Blueberry bagels, strawberry cream cheese
Ingredients:
Blueberry bagels: makes 8 bagels
300g frozen blueberries
500g all-purpose flour
2 tbsp sugar
2 tsp instant yeast
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 tsp cooking salt
Strawberry cream cheese:
225g, or 1 packet of cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup freeze dried strawberries, whole
1 cup frozen strawberries
2 tbsp icing sugar
Method:
To make the strawberry cream cheese:
Prep strawberries: this recipe calls for both freeze dried and frozen strawberries. Using a combination of both types is the best for getting the rich strawberry flavor & pink color. For the freeze dried strawberries, grind them into a fine powder using a mortar & pestle or a blender. For the frozen strawberries, lightly cook them down in a small pot over low heat just until they’re softened and no longer frozen. You want them to keep their bright red color. Mash them until smooth in either a mortar & pestle or a blender. Set both aside.
Mix cream cheese: add room temperature softened cream cheese to the bowl of a stand mixer, or food processor. Mix on low speed initially for 1-2 mins, then increase to medium-high speed to whip it for 4-5 mins. Scrape down the sides to evenly mix. Add both types of strawberries and icing sugar. Mix on medium-high speed until evenly incorporated. Transfer to the fridge. It will set up and become slightly thicker in the fridge.
To make the blueberry bagels:
Cook blueberries: add frozen blueberries to a small pot over low heat and gently cook them down just until they’re no longer frozen and some have popped open.
Blend blueberries: for a smooth purple color throughout the bagels, blend the blueberries in a high speed blender. Pour the blueberry liquid into a container on kitchen scales set to zero. The total weight of the blueberry liquid should be 320g after blending. Add water until it reaches 320g.
Combine dry ingredients: into the bowl of a stand mixer with the dough hook, add flour, salt, sugar and yeast. Mix for 1 min on low speed just to mix the dry ingredients together.
Add blueberries: with the mixer on low speed, slowly pour in the blueberry liquid. Add the vanilla too.
Mix & knead: increase speed to medium and mix for about 5 mins, scraping down the sides occasionally, until it becomes a dough. Keep kneading on medium speed until it is smooth and lightly tacky but not sticky. It should fall right off the dough hook once lifted and the sides of the bowl should be clean.
Rest: transfer to an oil greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Place somewhere warm and let rise for 1 hour. It should approximately double in size. After 1 hour, punch down with your wrist and let rest for another 10 mins.
Shape bagels: on a clean surface without any dusting of flour, divide dough into 8 equal pieces. Roll each one into an even and smooth ball. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest another 10 mins.
After 10 mins, poke a hole through the center of each ball and gently shape into a bagel. Cover for another 10 mins.
While resting, bring a wide pan or pot filled with a few inches of water to a boil. Line a baking sheet with baking paper. Preheat oven to 400F/205C.
Boil & bake: once boiling, gently lower bagels in batches into the water and boil on each side for 2 mins. After 4 mins, remove the first batch of bagels and place onto the baking sheet. Once they’ve all been boiled, brush each bagel top with egg. Place into the oven on the center rack and bake for 20 mins.
Cool: once you remove them from the oven, they should be lightly toasted on top. Let cool for 5-10 mins on the baking sheet, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
