Bagels existed in Poland at the start of the 17th century. They might be related to the Hungarian beigli, bread prepared from sweet dough.
Various stories exist regarding the origins of the bagel. One such story says that bagels were invented in Vienna by Jewish bakers to mark the victory of the Viennese over the Turks who had laid siege to the city. The original bagels apparently resembled the stirrups of the cavalry led by King John II Sobieski of Poland.
When bagels are made by hand they are not always perfectly round and this might be how they get their name. There are various spellings: beugal, bügel, bagel. In Yiddish and Austrian German the word means a round loaf of bread.
The bagel has gradually rolled its way around the world and is now one of the most popular breakfast foods. Every country, or indeed every city, has its traditional bagels produced from a wide variety of recipes. The following basic recipe makes 24 small bagels.
Ingredients:
- 250 ml/8fl oz milk
- 50g/2 oz butter - butter gives the best flavour but vegetarian margarine can be substituted
- 1½ tablespoons castor sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 15 g/½ oz fresh yeast - if fresh yeast cannot be obtained 1½ teaspoons dried yeast can be used
- 1 egg, separated
- 400 g/14 oz strong white flour - whole wheat or multigrain can also be used
- 1 teaspoon cold water
Optional extras:
- Poppy seeds
- Sesame seeds
- Coarse salt crystals
Method:
Stage One:
- Bring the milk to the boil and take the pan off the heat
- Add the sugar, butter and salt and stir gently until the butter has melted
- Put this mixture into a large bowl and leave to cool down
- When the mixture is lukewarm sprinkle in the yeast
- After about 10 minutes the mixture should be frothy
- Beat the egg white into the yeast mixture
- Slowly stir in the flour and mix thoroughly
- Set the dough on a lightly floured board and knead well until no longer sticky
- Grease a large bowl and put the mixed dough into it
- Cover loosely with greased cling film and put in a warm place for about an hour -
- dough should double in size
- Break the dough into 24 equal chunks
- Roll each piece until it is the width of your finger and approximately the length of a pencil
- Shape the pieces into rings and pinch the ends together - place on a floured surface
- Leave for approximately 10 minutes until the rings begin to rise
- At this point heat the oven to 200°C (400°F, Gas Mark 6)
Stage Two:
- Half fill a large sauce pan with water and bring to a rolling boil
- Each bagel must be placed gently in the boiling water for 15 seconds until they puff up - don't overcook the bagels or they will break up and loose their shape
- Place each bagel on a greased baking tray
- Mix beaten egg yolk with a teaspoon of cold water and brush each bagel with the mixture
- At this point the bagels can be sprinkled with any of the optional ingredients
- Bake for about 20 minutes until crisp and golden brown
- Leave to cool on a wire rack
Bagels are especially good spread with cream cheese and smoked salmon or filled with salt beef. Bagels and Borsht go together well or mop up the juices of your cholent - kosher beef stew.
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