Chive Bagels

Sadly bagels are out of bounds for us – because of the popularity of sesame bagels, all varieties may contain traces of sesame seeds and so the whole genre of bagel type breads is a no go for Little S. I do bemoan sesame allergy – you might think that avoiding those little seeds would have minimal impact, but their use in bakeries makes most fresh breads and generally any interesting baked goods firmly in the no go list 🙁

So, if we want fancy, exciting breads we have to make them. Whilst not ideal when time is limited, it is also an absolute joy to include homemade breads, warm and fragrant from the oven into our family mealtimes. It’s when I feel like a real good mummy and provider of goodness!

These bagels with their oniony chives were a massive hit – we had traditional bagels for lunch with salads, and then bagels made into burger buns for supper. It’s definitely worth the effort when you get two tasty homemade meals out of one batch of dough!

Theses bagels are wonderfully soft inside with a slightly chewy exterior, but without any hint of heavy which store bought varieties can be. In fact they were such a hit that D has declared them his favourite homemade bread of all time! :-0

Chive Bagels

(dairy-free, egg-free, nut-free, soya-free, sesame-free, vegetarian and vegan)

Makes 10

2 tbsp caster sugar

1/2 tbsp soft brown sugar

1 1/2 tsps salt

1 tbsp dried yeast

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

300ml water

500g strong bread flour

1 tbsp freeze-dried chives or 2 tbsps  chopped fresh chives

1tbsp bicarbonate of soda

1 tbsp dairy-free milk, for brushing

A few flakes of sea salt to sprinkle

1. Sift the flour into bowl; add the chives, salt, sugars and yeast.
2. Pour in the water and oil and and mix until you have a nice smooth, pliable dough (if you have a mixer with a dough hook use that)
3. Knead until the dough is silky smooth and bounces back when you make an indentation (probably 5-10 minutes)
4. Place in a lightly oiled bowl, cover and leave to rise for about an hour, or until doubled in size.
5. Heat the oven to 220 degrees centigrade/gas mark 7. Oil a baking sheet
6. Bring a pan of water to the boil. Cut the dough into ten equal sized pieces.
7. Shape each into a ball, then insert a wooden spoon handle in the middle to make a hole. Twizzle about until the hole is at least 2cm/1 inch across. (Or leave as balls if making burger buns)
8. Once all the bagels are shaped, tip the bicarbonate into the water. Place each bagel in the boiling water for about 30 seconds, turning over once. Lift out, drain off the excess water by placing on a clean tea towel. Then place on the baking sheet.
9. Brush with the dairy-free milk and sprinkle with the salt.
10. Bake for 15-18 minutes until golden
11. Cool on a wire rack.