Jerusalem Bagels

Dissolve yeast and a pinch of white sugar in 1 cup warm water. Allow to sit until yeast has activated (gets very bubbly and has risen).

In the bowl of a stand mixer, put the activated yeast, the remaining 1 cup of warm water, honey, olive oil, powdered milk, salt and 5 cups of flour. With the dough hook attachment in place, begin mixing the ingredients.

When ingredients come together, add 1 cup of flour a little at a time, allowing the flour to be incorporated between additions. The dough will probably be cleaning the sides of the sides of the bowl, depending on the moisture content of the flour. Add just enough flour, a little at a time, to make a mildly stiff dough. It is better to err on the side of having a slightly softer dough than to have a heavy dough–you don’t want to make brickbats, right? The dough should be easy to handle and hold its shape well. It’s a dough thing—do your best. Allow the mixer to knead the dough until smooth and elastic (the dough, not the mixer).

Gather the dough into a ball. Place in an oiled bowl, turning once so that the top of the dough is very lightly oiled. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a damp kitchen towel. Put bowl in a warm place and allow the dough to rise until doubled in bulk.

Punch dough down and turn out onto a lightly floured countertop. Knead dough a few times to work out the gas bubbles formed by the yeast.

Divide dough into six equal portions. Gather each portion into a ball, cover with a damp kitchen towel, and allow to rest for 7-10 minutes.

To form a bagel out of each ball, press your thumbs through the center of the dough ball. Pick the dough up and, with it resting in your upward-turned palms, put your fingers through the center hole and thumbs around the outside of the dough. Enlarge the hole by gently pulling and squeezing the dough with your hands. Continually work your way around the dough while enlarging the diameter of the circle and pulling it (gently) into an oval.

Place the dough onto either a parchment-lined cookie sheet or an oiled cookie sheet, if you don’t have parchment paper. (Two half-sheet cake pans will also work well.) You will only be able to fit two bagels side by side on each cookie sheet with the long portion of the oval running lengthwise in the pan. Continue to shape the bagels on the pan—they should be nearly as long as the pan. There should be several inches at the widest part between the two sides of each oval. Be sure to leave space between the ovals because they will need room to rise.

To make an egg wash, whisk together the whole egg and the 2 teaspoons water. Brush each bagel with the egg wash, then sprinkle with sesame seeds. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and set in a warm place to rise until approximately doubled in size.

Uncover and bake in a 350ºF oven until golden brown, about 20-30 minutes. If baking two pans at once, be sure to rotate them halfway through the cooking time. Remove from the oven and allow to cool before eating.

Serve with a little olive oil and za’atar for dipping. My son in-law ate these dipped in mustard, as you would do with a pretzel. Good idea.

Note: za’atar is a blend of herbs such as thyme, oregano, marjoram, sumac, toasted sesame seeds, and salt. If you do not have access to za’atar, there are numerous recipes for it on the internet. Otherwise, just use a nice powdery blend of Mediterranean or Middle Eastern type spices along with some toasted sesame seeds and salt.