Whole Wheat & Oat Bagels - #BreadBakers

Whole Wheat & Oat Bagel w/ Chickpea & Sweet Potato Burger

Do you watch the Great British Baking Show/ Bake-Off? I am catching up on Sunday's episode as I type this up. I am not sure how I feel about this show. In fact, a friend messaged me last night asking if he should watch it and I am still not sure what to say to him. The hosts are annoying. But the challenges are OK, I guess. I've learned a thing or two from the past episodes. For example, I'd never heard of a hot water crust before. It's something I definitely want to try at some point. Nevertheless, the show just doesn't excite me. Perhaps, I have gotten too used to cooking shows with gimmicks. "Make a ten tiered wedding cake with one hand tied behind your back. And oh, you can't use an oven." Yes, I'm mocking Cutthroat Kitchen.

So about these bagels. The Great British Baking Show doesn't excite but these bagels definitely did. I made bagels once before. I think they were the second bread/sourdough item that I ever made. Cinnamon and raisin. I was so proud of myself. I told everyone within hearing distance that I made bagels. That was back in 2011. It's taken me almost 4 years to make another batch. Why did it take so long? I have no idea. I tend to not repeat things because I am always trying to move on to something else. And there's the fact that bagels are pretty calorie-dense. I'll happily eat two without thinking about it. That's a lot of bagel (for me) in one sitting. That's why I made these smaller so that when (not if) I ate two at once, I wouldn't feel too stuffed.

The flavour was inspired by a Whole Wheat Oat and Honey bread that Joy the Baker challenged her readers to make. I made it and LOVED it. It smelled so amazing while being baked that I immediately tossed my other bagel baking plans. Plus, it had oats. We've already covered the fact that I like to put oats in every bread so this was perfect. I definitely had half a loaf within a couple hours.

Check out my recipe below and when you're finished, check out those AMAZING bagels baked by my fellow Bread Bakers.You'll want to run to the kitchen and start working on your own batch immediately.

Whole Wheat & Oat Bagels

Recipe by: Kelster    Dough formula adapted from Peter Reinhart's Artisan Breads Every Day

Yield: 6 - 9 bagels

Ingredients Dough 1 tablespoon honey 1 teaspoon instant yeast 1 1/2 teaspoon salt 255 grams water 54 grams ground oats 100 grams whole wheat flour 300 grams all purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon Poaching Liquid 8 - 12 cups of water (enough for 4 inches of water in a pot) 1 1/2 tablespoon honey 1 tablespoon baking powder 1 teaspoon salt

Directions Combine all the dough ingredients and knead for 3 minutes. Let the dough rest for 5 minutes then knead for an additional 3 minutes. The dough should be stiff yet supple. If it's dry and cracking, add water by the teaspoon. If it's sticky or very tacky, add flour. Allow to rise for 1 hour in a lightly oiled bowl. Lightly oil a sheet pan. Divide the dough into 6 - 9 balls. Traditionally, bagels are about 113 grams (4 oz). I used ~3 oz per bagel for 9 bagels. To shape the bagels, you can use one of two methods: A) Poke a hole in the center of the ball to form a donut shape. With two fingers in the hole, rotate the dough, gradually stretching the hole to two inches.   OR B) Roll out each ball to an 8 inch rope. Taper the rope slightly at each end and moisten the last inch or so of the ends. Place one end of the dough in the palm of your hand and wrap the rope around your hand to complete the circle, going between your thumb and forefinger and then all the way around. The ends should overlap by about 2 inches. Squeeze the overlapping ends together by closing your hand, then press the seam into the work surface, rolling it back and forth a few times to seal. Remove the dough from your hand, squeezing it to even out the thickness if need be and creating a hole of about 2 inches in diameter. I tried both methods. The donut way is quicker but I didn't have a preference. Cover the sheet pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight or up to 2 days. Remove the bagels from the refrigerator about an hour before you plan to bake them. Place a bagel in a bowl of cold water. If it floats, the bagels are ready to be boiled and baked. If it sinks, shake off the water and test it again in 10 minutes. 30 minutes before baking, preheat oven to 500 F. Bring a pot of water to a boil. There should be at least 4 inches of water in the pot. Lower heat to maintain a simmer and stir in honey, salt and baking soda. Gently lower each bagel into to the pot. After a minute, turn the bagel over. Boil for another 30 - 60 seconds. Remove with a slotted spoon and place on an OILED surface. Bagels will stick to parchment if it isn't oiled. Place bagels in the oven and lower heat to 450 F. After 8 minutes, rotate the pan and bake for another 10 minutes.

Notes You can also proof the full piece of dough in an oiled bowl overnight and then shape the bagels on baking day, 60 to 90 minutes before boiling and baking them, or as soon as they pass the float test.

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#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. Follow our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated each month on this home page. We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient. If you are a food blogger and would like to join us, just send Stacy an email with your blog URL to
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