Apple Cinnamon Bagels

Back to fall.  Or finter.  Or whatever season you want to call this.  It’s technically fall, but when I went to tutor yesterday, my car had an inch of slushy snow on it.  It quickly melted, but it’s back again today and tomorrow.

When I was in Taiwan two years ago at this time, it was in the low 80s.  Kind of missing it right now.  But only a little bit.  It’s a hard trade as the warm temps are always accompanied by high humidity.  Definitely not missing that.

Don’t get me wrong, I do love fall in New England.  It’s by far my favorite season, but sometimes I wish New England weather would just make up its mind already.  In a few days it’ll be sunny and in the 50s.  So strange.

I think this weather calls for something yeasty, warm and delicious.  This was my first attempt at making bagels, and I was pleasantly surprised with how they turned out.  They weren’t the prettiest bagels ever, but man, were they tasty.  Caramelized apples in the dough added a piece of fall in every bite.  Enjoy them while the fall weather still lasts, though I suppose they’ll taste just as good in the winter.

 

Apple Cinnamon Bagels with Streusel Topping

Adapted from My Little Celebration

makes 11-12 bagels

Ingredients:
2 cups warm water, about 110 degrees F
2 (1/4-ounce) packets active dry yeast
3 tablespoons granulated sugar, plus 1 tablespoon
4 to 5 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour ( I used all-purpose flour for the whole recipe)
1 teaspoon salt
1 Tbsp. butter
3 small-medium granny smith apples, cored, peeled and diced
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 cup + 3 Tbsp. sugar

 Streusel Topping: [optional, I omitted the topping]

1 Tbsp. butter
3 Tbsp. sugar
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
2-3 Tbsp. flour
2 Tbsp. rolled oats
1 tsp. cinnamon

 Instructions:

Add 1 Tbsp. of butter to a large skillet over medium heat, and then add the apples,  2 tsp. cinnamon, 2 Tbsp. sugar and stir. Cover and let cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally until the apples are soft and caramelized. Set aside to cool.

Combine the water, yeast, and 3 tablespoons of the sugar in a large bowl. Stir and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. Add 1 cup of whole wheat flour, the apple mixture, salt and 1/4 cup sugar and stir. Then gradually add 3 cups of AP flour and mix until the mixture comes together.

Add 1 to 1 1/2 cups additional AP flour 1/2 cup at a time, either stirring with the wooden spoon or working with your hands. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and no longer sticky adding flour as needed, about 10 minutes.

Grease a large bowl and place the dough in the bowl, turning to coat. Cover and let rise in a warm spot until almost doubled, about 1 hour.

Remove from the bowl and punch down the dough. Divide into 12 equal pieces, about 2 to 3 ounces each. Loosely form each piece of dough into a ball and then poke a small hole in the middle of the ball with your middle and ring fingers from the underside. Repeat with the remaining dough. Place on a lightly greased baking sheet and cover with a clean cloth, and let rest until risen but not doubled, 20 to 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Prepare streusel topping by mixing all ingredients together in a small bowl with fingers or a fork. If the mixture is too wet, add more flour. If it’s too dry, add more butter.

In a large, heavy pot, bring 12 cups of water and the remaining 1 tablespoon of sugar to a boil. In batches, add the bagels to the water and boil, turning, for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Flip bagels onto the prepared sheet pan. Bake for 5 minutes, turn over [optional] and cook for another 30 to 35 minutes. [If adding streusel topping, spoon topping onto bagels after you’ve flipped them at the 5-minute mark.]

Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack.

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