Blueberry Bagels

Wow. This was amazing. I made these because a friend wants me to teach her to make bagels. She wanted to make Blueberry ones. Well, I’ve never made fruity bagels so I figured I’d best try it out first. Not being a big fan of fruity bagels, I made them with an attitude of just testing it out, planning to have my Flambinas eat them. But, these were amazing.  Have I mentioned that?  The texture is different from a store bought, packaged bagel, and I think that made all the difference in the world.  I also used my Vanilla Sugar in the recipe.  Mmmmmmm.  We will make this again. Flambo!

 my directions will be for using a Kitchen Aid mixer. 

Blueberry Bagels

6 1/2-7 1/2 cups unbleached flour
i pkg yeast (or 2 1/4 tsp from the jar)
2 Tbl Vanilla Sugar ( plain sugar will do)
1 tsp salt
2 1/4 cups warm water
1 Tbl extra light Olive oil
4 oz package dried blueberries

2 Tbl Vanilla Sugar (for later use in boiling stage)
2 greased baking sheets

In a small bowl, proof the yeast with 1 tsp regular sugar and 1/4 cup warm water.

Meanwhile, combine 5 cups flour, Vanilla Sugar and salt in a mixing bowl.  When yeast mixture has bubbled up, add to the mixing bowl along with the remaining 2 cups of water and olive oil. Add blueberries. Add more flour as needed, using a spatula to scrape sides of bowl, to make a dough that is smooth, elastic, and not sticky.  The blueberries should be well combined with the dough.

Remove from mixing bowl, and place in an oiled bowl. Cover and let rise for about 1 hour.


Punch down. Cut into 16 pieces.  Roll each piece into a ball until smoothed.

(this ones needs a little more rolling)

Poke a hole in the center of the ball of dough.
 
Place on greased baking sheet (I prefer baking stones~still grease them-I use a spray) 
 

Cover and let rise for about 20 minutes. They will get puffy.
 

After 10 minutes of the rising time have passed, start a large pot of water and 2 TBL Vanilla Sugar to boil (will probably take about 10 minutes to boil)

 
Poach bagels, about 3-4 at a time, for about a minute.  I drop them top down and then turn them over immediately so the bottom can set. Then I turn them top down again for about  30 seconds. Turn and boil bottom down about another 30 seconds. This sets the rising so they will not rise any more while baking.

Remove them from the boiling water (I use a skimmer~it’s like a big spoon with a screen for the dipper. The above foto is of a sundried tomato bagel. You’ll find the link for these in the archives for June 2010 ) and return to greased baking sheet. 

 
Bake at 375 degrees for about 30-35 minutes, until lightly golden brown.  Cool on wire rack