Colorful Rainbow Bagels (Paul Hollywood’s Recipe)
A colorful bagel recipe that is fun to make and eat! They are soft, chewy and the many happy colors brighten up your plate. I’ve included both metric and American measurements for ease of use.
Equipment
- Large Mixing Bowl
- Stand Mixer with dough hook (optional)
- 5 small bowls for proofing dough
- Parchment lined baking pan
- Large pan or pot to boil bagels
Ingredients
- 3 Cups (375g) bread flour
- 1 tsp (5g) active dry yeast
- 2 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 cup (240ml) lukewarm water
- Food Color Gel - Red, Orange, Yellow, Green and Blue
- 1 tsp Baking Soda (bicarbonate of soda)
- Water for boiling bagels
Instructions
- Gather all the ingredients. If kneading by hand: Place the flour in a mixing bowl, add the yeast to one side and the sugar and salt to the other. Pour in three-quarters of the water and combine the mixture with your fingers. Gradually add the remaining water, working in all the flour until a rough dough is formed. Then, tip the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knead for 5–10 minutes, until the dough is soft and surface is smooth.
- If using a stand mixer with dough hook: Place the flour, yeast, sugar and salt into the stand mixing bowl. Turn on the mixer to combine. Gradually add the water to the dry mixture until a rough dough is formed. Then increase the speed to low and knead for 5–8 minutes, until the dough becomes a soft, smooth ball.
- Next, divide the dough into 5 equal pieces and cover with a damp tea towel. Working with 1 piece of dough at a time add a few drops of food coloring onto the dough, fold it up and around the color. Knead the dough to distribute the color evenly. Add more food coloring as needed and adjust until it reaches the desired color. Place each piece of colored dough into a greased bowl and cover. Repeat with the remaining pieces, each using a different color until you have 5 brightly colored dough balls. Let the dough rest and rise for approx 1 hour, or until they have doubled in size.
- When ready, tip out the Red color dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll out the dough to an approx 8" x 6" (20 x 12cm) rectangle. Set aside. Repeat with the Orange color dough. When done, carefully place the Orange rectangle on top of the Red. Repeat with the Yellow, Green and Blue doughs, rolling each one out, shaping into rectangle, and placing on top of one another. You will have a stack of 5 layers of dough, red at the bottom, then orange, yellow, green and blue.
- Next, score and cut the stacked dough into 6 equal sized slices, approx 8"x 1" (20 x 2cm), slicing down through the layers so that each stacked strip has 5 layers of colored dough.
- To shape the bagels, lay one of the stacked dough strips on your work surface. Place the palm of your hands at each end of the dough. Simultaneously, gently move your right hand forward and your left hand backward to twist the dough into a rope about 10" (26cm) long. Pinch the ends together to form a circle and gently roll to seal the joint. Place shaped bagel on parchment lined baking sheet. Repeat with all the strips.
- Cover the dough and let the shaped bagel rest for 20 minutes, until the bagels are pouffy. When waiting, preheat the oven to 390°F (200°C/180°C fan/Gas 6). Next, boil water in a large saucepan or pot. Add the baking soda and stir.
- When bagels are ready, add to the boiling water, depending on size of pot, 2 or 3 at a time. Do not overcrowd. Cook for 30 seconds on each side, until the bagels puff up and the shape sets. Using a slotted spoon, remove each bagel from the water, gently shake to remove water, and transfer back to the baking sheet.
- Immediately transfer to preheated oven and bake the bagels for approx 25 minutes or until cooked through. Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool. Your colorful rainbow bagels are ready!
Notes
Do you remember the neumonic for the rainbow colors? My husband said his was always "Roy G Biv". My mom taught me: "Richard Of York Gains Battle In Vain" = Red Orange Yellow Green Blue Indigo Violet
fabfoodflavors.com/how-to-make-colorful-rainbow-bagels