Maple & Walnut Bagels

When I set the theme for Treat Petite this month, I had a bake in mind already.

In case you haven’t checked the theme out yet, it’s ‘Thank You’ and I’ve asked all of you to think of someone who has done you a good turn this year, been there for you, that sort of thing, all in the spirit of Thanksgiving. With that person in mind I’d like you to bake them something – Treat Petite styley.
Many moons ago, our local Sainsbury’s made maple flavoured bagels which Disneyboi absolutely adored. We would buy loads of them for that Canadian hit! Then they disappeared off the shelves without so much as a farewell.Although it’s been many a year, we both pass by the bakery section looking for some maple bagel goodness without any joy.
With that in mind, and to say thank you to Disneyboi for putting up with me during a very mad year of food blogging (we’ve had conferences, GBBO auditions, random meetings in train stations, factory tours, interviews) I decided I would try to replicate those beloved bready O’s.

I’ve never made bagels before, but did see them being baked on GBBO once. I remember big vats of boiling water and the bagels being plunged in like some poor defenceless lobster.
Nothing ventured however and I found a recipe on-line which I decided to tweak a little.
I added some walnuts for a bit of added crunch. I knew Disneyboi wouldn’t mind as long as there was pancake syrupy flavouring in there.

I was surprised how easy it was. The only bit half tricky was forming the shapes. I plunged my index finger in the middle of the dough ball, and twirled it around like a whirling dervish (whatever that is). And it made a circle of sorts.

After boiling it in the water, which wasn’t too daunting after all, I popped them in the oven, out came chewy, soft, maple flavoured bagels for Disneyboi. And he loved them! Especially with a schmear of cream cheese on top.
And if you hadn't guessed these are my entry into this month's Treat Petite, hosted alternately by myself and Kat at the Baking Explorer.
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Maple Walnut Bagels by Stuart Vettese November-13-2014Maple flavor baked into a bagel!
Adapted from Baked By an IntrovertIngredients

• 500 grams strong bread flour
• 2 ¼ tsp dry active yeast
• 320 ml warm tap water
• 3 tbsp dark brown sugar
• 2 tsp salt
• 60 ml Grade A maple syrup
• 100 grams chopped walnuts

InstructionsIn the bowl of a stand mixer, place 250 grams of the flour, the yeast, sugar and warm water. Stir by hand so everything is well combined. Cover and leave to prove for 1 to 1½ hours, until it has doubled in size. Once risen, add the rest of the flour, salt, maple syrup and walnuts to the bowl and with the dough hook attached to the mixer, mix on medium slow for 10 minutes. If the mixture looks too dry and bits are left at the bottom of the bowl add water gradually until it comes together. Cover and prove again for 1 ½ to 2 hours. It will double in size. After it has proved transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead just a little. Divide into 8 equal portions and form these into balls. Cover and let prove for about 20 minutes. In the meantime, bring a pan of water to the boil. After the 20 minutes, flatten each ball slightly and push your finger through the center of each disc. Twirl each on your finger until a bagel shape is formed. Place each bagel in the boiling water for a minute, then flip over for another minute before draining on a cooling rack. Preheat the oven to 200C and cover two baking sheets with greaseproof paper. Place 4 bagels on each sheet and bake in the oven for 25 minutes, turning once during baking, so the bottom gets browned. Leave to cool, then slice open and enjoy with a filling of your choice. DetailsPrep time: 4 hoursCook time: 25 mins Total time: 4 hrs 30 mins Yield: 8 bagels