Bagels with cream cheese and salmon

European

5.00 / 5

Cook Time

2 hours 20 mins

prep_time_text 1 hour 50 mins

total_time_text 2 hours 20 mins
Serving

6
Difficulty

Hard

Bagels are ring-shaped bread products, popular in Europe and America. The concept of baking ring-shaped things out of dough is an ancient one – it goes back centuries. This is not surprising, because this shape has a practical advantage – the product could be placed on a stick or strung up on a rope, which made for easier transportation. According to one version, the bagel came to Poland from Vienna, when a baker prepared pastries in the shape of a stirrup and presented it to King Jan Sobieski, who saved Austria from Turkish invaders in 1683. Some researchers consider this story to be a myth, but the main thing is that the bagel has passed through the centuries and now we can enjoy their wonderful taste.

One of the reasons that the bagel has such a long and interesting history and is still popular is the fact that it can be stored longer than ordinary bread. This is thanks to it’s special cooking process. When the dough has already risen and bagels are formed, they are first immersed in boiling water and only then baked. This is done so that the starch in the flour forms a sufficiently strong protective crust. It prevents water or moisture from entering the bagels. Thus, after baking, the bagel has a firm golden crust and a chewy, soft center.

Bagels, of course, can be eaten plain. But they taste even better if you make sandwiches from them by cutting the buns in half. Fish is often used for various sandwiches and sandwiches. We have already prepared a delicious and juicy sandwich with tuna and lemon. Another popular fish filling is salmon, and I decided to stop there. So let’s cook bagels with salmon and cream cheese. We will also pickle the salmon with fresh beets and dill and lemon balm. Trust me, it’s delicious.

HOW TO MAKE CREAM CHEESE AND SALMON BAGELS

Bagels with cream cheese and salmon: Directions

Step 1

Prepare the ingredients for the cream cheese and pickled salmon bagels.

Step 2

To make the dough, crumble up the fresh yeast into a bowl with 350 g flour. Carefully push the flour and yeast into one side of the bowl. On the other side, add the sugar, salt, and sunflower oil. Then, pour in the warm water. It is better to keep the sugar and salt separate from the yeast, because they might slow down it’s process.

Step 3

Stir the dough with a spoon until it is smooth, but firm. The dough may seem a little too dry, but don’t worry – that’s the way it’s supposed to be at this stage. The main thing is to mix it well. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and leave to rise for about 1 hour.

Step 4

When the hour has passed and the dough has risen, divide it into 6 equal pieces and shape them into balls. Preheat the oven to 180C.

Step 5

Make a hole in each ball with your finger and place the rings on a baking sheet. Let them rise for about 20 minutes more. After that, you can make the holes even larger, because the dough will have puffed up a little more.

Step 6

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. When the water starts boiling, turn off the heat and lower 3 bagels into the water. Boil them for 1 minute on each side, turning over with a slotted spoon, then fish them out and toss in the remaining 3 bagels.

Step 7

Arrange the boiled bagels on a paper-lined baking sheet so that there is some space between them, as they will rise even further during the baking process. Brush them over with a whisked egg.

Step 8

Sprinkle sesame seeds over the bagels and bake in the oven at 180 degrees for 20 minutes.

Step 9

In the meantime, let's prepare our filling. Slice the lightly salted salmon into thin strips and place them in a bowl. You can also use fresh salmon.

Step 10

If using fresh salmon, add 1 tsp sugar to it and ½ tsp salt. If you are using already salted salmon, you can skip this step. Using a fine grater, shred the raw beets and add them to the bowl with the salmon. This will give not only a beautiful color to the fish, but also an interesting taste to the whole dish.

Step 11

Wash the dill lemon balm springs and finely chop them up. Add the herbs to the salmon. Pickle the fish for 20 minutes if using fresh salmon and 5-7 minutes less than that if using salted salmon.

Step 12

Once the bagels are done, allow them to cook and slice them in half. Smear the bottom half of the bun with cream cheese. Top with the pickled salmon and cover with a second half.