King Arthur Baking Company Reveals Their Recipe of the Year and It Might Surprise You
In addition to making flours and baking products beloved by home bakers, King Arthur Baking Company boasts an excellent test kitchen that churns out quality recipes year after year. If I’m looking for a dependable recipe that most likely calls for flour, then King Arthur’s website is always one of my go-tos. And as such, the baking brand recently announced their recipe of the year, and it’s a doozy: Ultimate Sandwich Bagels.
You might be asking yourself, what makes a bagel a sandwich bagel? According to King Arthur, they should be the “perfect size and texture — neither too soft, nor challengingly chewy,” ideal for slicing in half and loading with toppings. The recipe photo is incredibly tantalizing, with a golden-brown, fluffy everything bagel sandwiching folded egg, tomato, bacon, and more. It made me incredibly hungry right after eating breakfast (thanks, KA).
This homemade bagel recipe isn’t the simplest or quickest baking project, but in true King Arthur fashion, they include plenty of tips, tricks, and even quick videos to make the process as pain-free and foolproof as possible. It all begins with a starter that is left to rest and expand for several hours. The other ingredients are added and the dough is mixed and then kneaded by hand or with a stand mixer. After a couple of hours of proofing, the dough is divided into eight pieces and shaped into a ball and then the signature ring.
Having made bagels a few times before, one thing I noticed about this recipe is the shaping technique. Instead of forming the dough into ropes and connecting the ends to make a ring, a hole is made in each ball of dough and stretched to form the center. I cannot wait to try out this trick; I imagine my bagels will look much tidier from here on out.
Let your adorable rings rise while you preheat the oven and heat up a big pot of water. Briefly boiling the bagels in barley syrup (or honey)-spiked water gives them their signature texture. Brush the boiled bagels with egg wash and press them into the everything bagel seasoning before baking until golden-brown.
To make sandwiches, let the bagels cool a bit, then slice in half, slather with cream cheese, and sprinkle with more seasoning. KA uses a clever method to make the egg filling: They whisk together a milk and flour slurry, then add the eggs. The mixture is added to a greased 9×13 pan and baked in a high-heat oven for a few minutes, then cheese is added to the middle. Once melted, the egg is cut into strips and folded in on either side, enveloping the cheese and making a neat square that’s worthy of a fast-food commercial.
Included are handy tips for storing the bagels and reheating, freezing them for longer storage, and freezing the finished sandwiches for a quick, tasty breakfast. They also include info for performing the final rise in the fridge overnight so you can have freshly baked bagels in the morning. I know what I’m doing New Year’s Eve: prepping these bagels so I can devour a fresh bagel sandwich on New Year’s Day!
Get the recipe: Ultimate Sandwich Bagels