Recipe: Chocolate Chip Bagels

recipelink.com Chat Room Recipe Swap - 2001-06-24
From: recipelink.com

Chocolate Chip Bagels
From: Paul McGhee
Newsgroups: rec.food.baking
Date: 7-18-96

This is a modification of a water bagel recipe from Bernard Clayton's "Complete Book of Breads" 1995, Simon & Schuster. The original recipe is for savory bagels, and contains too much salt. I've made these about 10 times, so I feel like the recipe is pretty sound.

The reason I freeze the chips is to keep them from melting as I form the bagels.

3 1/2 - 4 1/2 cups flour
3 tablespoons Sugar
1/2 tablespoon salt
2 pkg active dry yeast
1 1/2 cups of water at 120 - 130 degrees
3/4 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips

Malt Syrup (look in the grocery baking section) or some other simple syrup.

1. Put the chocolate chips in the freezer at least a couple of hours prior to making the bagels. I just leave mine in the freezer all the time.

2. Put 3 cups flour, the salt, sugar, yeast and (125 degree) water into the bowl of your mixer, and mix for 2 minutes.

Note: You really should measure the water temperature.

3. Put on the dough hook and start the mixer on the lowest setting. Add the rest of the flour, 1/2 cup at a time until the dough cleans the side of the bowl (feels like a baby's behind, feels like well-chewed gum, etc.). Right now it's pretty humid in Ohio, so I'm using 4 1/2 cups of flour. Knead for 10 minutes on low. If you're kneading by hand, you'll probably have to knead a little longer to get the same effect.

4. Place the dough in a Pam-sprayed bowl and let it rise, covered, for 1 hour.

5. In a Dutch oven or other large pot, start 3 quarts water towards a slow simmer, and add 3T malt syrup to the water. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

6. Punch down the dough and divide into 8 equal pieces. Get the chocolate chips out of the freezer.

7. Working one bagel at a time, fold a scant tablespoon of chocolate chips into the piece of dough, distributing it as evenly as you can. That's only about 12-15 chips per bagel. Form the dough ball into a 7-8 inch rope, and then join the ends into the familiar bagel shape. Repeat for each of the bagels. Work briskly. The bagels are better if they don't rise much.

Assembly Note: You can also form the bagels by making the dough into a ball and punching the hole in the middle with your thumb. Then, work the bagel with your hands until the hole is smooth, and large enough to push all four fingers in. Take absolutely no guff from "purists" who tell you that the bagels must be formed some other way. I make 'em both ways and can't tell the difference.

Also, I like all my chocolate chips "inside", strictly a matter of taste. The ones exposed on the outside tend to burn, however.

8. Spray your baking sheet(s) with Pam, and lay out a clean towel near the simmering water.

9. Drop two or three bagels at a time into the water, and simmer for about a minute, turning once. Remove and drain on the towel. Repeat until all eight bagels are boiled.

10. Place bagels on the baking sheet(s) and bake for 20-25 minutes (425 degrees) until the tops turn golden.

This basic dough works for any sweet topping.