Pretzel Bagel

DIFFICULTY LEVEL: EASY-TO-MODERATE

We love bagels in my household and it’s fun to make different kinds to suit all tastes. You can see how to make cinnamon-raisin and cheese variations by clicking here. I decided to make a dedicated recipe for this particular variety: the pretzel bagel.

Eureka! With just this super-simple change, I was able to fundamentally transform the flavor of a normal bagel into one of pretzel heaven.

There is no good way to make a sandwich from a normal pretzel or do anything with it other than eat it with mustard and salt. One day I was making my normal batch of bagels and had this idea to boil them in an alkali solution instead of plain water – a transformation that would produce a Pretzel-Frankenstein. Oh my goodness! This….this was a whole new thing and something I’m excited to share with you!

The pretzel

If you’ve never made a pretzel, you may not know they are typically soaked in an alkali bath (a very basic solution – opposite of an acidic solution) before baking, and this causes the pretzel crust to be soft, chewy, shiny and dark mahogany colored. It also imparts a very unique flavor that is distinctive for pretzels.

The merger of two great things: boiling and alkali

Bagels are typically boiled in water to give them that thick, chewy crust. So why not boil them as always but boil them in an alkali solution? Eureka! With just this super-simple change, I was able to fundamentally transform the flavor of a normal bagel into one of pretzel heaven.

Start by making a normal batch of bagels. This is the same exact recipe I use for my normal bagels. I find that for pretzel bagels, it’s best to keep them plain (no inclusions like raisins or cheese) but you can experiment. If you find a winning combination, please comment below.

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Bagel Recipe

Delicious, tender and chewy bagels

Course Breads

Cuisine American

Keyword bagels

Prep Time 45 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Poolish 12 hours hours

Total Time 13 hours hours

Servings 9 Bagels

Calories 1kcal

Ingredients

Poolish

• 176 g Flour I use ABC+ which is a 11.5% white flour
• 176 g Water
• 1/8 tsp Instant Yeast

Final Dough

• 345 g Poolish
• 135 g Water COLD – keep in fridge until ready
• 7 g Instant Yeast
• 23 g Sugar
• 362 g Flour I use ABC+ (11.5%)
• 28 g Vital Wheat Gluten VWG
• 6 g Diastatic Malt
• 11 g Salt

Instructions

Poolish

• Make the poolish by thoroughly combining the flour, water and yeast.
• Allow it to stand at room temperature for 12 hours or longer, until it is risen and very bubbly.

Make the final dough

• Add all ingredients together.
• Mix in KitchenAid mixer for 3 minutes on speed 2. Stop and let it rest for 5 minutes, flip the dough over in the bowl so it mixes more evenly. Mix another 7 minutes. If using a spiral mixer, mix 5 minutes speed 1 and 5-6 minutes speed 2 until improved – intense mix.
• Bulk fermentation for 1 hour minutes at room temperature.
• Divide the dough into about 9 pieces, 100 g each. Allow the balls to rest covered for 15 minutes.
• Add any additional ingredients to flavor your bagel like cinnamon/raisins, Parmesan, garlic/onion, honey, olives, blue cheese, etc..
• Shape each ball into a bagel shape. Flatten according to preference (see notes in detailed recipe below).
• Allow to proof for 45 minutes covered. Start your oven and get a flat pan of water boiling.
• Boil bagels for 1 minutes, then flip them over and boil another minute (2 min total).
• Place on baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Bake at 425°F for 14-15min until evenly browned. Flip over and rotate throughout the bake a few times to assure uniform baking.

Notes

By mixing and then stopping after a few minutes, it allows your mixer to cool down.  It also gives the gluten a chance to relax, which takes some strain off your mixer’s motor.  Keep in mind that bagel dough will put a lot of strain on your mixer and there is a risk it could cause permanent damage. 

Also keep mindful of the fact that you are taking things in and out of boiling water, so be extra careful not to burn yourself!

DETAILED RECIPE:

The recipe above is the same as for my regular bagels. The ONLY difference is what they are boiled in before baking.

Start by making an alkali solution. You can do this in one of two ways:

1. Use baking soda in water (preferred for my recipe)
2. Use pure, food grade sodium hydroxide (lye)

I include the option of using lye because anyone who is serious about pretzels knows that they must be dipped in a lye solution (not baking soda). This is the traditional way of doing it and lye is much more powerful than baking soda. It imparts a nicer color and more intense flavor. You can certainly use lye, but I would boil the bagels in plain water first and then dip them in a 4% lye solution for 10-15 seconds before baking.

Tip: Alkali solutions create a deep dark color and intense flavor because they accelerate the Maillard Reaction, a process which happens when amino acids and sugars heat up together.

I find it easier to simply boil the bagels in a baking soda solution and my results are ‘good enough’ with less hassle and without having to handle lye (which can be dangerous).

While the bagels are proofing, mix 175g Baking Soda into about 5lbs of water (10 cups, 2.27kg). Bring this mixture to a boil close to the time your bagels are fully proofed.

Boil the bagels in this mixture 1 minute on one side and then flip over and boil on the other side.

Bake at 425F for about 14-15 minutes or until the bagels are dark brown in color. Allow to fully cool before enjoying.

Have you tried this recipe or have ideas or comments? Please share below.