In Turkey, especially office workers often buy a Turkish bagel from street sellers for breakfast. These bagels are also sold in all the bakeries and patisseries. There are several varieties such as with olives, cheese and raisins. This recipe is the plain version.
A
As this recipe is the home-made version is much healthier and has much less calories than the ones sold in the patisseries.
This recipe makes 8 bagels. You can double the recipe and make 8 more and keep the dough in the freezer to cook later.
Make sure not to over cook the bagels, once golden brown on top and on the bottom they will be cooked enough. Do not cover until they have cooled completely. Then you can keep for several days when covered. But believe me they never last too long.
You will notice that the recipe instructions are rather long. I have added all my tips and tricks. I hope you will try and enjoy this recipe.
Turkish Bagels / Açma
Ingredients
Yeast
- 10 grams instant yeast
- 100 millilitres warm milk
- 100 millilitres warm water
Dough
- 350-400 grams flour
- 100 millilitres light olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 2 egg whites small
Spread
- 2 egg yolks
- 1 tablespoon nigella seeds
Instructions
Yeast
- If available use fresh yeast (42 grams), if not use instant yeast (10 grams). Activate both as below.
- In a small bowl add 100 millilitres of warm water and 100 millilitres warm milk. The warmth should be around 30° Celsius. If you do not have a thermometer, use your pinky finger, if you can barely keep it in the water for a count of 7 it means the warmth is fine.
- Pour the yeast and mix until bubbly, sprinkle some flour on top. Rest for 3-5 minutes.
Dough
- Sift the flour, add most of it in a bowl.
- Add the olive oil.
- Separate the egg yolks and whites. Add the whites to the flour. The yolks will be used for the top.
- Add the yeast mixture to the bowl.
- First mix with a spatula.
- Add the salt.
- Start kneading afterwards.
- Knead to obtain a soft non-stick dough. Should take at least 10 minutes. The more, the better.
- The dough should be very soft and slightly sticky. Stop adding flour when you reach this texture.
- When you make a large dough and the surface is smooth and you poke a finger and it tends to close the hole immediately. It is a sign that it is ready.
- Sprinkle with flour all around, cover with a cling film and set aside for half an hour. 2 hours will be better.
- When time is up, knead a minute more to take out the air of the dough.
- Cut the dough into 16 pieces. Make balls out of each piece. Keep dough covered when not working on it.
- Take one of the balls and make a long strip by stretching and rolling with your hands. Take another one and do the same. They should be more or less the same length.
- Then hold them together on one end and swing so one of the strings curls around the other. Meet the other ends together and make a round shape.
- Place them on the tray with greased or baking paper. Continue doing the same with all the other balls. Leave some space between the doughs on the tray as they will rise considerably. Once on the tray do not move them around, or they will stop rising.
- Once finished with all the dough, cover with a clean table cloth and set aside for 30-45 minutes to activate further and ferment and expand.
- When time is up whisk the two egg yolks and very gently spread on top of each dough with an egg brush.
- Sprinkle with nigella seeds and/or sesame seeds.
- Bake in a preheated oven at 190° Celsius until golden brown on all sides. Should take around 20 minutes.