- Place yeast, sugar, and hot water (110-115°F) in a large bowl.
- Gently whisk and let stand for about 5 minutes, until bubbly.
- Stir in oil, molasses and one cup of the flour. Mix well.
- Add salt and enough remaining flour to make a stiff dough. (Note- you may not need all of the flour.)
- Knead the dough for 8 minutes on a lightly floured surface. Cover and let rest for about 15 minutes.
- Divide the dough into 8 even pieces and roll between palms to form each into a 10-inch long strip. Form a circle and press the ends together to make a whole circle. Be sure to make a good seam by pressing the dough together tightly where the ends meet.
- Place bagels on a lightly floured surface, cover and let rest and rise for another 10-15 minutes. They will be slightly puffy.
Boiling the Bagels
- Bring kettle water back to a boil and preheat the oven to 425°F.
- Line another baking sheet or cutting board with a clean kitchen towel, for placing the bagels on after they’ve been boiled.
- Place bagels in boiling water, two at a time, and boil for 45 seconds . Flip over with a slotted spoon and continue to boil for another 45 seconds.
- Remove bagels from water and place on the towel lined baking sheet to drain.
- Repeat with remaining bagels.
Baking the Bagels
- Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and sprinkle generously with corn meal.
- When the boiled bagels are cool enough to handle, transfer them to the prepared baking sheets.
- Generously sprinkle the grated cheddar cheese on top of each bagel.
- Arrange sliced olives over the cheese.
- Bake 15-20 minutes, or until bagels seem just baked inside and crispy on the outside. The cheese will be golden brown.
- Remove bagels from the oven and cool on a wire rack.
- Eat while fresh from the oven! Or, you can pre-slice them and freeze them for serving at a later time. They last for several weeks up to a month in the freezer. When ready to serve, thaw them out and toast them in the toaster oven.
Notes
You can also use any topping you like for these bagels, and here are a few suggestions:
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup sesame seeds
Finely chopped garlic
Finely chopped onion
2 teaspoons poppy seeds
Coarsely ground salt
And, for breakfast add cinnamon and raisins, blueberries, or cranberries to the dough, or just sprinkle a simple cinnamon sugar on top before baking.