Montreal-style bagels
Bagels de Montréal: honey-water boiled, sesame-crusted and baked very hot
On Fairmount and St-Viateur streets in Montreal's Mile End the bagel bakeries run all night, rolling dough by hand, boiling it in honey water and baking it on long planks in wood-fired ovens. The result is smaller, sweeter and denser than a New York bagel, with a big hole and a crust thickly coated in sesame. They are eaten warm from the paper bag, plain or with cream cheese. Egg goes into the dough and there is no salt-heavy chew, which is what gives that light sweetness. Chef's tip: bake on the hottest oven setting and on a preheated stone or heavy tray, the closest a home oven gets to the wood fire.
- Total time
- 85 min
- Difficulty
- hard
- Serves
- 12
Ingredients
For the dough
- 1 cup lukewarm water
- 2 tbsp honey
- 2 tbsp caster sugar
- 1 egg
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 ⅛ lb strong white bread flourplus extra for dusting
For boiling and coating
- 12 ½ cups water
- ¼ cup honey
- 5 ½ oz sesame seeds
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Method
0/8 doneStep 1: Stir 1 cup lukewarm water, ¼ oz fast-action dried yeast, 2 tbsp honey and 2 tbsp caster sugar together and leave for 5 minutes until foamy. Beat in 1 egg, 2 tbsp vegetable oil and 1 tsp salt.
5 minStep 2: Add 1 ⅛ lb strong white bread flour and knead for 10 minutes to a firm, smooth dough. It should be stiffer than bread dough; add a spoonful of water only if it will not come together.
10 minStep 3: Cover and leave in a warm place for about 1 hour, until risen by half.
60 minStep 4: Divide into 12 pieces. Roll each into a rope about 25 cm long, wrap it round your hand, overlap the ends by 3 cm and roll the join on the worktop to seal. Leave a generous 3 cm hole; it shrinks as the bagels puff.
15 minStep 5: Rest the shaped bagels for 15 minutes under a cloth. Heat the oven to its highest setting (at least 475°F) with a baking stone or heavy tray inside. Bring 12 ½ cups water and ¼ cup honey to a gentle boil in a wide pan.
15 minStep 6: Boil the bagels three or four at a time for 1 minute, turning once. Lift out with a slotted spoon and press both sides straight into a plate of 5 ½ oz sesame seeds while still wet.
10 minStep 7: Slide them onto the hot stone, sesame side up, and bake for 15–20 minutes until deep golden brown and hollow-sounding when tapped underneath. The common mistake is under-baking; pale bagels stay gummy.
20 minStep 8: Cool on a rack for 10 minutes and eat warm, or freeze on the day you bake them.
10 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 230 kcal
- Protein
- 7 g
- Carbs
- 42 g
- Fat
- 4 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does montreal-style bagels take?
- About 85 minutes in total: 60 minutes to prepare and 25 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 12 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of fast-action dried yeast?
- Fresh yeast, three times the weight.
- What can I use instead of honey?
- Maple syrup or golden syrup, same amount.
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