Makes 12 - 15

My bagels need to be prepped a day in advance. The biga (starter) can be made the night before. These take some effort, but are well worth it. You can keep them simple and plain or dress them with sesame, poppyseeds, etc. If you have access to a wood burning oven, even better, but a regular oven will work just fine so long as it can reach 500 degrees (make sure its clean!)

Biga

245 Grams Bread Flour

2 tsp Yeast

225ml Warm Water

Bagel Dough

Biga

700ml Warm Water

2 tsp Yeast

2 Tbsp Salt

2 tsp Barley Malt Syrup

2 Large Eggs

65ml Olive Oil

960 Grams of Bread Flour

Honey for Water

To prepare the biga, place the bread flour, yeast and warm water in a bowl and mix to combine. Cover and leave to rest overnight.

The next morning… In the bowl of a mixer, add in the biga along with the remaining dough ingredients. Mix with a dough hook for 8-10 minutes, until smooth and pulled away from the bowl. If the dough feels too wet, add a sprinkle of flour.

Turn out the dough onto a board and knead by hand a few times. Place in a greased bowl and cover. Set aside to proof in a warm place until doubled in size.

Punch down the dough and cut into 12-15 equal pieces, use a scale if desired. For each piece - roll into a log, bring the ends together to form a circle and pinch/roll to seal. Complete shaping each bagel. Cover them with towels and leave to rest for 20-25 minutes in a warm space.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to boil with about 60ml of liquid honey and a couple good pinches of salt. Also, preheat your oven to 475-500 degrees.

Working in batches, boil each bagel for 2 minutes a side. Remove with a large slotted spoon or the handle of a wooden spoon and place on a parchment lined baking tray. If you want to coat in seeds, do so while the bagels are still wet - directly from the water.

Once all the bagels have been boiled, bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.