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Bagels are a favorite delicacy of Russians. It is these bakery products that are described in Russian fairy tales, in the works of art by Russian writers, and in folk songs.
How nice on a frosty winter evening, sitting in a cozy warm room, drinking hot fragrant tea with bagels.
In fact, bagels, or bagel products, are called bakery products with low humidity. Due to this property, they can be stored for a long time without getting stale or moldy.
Types of bagels
By size, this type of flour delicacy is divided into bagels (the largest), bagels (medium size) and drying (the smallest).
All these bakery products have different moisture content, which depends on their size: bagels – 22-25%, bagels – 15-20%, drying – up to 13%.
Products have the form of a ring or an oval. On the one hand, on which they were baked, the finished products have a flat surface. Their other side is rounded, glossy.
The dough for lamb products contains wheat flour of the highest and first grade. However, not every wheat flour is suitable for these delicacies.
For their preparation, only flour with a high gluten content is needed. Additionally, oatmeal or buckwheat flour can be added to the product.
Baking bagels is one of the most difficult baking processes, because they require a very tough dough that contains few air bubbles.
Manufacturing process
The production process of lamb pastry consists of several successive stages. Each stage follows one after another and, if you follow the recipe and the procedure, you will be able to get the perfect bagels.
Such a long and complex technological process, as well as the low cost of lamb products, is the reason that they are rarely baked at home.
But after all, nothing can compare with freshly baked fragrant bagels cooked according to an old Russian recipe.
Production stages:
- kneading the dough;
- rub
- moulding;
- proofing and scalding (scalding) of semi-finished products;
- baking of finished products;
- packing and packing.
The kneading begins with the preparation of a yeast dough (porch), which is used to knead several portions of the workpieces. The dough can be kneaded manually or by machine. At this stage, other ingredients included in the recipe are added to the dough (margarine, butter, sugar, salt, milk, poppy seeds, spices). At the end of the kneading process, a very steep dough with low humidity is obtained (for bagels – 36-37%, dryers – 36%).
Such low humidity does not allow to obtain a dough of a uniform texture: separate pieces are formed with inclusions of non-mixing. To eliminate this defect, a rubbing process is carried out. To do this, after kneading, the dough is sent to a rubbing machine, where it moves along a conveyor under a rotating ribbed shaft. After such a warm-up, the dough becomes homogeneous, plastic, and the swelling of gluten improves in it. After rubbing, the dough is rolled up and left to proof for 2-3 hours.
After ripening, the dough is fed to a dividing and seaming machine. A spiral-shaped bundle comes out of it, which the machine cuts into blanks and forms products of a given size and shape.
Semi-finished products from the dough are placed on sheets and sent to a special chamber in which the required temperature and humidity are maintained. After proofing, the bagels become rounded, soft and elastic, the dough becomes porous. After 40-60 minutes, semi-finished products are sent for scalding (scalding).
Scalding or scalding in special chambers is needed to give products a shiny surface and maintain their stable shape. To do this, the blanks are sprayed with low-pressure steam or hot water. Under the influence of high temperature in the dough, the fermentation process stops, the protein on the surface coagulates, and the starch turns into a paste, which fixes the shape of the semi-finished product. After that, the semi-finished products are dried. Thus, workpieces with a clean, glossy surface are obtained.
Baking lamb products is accompanied by simultaneous drying: the resulting steam is regularly removed from the chamber, which ensures the maximum removal of excess moisture from the dough. For example, after baking, bagels lose about half of the moisture contained in the blanks. Finished products are sent for packing and packing.
Composition and calorie content
The composition of lamb products includes flour of the highest and / or first grade, yeast, salt, sugar, water and other flavoring components (poppy, sesame, raisins, molasses, cinnamon, coriander, vanilla). The calorie content of lamb products depends on their type and the fillings (toppings) used. It can range from 310 to 390 kcal per 100 g of the finished product. The calorie content of drying according to the classic recipe, for example, is 331 kcal, and homemade bagels – 330-360 kcal (depending on the fat used).
Recipe for homemade old Russian bagels
For the test, you will need:
- milk – 700 ml;
- flour – 500 g;
- butter (margarine) – 100 g;
- sugar – 200 g;
- egg – 2 pieces;
- vanillin (vanilla sugar) or other seasonings to taste.
In a hole made in a hill of sifted flour, break 1 egg and soft butter, mix. Vanillin, sugar, part of milk are added and mixed again. Milk is added until a stiff dough is kneaded. Flagella are rolled from the dough with a diameter of about 1,5 cm and a length of up to 20 cm, the edges of each flagellum are connected into a ring.
The bagels are laid out on a baking sheet, allowed to stand for 15-20 minutes, smeared with egg yolk, sprinkled with poppy seeds or sesame seeds (optional). Bake at 180°C for 25-35 minutes.
Benefits of products
Bagels, or rather their smallest representatives – drying, are almost the only bakery product that is allowed for almost all categories of the population: children, the elderly, and allergy sufferers. In addition to low allergenicity, bagels and drying can quickly saturate the body, so they can be used for a snack.
These bakery products contain B vitamins, minerals (copper, manganese, calcium), which favorably affect the condition of the skin, nails, hair, the digestive process, and the skeletal system.
How to choose
When choosing lamb products in a store, you should evaluate their organoleptic qualities.
The form. Depending on the type of product, the shape can be round or oval. If these products are made by hand, they may show the junction of the ends of the ring. Scrap in the package with products is allowed only single. The surface should be smooth, glossy, without cracks and blisters. On the reverse side of each unit, an imprint of the grid is allowed. Packaged bagels may wrinkle a little.
The color ranges from light straw to brown, depending on the ingredients used and the degree of roasting.
The smell should be bready, and if flavorings are added, with the appropriate aroma. Foreign odors (sour, musty, mold, rancid oil) should not be. After the purchase, you should evaluate the condition of the baked goods and the taste of the baked goods. Inside the products (after breaking) there should not be visible unmixed. If you try to break the bagel or drying, they should easily break into 3-4 parts when squeezing the palm of your hand. The taste of lamb products should be rich, pleasant, without foreign aftertastes.
When choosing dryers and bagels in a package, you should carefully examine it: leaky packaging does not guarantee product quality within the specified period, since storage conditions are violated. The surface of the products should be glossy, ruddy. If cracks appear on the bagels, this is a sign of a violation of the technological process or storage conditions.
You can also conduct a small experiment that will show the quality of the product. A high-quality bagel always strives to “grow”: if you lower it into hot water, it should increase at least 3 times.
The shelf life of bagel products depends on whether they are packaged. So, bagels packed in plastic wrap and drying are stored for 15 days, and bagels – 72 hours. At the same time, bagels without packaging can be stored longer – up to 25 days, drying – up to 45 days. At the same time, rich bagels without packaging are stored less – only 16 hours. It is recommended to store these bakery products without deterioration of organoleptic qualities at a temperature of 20-22 °.
At the same time, the main condition for the proper storage of bagels is low air humidity – 65-75%. Dry lamb products quickly absorb moisture from the air and surrounding products and objects, so it is undesirable to store them in the same breadbasket with bread.