‘Soda bread’ bagels
Makes: 9 bagels
Prep time: 1 hr Total time: 
Recipe photograph by Martin Poole
‘Soda bread’ bagels
Recipe by Sarah Cook
Take your bread skills to the next level with this clever hybrid bake. These soft-crust bagels are delicious fresh, but taste just as good toasted over the next few days
Makes: 9 bagels
Prep time: 1 hr Total time: 
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Nutritional information (per serving)
Calories
259Kcal
Fat
2gr
Saturates
18gr
Carbs
49gr
Sugars
3gr
Fibre
4gr
Protein
9gr
Salt
2.2gr
Sarah Cook
Sarah, a former food editor, has now been writing and styling recipes for over 10 years. Born in NZ, to Irish-English immigrants, and married to a Polish-Scot, her food is as diverse as her family, with a particular passion for baking mash-ups.
Sarah Cook
Sarah, a former food editor, has now been writing and styling recipes for over 10 years. Born in NZ, to Irish-English immigrants, and married to a Polish-Scot, her food is as diverse as her family, with a particular passion for baking mash-ups.
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp black treacle
- 150ml buttermilk
- 325g very strong white bread flour
- 175g strong wholemeal bread flour
- 50g rolled porridge oats
- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 1½ tsp fine sea salt
- 1 x 7g sachet (or 2 tsp) fast action dried yeast
For the poaching liquid
- 1 tbsp bicarbonate of soda
- 1 tbsp black treacle
For the coating
- 1 egg, beaten with a fork
- 3 tbsp rolled porridge oats
Step by step
Get ahead
The dough can be chilled overnight at the end of step 2, if you want to bake freshly for brunch. The bagels are good for up to 3 days if split and toasted, or freeze well.
- For the dough, first put the kettle on. Put the treacle into a jug and top up with 200ml of boiling water; it’s worth weighing it for accuracy (200 grams). Stir until the treacle has dissolved. Stir in the buttermilk and check it’s just hand-warm.
- Mix the flours, oats, bicarb, salt and yeast in a big mixing bowl. Make a well in the middle, then pour in the contents of the jug. Using a wooden spoon, followed by your hands, mix well. Knead for 10 minutes by hand, or for 5 minutes if you’ve used a stand mixer with a dough hook, to a silky, stretchy dough. Cover and leave to rise at room temperature until doubled in size, 45-60 minutes.
- Weigh the dough, then divide equally into 9 for perfectly portioned bagels – they should be roughly 100g each. Shape each portion into a smooth ball and sit them on 2 lined baking trays. Cover the trays with oiled clingfilm and leave until doubled in size again, 45-60 minutes. Preheat the oven to 220°C, fan 200°C, gas 7.
- Fill a wide saucepan with water and bring to the boil, then as soon as it reaches it, reduce the heat so it is simmering and stir in the bicarb and treacle – don’t be alarmed when it bubbles up!
- Lift your first dough ball off the tray on to a floured surface. Dip your finger in flour then use it to push a hole down through the middle of the dough ball; swirl around your finger to stretch the dough and widen the hole until it’s about 3cm wide. Lower carefully into the water and poach for 2-3 minutes, turning halfway. Poach 2 or 3 at a time if your pan is big enough, keeping the pan at a simmer throughout.
- Using a slotted spoon, lift out the bagels and return to the lined baking trays. When all the bagels have been poached, brush the tops and sides with the egg and sprinkle over the extra oats. Bake for 15-18 minutes – they should be dark brown and glossy. Eat freshly baked, heavily buttered, or toasted with cream cheese and smoked salmon over the next few days.
