Blueberry Bagels
Blueberries are plentiful for us here in Maine! The wild ones we harvest each summer are bursting with flavor! Our growing season is short, so I wanted to write this recipe using frozen blueberries, which are what we rely on for the majority of the year. I am always trying to find new uses for our Maple Blueberry Sauce, so it makes an appearance in these chewy bagels.
A quick video of how we make these can be found here.
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Yield 8 bagels
Dough
4¼ cups bread flour (I use King Arthur Flour)
1¾ cups frozen wild blueberries
1¼ cup warm water (100-110°F or 38-43°C)
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons white or golden sugar
2 teaspoons salt (We only use French Grey Salt in all of our bread and savory recipes!)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Extra virgin olive oil for greasing bowl
Water Bath
6 cups of water
1/4 cup of honey
Egg Wash
1 egg white, whisked with 1 tablespoon of water.
Steps
1. Combine 1 cup of frozen blueberries and 2 tablespoons of maple syrup in a saucepan. Turn to high heat, and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to medium, and continue to cook for 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and set aside.
2. In the bowl of your stand mixer, combine the warm water and instant yeast. Whisk to combine. Add in the honey, dark brown sugar, white or golden sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon. Whisk to combine. Add 2 cups of bread flour and sprinkle the salt on top. Attach the dough hook to your mixer. Mix on the lowest speed for 30 seconds. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula, add 2 cups of bread flour, cooked blueberries with any juice, remaining ¾ cup of frozen blueberries, and mix for 30 seconds. The dough will look shredded, and some of the frozen berries may be collected on the bottom of the bowl. Use your hand to take the dough off of the hook, and push down to gather some of the berries into the dough. Flip the dough over and repeat. Add the remaining ¼ of bread flour, and mix on the lowest speed for 3 minutes.
3. Turn your dough out onto a clean work surface. Use your hands to form a ball. Drizzle a small amount of extra virgin olive oil into the bowl of your mixer. Place the dough inside the bowl, turning to coat it on all sides. Get your tap water as hot as your can handle, fully wet a clean dish towel, ring it out and drape it over the bowl. Put your bowl in a draft-free, warm area for 1 hour.
4. While your dough is rising, line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Put a wire rack over another piece of parchment paper, or baking sheet. We will use this to slightly dry the bagels after the water bath. Preheat your oven to 425°F.
5. Fill a large pot with 6 cups of water and 1/4 cup of honey. Bring to a boil over high heat, whisking occasionally. Once it is brought to a boil, reduce the heat to medium, or medium-low to maintain a simmer.
6. After 1 hour, your dough should spring back when poked. Punch down your dough, and turn it out onto a clean work surface. Use a bench scraper to divide your dough into 8 equal parts. (Photos are below)
7. Take each triangle of dough, and form it into a ball. I like to roll the ball on the counter to seal the bottom seam a bit. Use your index and middle finger to press a hole into the center of the ball. Gently stretch the center to form a hole about 1.5 to 2" in diameter. Place each bagel onto one of the parchment-lined baking sheets. Cover with the damp kitchen towel while you continue to shape each bagel.
8. Let the bagels rest, covered for 10 minutes.
9. Bring your water bath back to a gentle boil. Take one bagel at a time and stretch the center again. Place one bagel, top side down, into the water bath. Cook for 30 seconds, flip with a slotted spatula, or two forks. Cook for 30 seconds. I cook no more than 2 bagels at once. Use the slotted spatula to remove the bagel from the water bath. Place it onto the wire rack while you continue to boil the remaining bagels.
10. Transfer all of the bagels onto the prepared baking sheets. I prefer to stagger 4 bagels, per sheet pan. Use a pastry brush to brush the egg wash all over the top and sides of each bagel.
11. Bake in the preheated oven for 11 minutes. Rotate the pans and continue to cook for an additional 11-12 minutes. Ovens vary, but you are looking for a golden brown color. Allow the bagels to cool for at least 20-30 minutes before slicing. Cool bagels before storing them in an air-tight container. You may leave the bagels at room temperature for a couple of days, refrigerate or freeze them. I recommend slicing your bagels before freezing.
Our favorite tools, photos, and printable recipe card are below! Enjoy!
