Za'atar and Honey Bagels

Six golden bagels topped with a thick layer of green zaatar herbs and sea salt flakes are arranged on a parchment-lined baking sheet for zaatar bagels.

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Za'atar and Honey Bagels

Freshly baked, chewy, glossy bagels become next level with the addition of za'atar spices and sweet honey.

Prep Time15

Cook Time20

proving time30

Total Time1 5

Course: Breads, Breakfast, lunch

Cuisine: American

Keyword: bagels, steam oven bagels

Servings:

Calories: 322kcal

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups water lukewarm; increase quantity as needed to get the right dough consistency
2 tsp sugar
2 tsp instant yeast
3 1/2 cups unbleached white bread flour plus extra for kneading
1 ½ tsp salt
1/4 cup honey
3 Tbsp butter
1/2 cup za'atar see notes
1 tsp flaky salt

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Make dough

Put water in the bowl of a stand mixer and sprinkle the sugar and yeast over the top. Leave for 5 minutes until the yeast is beginning to bubble, then add the flour and salt. Mix well with a dough hook until the dough comes cleanly away from the sides of the bowl and is smooth and elastic – about 5-7 minutes. If it’s looking too dry, add just enough extra water for it to come together in a single clean ball.
1 1/4 cups water, 2 tsp sugar, 2 tsp instant yeast, 3 1/2 cups unbleached white bread flour, 1 ½ tsp salt
Put the bowl into your steam oven and set the oven to steam, 100°F/38°C (100% humidity). Alternatively, if you have a dough proving setting you can use that. Prove the dough until it's doubled in size, about 30 minutes. Remove the dough from the oven and turn it out onto a flour-dusted bench.
Set the oven to steam, 212°F/100⁰C (100% humidity). Line two sheet pans with silicone or baking paper and set aside.

Shape Bagels

Gently press and knead the dough to knock it down, then divide into 8 equal portions.
Roll each portion into a ball, then use the handle of a wooden spoon to poke a hole in the middle of each dough ball. Gently stretch and pull each piece of dough until the hole is about 2 inches (5cm) in diameter, then put them onto the lined pans – 4 on each tray, allowing plenty of room for expanding.

Cook Bagels

When all your bagels are shaped, put the trays into the oven and steam for 6 minutes. Remove from the oven and change the setting to Combi Steam 400°F/200⁰C, 50% (medium) humidity.
When the oven has heated up, return the bagels to the oven and cook until they are golden brown, shiny and sound hollow when tapped on the bottom – about 12-15 minutes.

Top Bagels

While the bagels are baking, heat the honey and butter together in a small saucepan over low heat to melt. Mix really well so they come together, and pour the mixture onto a lipped plate or shallow bowl - you're going to dip the tops of the bagels directly into it, so the dish needs to be wide enough to accommodate. Spread out the za'atar on another plate, and have the flaky salt ready to go in a small dish.
1/4 cup honey, 1/2 cup za'atar, 3 Tbsp butter, 1 tsp flaky salt
As soon as the bagels come out of the oven, use tongs to pick them up and dip the tops of the bagels into the melted honey butter, then straight into the za'atar. Turn them right side up and set onto a cooling rack. When you've dipped and topped all the bagels, sprinkle them liberally with the flaky salt. You'll have a good amount of the honey butter left over - drizzle as little or as much of this as you like over the bagels. I use most of it, for a very sticky, salty, sweet finish.
These bagels are best eaten warm, on the day of baking. They can be gently reheated the next day using combi steam.

Notes

New York vs Montreal bagels: these chewy, dense bagels sit squarely in the New York style bagel camp, as opposed to the Canadian/Montreal style bagels which are smaller, sweeter and use a dough enriched with eggs.
Mixer or hand kneading: this method calls for a stand mixer and dough hook attachment but you can certainly make the dough by hand, as long as you don't mind some hard work with the kneading. Just mix the dough with a spoon until it starts to come together, then turn it out and knead for 5-10 minutes by hand until it’s smooth and elastic before proceeding with the rest of the steps.
Za'atar: this is a traditional Middle Eastern spice blend that varies a little from country to country and family to family. It’s fantastic stuff that’s good to sprinkle on all kinds of roasted vegetables, eggs, fish and chicken. The critical elements are dried thyme, sumac, sesame seeds and salt. You can make your own, using this recipe I’ve made several times now, or you can buy it ready-made online.
Serving: these bagels are really best eaten warm, on the day of baking. I like to split and fill them with cream cheese, which is a great counterpoint to the sweet and aromatic za'atar and honey topping. They can be gently reheated the next day using combi steam, but they won't be as sticky and perfect.
Storage: Store leftovers at room temperature in an airtight container, for up to 24 hours. I do not freeze the topped bagels as the topping hardens and peels off when they're thawed. If you want to bake ahead, you could hold off the topping and freeze the 'naked' bagels for up to a couple of months. Thaw and reheat them using combi steam when you want to serve, and top immediately before serving.

Nutrition