Isn’t baking bread awesome? There’s just something about kneading your own dough, forming your own loaves, and filling your home with the sweet aroma of gluten goodness that simply can’t be matched by anything else!
There is one key thing that I’ve learned about baking bread though. When it comes to bread, flour is everything. Most people will try to convince you that any flour will do. Don’t believe them! Think about it, you’re not going to show up to a drag race with a Fiat. You’re coming with that suped-up Mustang with the awesome paint job! So why would you bake your bread with just a plain, basic flour?
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| Honeyville Alta Artisan Flour, now available in a convenient, 3.75 lb bag! |
Honeyville Alta Artisan Bread Flour is the suped-up Mustang of bread flour! When it comes to baking delicious breads, rolls, baguettes, or anything else you can think of, this flour blows the socks off of any other. Baking with this flour is like giving your bread a gluten-injected, protein powered boost that results in bigger loaves, stronger dough, and tastier treats than anywhere else. Don’t believe me? Check out these amazing Homemade bagels we made with none other than our Honeyville Alta Artisan Flour.
Ingredients (Dough):
2 tsp Salt
1 1/2 cups Warm Water
(Water Bath):
8 cups Water
Toppings (Optional):
1 Egg White
1 Tbsp Water
Directions:
Combine all dough ingredients in a large mixing bowl and mix together until dough begins to form.
Place dough on a hard surface and knead until dough is smooth. This dough is dense, so take your time kneading. Allow 10-15 minutes for kneading.
Place in a greased bowl, cover, and let rise for 1 hour.
Remove from bowl, place on work surface, and begin to divide dough into smaller pieces.
Once pieces are cut, take each piece individually and roll into a ball.
Place rolled dough balls on a counter, cover with plastic wrap, and let rest for 30 minutes.
While dough is resting, prepare water bath by combining water and sugar in a large pan and bring to a gentle boil. Also, preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Using your finger, poke a hole through the center of each ball, then twirl your finger around to stretch the hole out about 2 inches.
Take each bagel and place in the hot bath.
Let each side soak 2 minutes in the hot bath.
Once bagels have soaked, transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet. If you’re adding toppings, mix egg white and water in a bowl until frothy, then spread wash on the bagel with a pastry brush. Once completely covered with wash, sprinkle sesame seeds or poppy seeds on top of bagel.
Bake in oven at 425 degrees for 20-25 minutes, or until tops are golden brown.
Remove and serve.
These bagels are the prime example of why flour matters. The dense texture and golden crust, all while still providing a delicious taste, come directly from the Alta Artisan flour. In addition, the aroma that fills your kitchen is simply amazing. Unlike typically bread baking smell, these bagels give off a light, sweet aroma that will draw your family into the kitchen and around the oven.
One bite, and you’ll agree, flour does matter! The only question left is why haven’t you bought a bag of Alta Artisan yet?
