Cherry-coconut bagels

Since it's Saturday, I'll keep this one short!  I want you to go outside and do something fun.  Or stay inside and do something fun, if it's cold/rainy/snowing/gross outside today.

The second installment of bagels involves cherries and coconut!  You might be wondering why I chose to make sweet bagels, rather than something savory or cheesey.  There is a simple reason, I never get sweet bagels! 

Let me say first, that I work for an awesome company.  Each and every Thursday morning we come into work and there is a big basket of bagels and muffins waiting for us.  People mill about in the lunchroom, toasting bagels, pouring juice and brewing coffee.  We chat about our lives and say hello to the people in other departments.  The bagels are slathered in cream cheese, butter or jam and people are jealous of that one person that got the cinnamon-raisin bagel.

I don't know who puts together the delivery bag of bagels for us, but they refuse to give us more than one or two cinnamon-raisin bagel!  It's not that there isn't a plethora of other delicious bagels, but sometimes I'd like the choice!  Savory or sweet?  Last weekend I decided to fulfill my desire for sweet!

If you are more of a savory bagel kind of person it's simple to adapt the base recipe to suit your needs!  Simply omit the dried fruits and stir in some cheese, hot peppers, bacon, whatever you want!



One Year Ago: S'mores Cupcakes

Cherry-coconut bagels

Adapted from The Bread Bible

I was really hoping for a coconutty bagel, but the coconut oil didn't really impart much of a flavor!  I'm thinking that the addition of coconut flour would have really put this recipe over the top.  I will be revisiting this recipe with the addition of coconut flour!  Though, even without the extra coconut flavor, these bagels were crunchy on the outside and chewy on the inside!

1 cup water
1 tbsp active dry yeast
3 tsp sugar
2 tsp salt
3 1/2 - 3 3/4 cup all purpose flour
2 tbsp coconut oil
2 large eggs
1/3 cup dried cherries

1 egg
1 tbsp water

2 quarts water
2 tbsp brown sugar

Combine yeast, sugar, salt and 1 cup flour in a large bowl.  Add water and coconut oil and beat to combine.  Add 1/2 cup more flour and mix.  Add eggs, mix again.  Finally, add remaining flour and switch to the dough hook.  Mix and knead the dough for about 5 minutes.  Add dried cherries and knead for another minute.

Coat a bowl in cooking spray and place the dough in it.  Roll the dough around to coat in oil and loosely cover in plastic wrap.  Allow the dough to rise for 1 hour and double in size.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 10 equal portions (I used my kitchen scale) and roll them into balls. 

Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silpats.  Poke your finger into the center of a dough ball.  By spinning the dough around your two index fingers, open the hole to about 2-inches, forming the bagel shape.  Place the newly formed bagel on the parchment-lined sheet.

Preheat oven to 425.  Bring 2 quarts of water to a boil.  Add sugar and reduce to a simmer.  Boil bagels for two minutes on one side, then one minute on another.  Place bagels on the baking sheet and let them cool for a few minutes.

Whisk together egg and water, brush egg wash over the boiled bagels.  Bake the sheets of bagels for 25 minutes or until golden brown.