Rosemary Olive Oil Bagels

Rosemary Olive Oil bagels have long been my favorite lunch sandwich bagels. They go perfectly with a thin layer of hummus, slices of turkey, and lots of fresh vegetables- yum. My husband loves eating these savory bagels as breakfast sandwiches, with layers of egg, cheese, and maybe a little bacon. And of course you can never go wrong with cream cheese on a bagel.

The rosemary flavor in these bagels is subtle, and the olive oil wash on top gives it a perfect golden crust. The dough was an absolute dream to work with- smooth, elastic and beautifully fragrant. After many, many batches of failed bread, dough like this reminds me why I love to bake. Yum.

I had to use dried rosemary for this recipe- next time I’m hoping to get a few springs of fresh rosemary from my in-laws- and the rosemary flavor was very light. If you want a stronger rosemary flavor, I’d suggest increasing the rosemary to 3 tsp.

This is the first savory bagel I’ve done in a while, after experimenting with many sweet bagels in the past few months. Don’t get me wrong- I love a delicious sweet bagel with cream cheese, but these savory bagels are a welcome change. Breakfast sandwiches, turkey and hummus, dipping in chili- the possibilities with these bagels are endless!

Yum

Rosemary Olive Oil Bagels

Yield: 8 bagels

Rosemary Olive Oil Bagels

Ingredients

1 cup warm water
2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
2 tsp sugar
3 1/2 cups bread flour (plus extra for kneading
1 3/4 tsp salt
2 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for glaze
2 tbsp fresh rosemary or 2 tsp dried rosemary

Instructions

Mix warm water and sugar in a large bowl (or your stand mixer bowl), sprinkle yeast on top and let stand for 10 minutes.
After 10 minutes, add olive oil, flour and salt and mix well until dough forms a shaggy ball. If you are using a stand mixer, use the dough hook attachment and mix on low for 3-4 minutes.
Then increase speed to medium until dough is smooth, about 5 minutes. Roll your dough into a ball and transfer to a large bowl and cover with a kitchen towel.
Let rise for one hour in a warm, draft free place, or until dough has doubled in size.

Gently de-gas the dough and divide into 8 equal pieces. I find it easiest to do this with a kitchen knife. Roll each piece into a smooth ball, and use a floured finger to make a hole in each ball. Widen the hole to approximately one-third of the bagel’s diameter.
Place bagels on a lined baking sheet (lined with either parchment paper or a silicone baking mat) and cover. Allow bagels to rise for 20 minutes.
While your bagels rise, preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit and bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil.
Once bagels have finished rising, boil bagels uncovered for one minute on each side. Depending on the size of your pot, you should be able to boil 2-3 at a time.
Remove bagels from boiling water using a slotted spoon or perforated skimmer and let cool on a wire rack. Repeat for all bagels and pat dry with a towel before returning to baking sheet.
Brush bagels with a light coating of olive oil.