Life Preserver Bagels
- Level: Intermediate
- Yield: 12 bagels
-
- Nutritional Analysis
- Per Serving
- Serving Size
- 1 of 12 servings
- Calories
- 313
- Total Fat
- 3
- Saturated Fat
- 0
- Carbohydrates
- 63
- Dietary Fiber
- 3
- Sugar
- 5
- Protein
- 8
- Cholesterol
- 0
- Sodium
- 285
- Total: 3 hr 5 min (includes resting, rising and cooling times)
- Active: 45 min
Ingredients
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
2 cups warm water (about 110 degrees F)
Two 1/4-ounce packages active dry yeast
4 tablespoons sugar
6 cups all-purpose flour, plus more as needed (see Cook's Note)
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon red gel food coloring
1 cup coarse yellow cornmeal
Directions
- Grease 2 large bowls with 1 teaspoon of oil each. Set aside.
- Combine the water, yeast and 3 tablespoons of the sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Stir and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes.
- Turn the mixer to low speed, gradually add 4 cups of the flour and the salt and mix until a sticky dough forms. Turn off the mixer and use a wooden spoon or your hands to mix in the remaining 2 cups flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until a stiff dough forms. (The dough will seem dry with too much flour, but it will be perfect once it's kneaded.)
- Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and divide in half. Cover one portion of dough with a clean towel. Knead the other portion of dough until smooth and no longer sticky, adding just as much flour as needed, about 5 minutes. (The dough should be heavier and stiffer than regular yeast bread dough.) Put the dough in one of the prepared bowls, turning to coat with oil. Cover with plastic.
- Add the red food coloring to the second portion of dough and knead until smooth and no longer sticky, adding just as much flour as needed, about 5 minutes. Put the dough in the other prepared bowl, turning to coat. Cover with plastic. Let the dough rise in a warm, draft-free spot until almost doubled, about 1 hour.
- Grease 2 baking sheets with the remaining 1 tablespoon oil.
- Punch the plain dough down in the bowl and remove to a work surface. Divide into 12 pieces, about 2 ounces (55 grams) each. Cover with a clean towel. Repeat with the red dough.
- Roll each portion of plain dough into a ball, then roll into a 10-inch log. Repeat with the red dough. Twist one plain log and one red log together to look like a striped peppermint stick. Join the ends, placing your fingers through the hole, then roll the ends together. Transfer to the prepared baking sheets and cover with a clean cloth while you shape the rest. Let rest in a warm, draft-free spot until risen but not doubled, 20 to 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and sprinkle the cornmeal onto 2 baking sheets.
- In a large, heavy pot, bring 12 cups of water and the remaining 1 tablespoon sugar to a boil. In batches of 2, add the bagels to the water and boil, flipping halfway through, until the bagels expand slightly, 1 minute. Transfer the bagels to the prepared baking sheets with a slotted spoon. Bake until golden, 30 to 35 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack.
Cook’s Note
When measuring flour, we spoon it into a dry measuring cup and level off excess. (Scooping directly from the bag compacts the flour, resulting in dry baked goods.)