Recipe: Montreal Bagels

The perfect Montreal bagel is baked to a golden colour, crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside. These bagels are boiled in honey water for a beautiful blonde glaze.

The perfect Montreal bagel is baked to a golden colour, crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside. These bagels are boiled in honey water for a beautiful blonde glaze.

Montreal bagels were the technical challenge for bread week on The Great Canadian Baking Show.

Ingredients

• 350 g warm water
• 60 g sugar
• 30 g oil
• 10 g active dry yeast
• 1 egg
• 20 g honey
• 8 g salt
• Up to 700 g flour

For finishing:

• 350 g honey
• Sesame seeds
• Poppy seeds

Preparation

Preheat oven to 450° F with a parchment paper-lined baking sheet inside.

Fill a large pot with water. Put to boil over medium-high heat.

In a large bowl, whisk together water, sugar, oil, yeast, egg and honey. Whisk in salt. Gently stir in some of the flour (approx. 550g), one cup at a time, until a soft dough forms.

Turn dough out onto surface and gently knead until it begins to comes together. Continue to knead, adding flour as needed to prevent sticking, until you have a soft, dough that bounces back when you press on it — it should take 10 - 12 minutes.

When dough is properly kneaded, place in an oiled bowl, making sure to get a thin coat of oil on dough. Cover with a towel and let rest 30 minutes.  

Cut dough into 16 pieces (about 75g each). Keep pieces covered with towel while you work.  

Shaping:

Roll each piece into a 10 - 12 inch rope. Do not add flour to the surface, unless to prevent sticking.

Wrap rope around your four fingers, overlapping the ends on the inside of your hand to make a circle. To seal, roll your hand back and forth, pressing gently to complete the circle. Place on floured surface to rest and cover with a towel as you work. Keep bagels covered as you go. 

Let bagels rest 30 minutes.

Add 350 g of honey to pot of water and bring to a full boil.  

Handle rested bagels gently to keep their shape. Boil bagels in batches, 1 ½ - 2 minutes per side. Remove from water using a slotted spoon. Place onto cooling rack and sprinkle heavily with seeds. 

Place bagels on heated pan in oven and bake until golden brown, 15 - 20 minutes.

Servings: Makes 16 bagels