Mint Chocolate Bagels Retry

Sorry for the long delay, everyone. I've been busy, and have not been focusing much on baking lately. To make up for it, I am posting three times over three days. I hope you enjoy!

A couple of weeks ago, I bought some bread flour and remade the bagels from series 3, episode 2. I still need to tweak the goat cheese, sage, and browned butter bagels- the amount of goat cheese I tried in the last batch was not good for the bagels' structure- but the mint chocolate bagels turned out beautifully.

Besides substituting bread flour in lieu of all purpose flour, I made a few further adjustments. I added chocolate chips into the bagels to add more chocolate flavor and a little more sweetness. I also made sure to add the  fillings after the first prove, rather than before. Furthermore, I kneaded the dough for longer, and was more focused on getting it to the proper elasticity.

The bagels certainly kept their shape and structure better with the changes. The only drawback is that the chocolate chips began to melt in the boiling water- not enough to come out of the dough or to change the structure, but enough to make the boiling water a tad bit brown.

The bagels still came out of the water more wrinkly than they went in, as you can see in the picture to the right. They did, however, rise enough to regain a more rounded shape in the oven.

Once the bagels were cooled, I drizzled melted chocolate on top. I let it set before serving. Despite sweet bagels being a bit of a strange concept to me and to many other Americans, these bagels went over well with Vincent's coworkers.

Look out tomorrow for my mandelbrodt bake!

Recipe: Mint Chocolate Bagels

Ingredients

4-5 C bread flour

2 packages of rapid rise yeast (0.25oz each)

4 tbsp granulated sugar, divided

2C warm water

1/3C cocoa powder

1 tsp vegetable oil

1 tsp kosher salt

1/2 C fresh mint, finely chopped

8-12 oz semisweet chocolate chips

Instructions

1. Mix yeast, 3 tbsp sugar, and 1/2 C warm water. Let sit for 5-10 minutes, until mixture is bubbling. Do not use hot water; very hot water will kill the yeast.
2. Add cocoa powder, salt, and 4 C flour and mix. Gradually add more flour while kneading, making certain to not make the dough dry.
3. Knead dough until smooth and springy, either by hand on a lightly-floured surface or using a stand mixer. Form into a ball.
4. Lightly oil a bowl and the ball of dough. Place the dough in the bowl and cover with plastic wrap or a towel. Let rise in a warm place for at least an hour, or until doubled in size.
5. Punch down dough. Mix in mint and half of the chocolate chips. Separate into 12 equal sections. Roll each section into a ball. Press a hole in the center and stretch the hole as you turn the dough in your hands. Make sure the holes are wide enough that they will not close during the second rising process.
6. Cover shaped bagels and let rise 20-30 more minutes.
7. Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Boil a large pot of water (approximately 12 qt.) and remaining tbsp of sugar. Reduce to a strong simmer. Boil bagels 2-3 at a time, 45 seconds each side. Remove and place bagels on a lined baking sheet.
8. Bake 5 minutes. Flip bagels over and bake 30 more minutes. 
9. Cool bagels completely.
10. Carefully melt remaining chocolate chips either using a double boiler or short bursts in the microwave. Using a fork, drizzle melted chocolate over the bagels. Let chocolate harden before serving.