Now for all of you that don't know, there has never been a better combination than marmite and cheddar together. Toastie, sandwich, scone, whatever... cheese and marmite together is heaven. For all you marmite haters (because as they say, you either love it or hate it) this recipe is definitely not for you... But go ahead and make the bagels without the addition of the marmite because they are just as yummy without.
I don't know why it took me three years to decide to make this but it did, and I made two batches today and the second one was perfect. Now marmite does have a tendency to burn (hence the spotty colour in my bagels) so after 10 minutes of being in the oven, cover them with foil to stop them burning. They might get a bit patchy as mine did, but nothing's perfect... it doesn't affect the flavour which was my main concern here!
This recipe makes 4 decent size bagels.
You will need:
350/2¼ cups strong white bread flour
150ml/¾ cup of warm water
15g fresh yeast/7g (2.5tsp) dried active yeast
1 tbsp honey
2 tbsp marmite
2 tsp caster sugar
1/4 tsp salt
Measure out the water into a bowl and add the yeast. Set it aside for a few minutes.
Sift the flour and salt together into a large bowl. Add the sugar, honey and marmite. If you oil your tablespoon first it makes it easier for the honey and the marmite to slide off it. Start to mix this all together with a knife. Then add the yeasted water and continue to mix until it comes together. Add more water or flour depending on if it looks too dry or too wet. The dough should be smooth but somewhat stiff.
Here you can either knead the dough by hand for 10 minutes, or in a machine with a dough hook for about 6 minutes. You know it's ready when you poke the dough and it springs back well. Oil a medium bowl and pop your dough in, turning it over to coat it in the oil. Cover with cling film and leave in a warm place. Now strangely enough you don't need to leave this dough to rest for that long, 20-30 minutes should do it. As I mentioned I tried this recipe twice, the first time I left the dough to double in size for about 2 hours, and the second time I left it for 20 minutes. The second batch was far better than the first...
Meanwhile you can start to bring a large saucepan of water up to the boil. Once your dough is risen, knock it back for a few seconds by kneading it on the table. Divide the dough into four equal parts (you can weigh it or do it by eye) and roll each one into a ball. With a floured finger poke a hole right through the centre of the ball. The easiest way to do this is to leave the ball on the table and poke your finger through then gently rotate your finger around (still on the table) until the hole expands. Use another finger and use some force to make the hole bigger. You don't want a huge hole, however you want it large enough that it won't close back up once the dough has risen in the oven. Do this with each ball, placing them onto an oiled baking dish as you do them and cover them lightly with cling film. Let them rest for 10 minutes, and put the oven on to 220C/425F.
Make sure your water is at a gently rolling boil, with occasional bubbles rising to the surface (but the keyword is gentle!). Put a bagel one at a time into the water and poach them for 30 seconds on either side. Lift them out with a slotted spoon and let it drain slightly before putting it back on your oiled tray. Repeat with each bagel. Make sure to leave enough space on the tray to allow them to expand.
Pop them in the oven for 20 minutes. Cover them loosely with foil after 10 minutes to stop them from burning. If you have chosen to forgo my brilliant marmite ingredient, then there is no need to cover them with foil. Cool them on a wire rack. They are perfect as I wrote earlier, toasted, spread with butter and topped with cheddar!! or anyway else you can think of...
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