The best kind of breakfasts are those that take a little bit of extra time & love right? I’m talking pancakes, muffins, eggs Benedict, french toast or toasted & stuffed bagels. The sort of thing’s that weekend are made for (if your weekend don’t revolve around food then you’re doing it wrong). My favourite kind of breakfast though, weekend or not, is pretty much anything toasted. Anything that I can slather in butter, jam or a good chunky marmalade.
Toast is usually my go to here, it’s quick & it’s easy during the working week, but when I have got a little extra time on my hands during the week, I love to whip up a batch of bagels. You only need a handful of store cupboard ingredients to make them & one batch will sort us out for a weeks worth of epic breakfasts.
Bagels may seem really complicated to make for yourself at home but honestly, they couldn’t be easier once you know how & taste so much better than anything store bought! If you’ve ever made any kind of yeasted bread before then you can make these, the only difference is one additional step, a brief dip in hot water before being baked. Admittedly this little dip will make them look more like cellulite than buns but don’t worry, they’ll soon tone up in the oven.
These date & cinnamon bagels are probably my favourite variety that I make, it’s my own little take on a classic cinnamon & raisin but I find that dates add a much more noticeable & toffee-like taste which works really well with ample cinnamon. These chewy little bagels are a great sweet fix in the mornings, split right down the middle, toasted & topped with salted butter. You can even freeze a batch for those busier weeks, so there’s really no excuse not to enjoy breakfast anymore.
DATE & CINNAMON BAGELS
(makes 6 bagels)
Ingredients:
- 150g wholemeal flour
- 350g strong white flour
- 3 tsp cinnamon
- 2 tbsp caster sugar
- 7g dried fast-acting yeast
- 300ml water
- 200g pitted dates, chopped
- 1 egg, beaten, & for brushing
For boiling:
- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 1 tsp honey
To top (optional):
- 3 tbsp pumpkin, sunflower, sesame or poppy seeds
Method:
- In a large bowl, combine the flour, cinnamon, yeast, salt & sugar
- Make a well in the centre of the flour mixture & pour in enough of the water to form a dough (you may not need all of the water or may need a little more, start with two-thirds & keep adding more until the dough comes together, adding more if your dough seems a bit dry)
- Empty the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface & knead for 10 minutes (or 5 minutes if using a stand mixer with a dough hook) until it is smooth & elastic when stretched
- Use your hands to shape the dough into a ball & put it back into the bowl, cover with clingfilm & leave to rise for about an hour, until it has doubled in size
- Once your dough has risen, tip it out onto a floured work surface & knock back the dough (knead out the air pockets)
- Stretch out the dough slightly & tip over the chopped dates
- Knead the dates into the dough until evenly distributed
- Divide your dough into 6 equal sized pieces & shape into round buns
- Next, use your finger or a wooden spoon handle to poke a hole right in the middle of each bun
- Twirl the buns, either on the work surface, your finger or spoon handle, to stretch out the holes
- Cover the buns with a tea towel, or (my preference) place inside a large plastic bag & leave to prove for 30 – 45 minutes, until almost doubled in size & the dough springs back when gently pressed with a finger
- Fill a large saucepan with water & bring to the boil
- Once boiling, add in the bicarbonate of soda & the honey & stir through until dissolved
- Now, one by one, carefully drop your proved bagels into the saucepan & boil for 30 seconds on each side
- Use a slotted spoon to carefully remove the boiled bagels, draining off any excess water & place back on a parchment lined baking sheet
- Once boiled, brush the tops of each bagel with the beaten egg & sprinkle over any toppings
- Bake the bagels at 200C for 15-20 minutes until golden brown & they sound hollow when tapped from underneath
- Remove from the oven & allow to cool on a cooling rack
- You can freeze your date & cinnamon bagels, simply wrap well & freeze for up to a month, if you’re going to toast them, slice before freezing then pop straight into the toaster from frozen
