Rosemary Olive Oil Bagels (Bruegger's Copycat)
These rosemary olive oil bagels are a near-perfect copycat for the ones you can get at Bruegger's Bagels. They're golden brown, chewy and tender, with nice herbal flavor from the olive oil and fresh minced rosemary. Best served toasted with cream cheese!
Ingredients
- 500 grams all-purpose flour (3½ cups)
- 1½ tablespoon brown sugar (plain sugar will also work)
- 1½ teaspoon diamond crystal kosher salt
- 2 teaspoon instant yeast (active dry or instant)
- 285 grams warm water (1 cup + 3 tablespoon but you may need a little extra if you live somewhere dry)
- 15 grams olive oil (1 generous TBSP)
- 5 grams minced fresh rosemary (2 TBSP)
Instructions
- Finely mince rosemary and combine with olive oil in a small bowl. Set aside to infuse until ready to use. (This can be made up to 48 hours before use, keep refrigerated if not using immediately).
- Combine flour, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix with your hand to combine, then add yeast.
- Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour the water and minced rosemary-infused olive oil into it. Run the mixer on low speed to mix the dough, pausing occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. This may take several minutes. (If the dough seems really dry, drizzle in water 1 teaspoon at a time, letting the mixer run after each addition until it comes together on its own. You're looking for a fairly low hydration dough, so resist adding water unless absolutely necessary.)
- Once the dough has mostly come together in a shaggy mass on the dough hook, increase the mixer to medium and knead for 3 minutes until the dough is smooth and slightly tacky. Dust in additional flour if needed to keep the dough from sticking to the sides of the bowl.
- Shape the dough into a ball and drizzle a little bit of oil into the mixer bowl. Plop the dough inside and turn it around to coat it with oil. Cover and let it rise in a warm spot for about an hour, until it just about doubles in size. When you press it with a finger the indent should bounce back slightly but not completely.
- Once the dough has doubled in size, gently deflate it, then cover and let rest 10 more minutes.
- Divide the dough into 8 equal portions (use a kitchen scale for precision). Shape each portion of dough into a round dough ball with the smooth side on top and the "seam side" underneath.
- Starting with the first dough round you shaped, dip your thumb in flour and poke it through the bottom of the dough and out the other side. Slide your other thumb through next to it and begin stretching and squeezing the dough as you rotate it through your hands. Be careful not to tear the dough, just gently stretch it. Repeat with the rest of the dough rounds, then cover them with a damp paper towel and let them rest for 10 minutes.
- While the bagels rest, preheat your oven to 425°F and fill a large, high-sided skillet about halfway with water — just enough that there's room for the bagels to float without resting on the bottom. Bring to a low boil.
- Working in batches, boil the bagels 1 minute per side. For a larger bagel hole, stretch the bagels again immediately before boiling. Remove the boiled bagels to a silicone mat or parchment lined sheet pan sprinkled with corn meal.
- Whisk an egg with a pinch of salt, and brush it over the boiled bagels.
- Bake the bagels for 20 minutes in a 425°F oven. Remove to a rack to cool at least 10 minutes before slicing, if you can bear to wait that long.
RECIPE NOTES
- Once you shape the bagels, the dough will fill out while it rests and again when you boil it so don't be shy about making the holes slightly bigger than you think they should be. The bagel hole should be at least the same width as the sides of the bagel, if not slightly bigger.
- Bagels will stay good in an airtight bag up to 5 days.
- To freeze, slice bagels almost all the way through, then place in an airtight bag in the freezer.