Jerusalem Bagels
Lalush by Iris
Jun 27, 2020
Published On
At the beginning of the COVID crisis, overwhelmed with uncertainty, we rushed to stock up on food and supplies, especially lots of water, flour, yeast, oil and sugar. We were concerned with the news, thirsty for every bit of information. The children were hidden in their rooms glued to their phones and computer screens. I decided to go into the kitchen for a little therapy session in my safe and beloved place. I put in the mixer bowl: flour, yeast, sugar, oil, salt and water. Mixed, kneaded, proofed, shaped and baked. The smell that spread in the house, as I expected, detached all the household members from the TV, computers, and phone screens and magnetized them directly into the kitchen. I am sure you will agree with me that nothing can beat the aroma and flavor of home-baked bread!
I am delighted to share with you this amazing Jerusalem Bagel recipe, crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Biting into these bagels will take you directly to the bagel stands at the Jaffa Gate, the alleys of the Old City of Jerusalem, and to the Za'atar served in a newspaper page.
Iris’s Tip
I like to fill some of my bagels with pesto and mozzarella, spinach and feta, spinach and artichoke, mixed cheeses, or kalamata olives, and more.
How is it done? After you roll out the dough balls, place the filling on the edge, roll into a strand and join the two ends.
Ingredients
7 cups bread or all-purpose flour (preferably bread flour since it is gluten-enriched)
2 tablespoons of dry yeast
1/2 cup sugar
6 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups of water
1 1/2 tablespoon of salt
Directions
Place all of the ingredients (in the order they are written on the ingredients list) into the mixer bowl; knead for 15 minutes. (If you are not using a mixer, knead by hand for 15 minutes.) This step is very important in order to develop the gluten net in the dough.
Transfer the dough into a greased bowl with two tablespoons of olive oil and roll the dough in the oil, until it is uniformly coated. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap; allow to rise for two hours.
Divide the dough into 19 equal parts. Gather each piece of dough into a ball and cover with plastic.
Dust your work surface lightly with flour; roll each ball into a strand.
Take the first strand you created (this is important because the dough was able to rest and will have more elasticity, making it easier to work with) and roll the strand again; it will stretch and become longer. You can leave the bagel as a strand or attach both ends to a circle; cover with plastic.
Fill a bowl with tap water and another bowl with sesame, za'atar, or any other topping of your choice. Dip each strip in the water, and then in the topping until all the bagels are covered with topping; place on a baking sheet, lined with parchment paper. Allow to rise for an hour or even better two hours.
Bake in a preheated oven 390 degrees Fahrenheit or 200 degrees Celcius for 15 minutes.
Serve hot.