Whole Grain Spelt Rye Bagels

Several golden brown bagels, some halved to show interior texture.

Spelt rye bagels, made with a mix of lower-gluten spelt and rye flour for ultra flavourful, slightly softer bagels.

Course Bread, Breakfast

Cuisine European

Diet Vegan, Vegetarian

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 30

Rising Time 1 30

Total Time 2 20

Servings bagels

Calories 205kcal

Author Alexandra Daum

Ingredients

330 grams (1 ¼ cups) water room temperature
20 grams (1 heaping tablespoon) honey or maple syrup
3 teaspoons dried yeast traditional, or use ½ cube fresh
200 grams (1 ¼ cups) whole grain rye flour
300 grams (scant 2 cups) spelt flour whole grain*
10 grams (2 teaspoons) sea salt

Water Bath

1 tablespoon baking soda
1 tablespoon honey or maple syrup

Instructions

Whisk the water and honey together in a large mixing bowl. Add the yeast and set aside to bloom, about ten minutes. The yeast should expand and bubble up (if not, it may no longer be active).
330 grams (1 ¼ cups) water, 20 grams (1 heaping tablespoon) honey, 3 teaspoons dried yeast
Stir in the rye flour, spelt flour, and salt. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead by hand for 6-8 minutes, until stretchy and smooth. The dough will not be as stretchy as it would be with wheat flour and will not pass a windowpane test.
200 grams (1 ¼ cups) whole grain rye flour, 300 grams (scant 2 cups) spelt flour, 10 grams (2 teaspoons) sea salt
Return the kneaded dough to the bowl and cover with a tea towel and large plate. Set aside to rise until doubled in size, 60-90 minutes.
Once the dough has risen, divide it into ten equal balls. Place onto a lined baking sheet. Cover with a tea towel and let the individual dough balls rest for another ten minutes. You will need two large baking sheets or to bake the bagels in two batches.
While the bagel dough is resting, preheat the oven to 220°C (430°F). Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Reduce the heat so that the water is at a low boil - it should simmer when bagels are added - and add the baking soda and honey.
1 tablespoon baking soda, 1 tablespoon honey
Lightly dust the balls with flour. Shape the bagels by pressing a finger into the centre of the ball and then using your two pointer fingers to roll and stretch the hole (like a barrel roll) until it's about the size of a walnut. Place back onto the lined baking sheet and repeat with the remaining bagels.
Boil the shaped bagels about three at a time, depending on how much space is in the pot, for one minute each side. Dip in toppings if you'd like. Return boiled bagels to the baking sheet.
Bake the boiled bagels for 18-20 minutes, until golden brown. Cool for 15-20 minutes on the baking sheets, then cool fully on a wire rack before slicing and serving. Rye bagels especially should be fully cool before slicing.
Store your bagels in a paper bag at room temperature for a couple of days or freeze up to three months. I recommend slicing before freezing and toasting directly from frozen.

Notes

* If using light (sifted) spelt flour, add a couple of extra tablespoons to the dough. It absorbs less water than whole grain spelt.

If using cup measurements for this recipe, start with slightly less spelt flour and add more bit by bit while kneading if needed. I recommend always using weights if you have a kitchen scale as cups are not accurate.

- Knead by hand: most mixers can't handle bagel dough, which is pretty stiff, and you don't want to burn out the motor. I recommend kneading this dough by hand rather than risking it.

- Don't boil too long: a little longer boiling time can make for chewier bagels, but too long and they might collapse when they come out of the water.

- Add toppings: if you want to top your bagels with herbs or seeds, do that after boiling and before baking. Simply dip the still-wet bagel into a shallow bowl with the topping. Boiled bagels don't need an egg wash.

Nutrition