Ingredients

The following ingredients have 4 Servings
  • 1 cup lukewarm water (about 105F)
  • 2 1/4 tsp Instant or Active Dry yeast (*see Note 1 below)
  • 2 Tablespoons white granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon fine salt
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 cup quick-cooking oats (*see Note 2 below for large-flake oats)
  • 2 1/2 cups bread flour (approximately, *see Note 3 below for using all purpose flour)
  • 1/2 cup raisins (plumped, drained and dried)
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (sprinkled onto dough in while kneading)
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 2 quarts water ((8 cups))

Instruction

  • Plump the Raisins: Add the raisins to a small bowl and cover with hot water. Let stand while you start the dough, then when ready to use drain and pat dry with a paper towel.
  • In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the kneading hook, add the lukewarm water, yeast and white sugar. Stir and let stand 5 minutes. Add the salt, cinnamon and oats to the bowl, together with 1 cup of the flour. Mix to combine. Add another 1 cup of flour and mix in. Begin adding addition flour, in small increments, until you have a smooth, moist dough, that wraps the kneading hook and cleans the bowl. The dough should not be sticky.
  • Remove the dough to a floured surface and knead, adding small amounts of additional flour only if it is sticking to your hands or the work surface. Pat dough out into a 1-inch thick oval and scatter raisins over top. Sprinkle the extra cinnamon over-top. Fold dough over and knead, as needed, to incorporate the raisins evenly into the dough.
  • Form dough into a ball, place into a greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
  • Towards the end of the first rising period, start a large pot of water to boil on the stove-top, with about 2 quarts (8 cups) of water.
  • Preheat the oven to 425F (regular bake setting/not fan-assisted), with the rack in the centre of the oven. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
  • Remove dough to a lightly floured work surface and gently deflate. Divide dough into 6 even pieces. *I like to weigh the entire dough piece, then divide by 6, to get a weight for each bagel. I then weigh out the individual portions. This way my bagels are all exactly the same size and will bake evenly.
  • For each of the 6 pieces of dough into a ball, then use your thumbs to poke a hole in the centre of the ball, to make the hole for the bagel. Stretch the hole out with your fingers, making a bit of an exaggerated hole at this point (large that you think it needs to be), as it will fill in a bit as it boils and bakes. Once you've formed all 6, cover with a clean tea towel and let rest 10 minutes.
  • Once bagels have rested, add the honey to the boiling water. Boil the bagels, 3 at a time, boiling each side of the bagel for 1 minute. Remove bagels to the parchment-lined baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining bagels.
  • Once all bagels are boiled, place baking sheet into the preheated 425F oven and bake for 14-16 minutes or until deep golden in colour and hollow-sounding when tapped.
  • Remove from oven and immediately remove to a cooling wire rack to cool completely.