Famous throughout the Aegean.
During my trip to Folegandros, the island of stone, sunlight and blue, I ate more than a kilo of bagels … The kind baker George Gavalas with his mother Irene makes the very best. I asked for the recipe and he gave it to me immediately … I “trust” it to you.
Folegandros – Hellas (Greece)
From the baker George Gavalas of “Artos ke Yefsi” translated “Bread and Taste” Chora Folegandros
Ingredients
1 kg flour 70%
180 ml seed oil
50 gr granulated sugar
15 gr fresh yeast
1 tbsp anise seeds
Sea salt
1 pinch cinnamon
350-400 ml of water
For sprinkling
Sesame
How to prepare
In the mixer bowl, add the sifted flour and add the yeast, seed oil, sugar, anise, salt, cinnamon and whisk vigorously for 15 minutes until the dough is pliable and unsticks from the sides of the bowl.
“Cut” the dough into balls of 50 gr each and mold in strings or candlewick shape, join the edges and we make bagels that … “speak.”
In a baking pan place nonstick baking paper and spread the bagels in the pan making sure there is a distance between them and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
Put the pan in the oven without turning it on and leave the bagels for about 1 hour to “rest” and to double their volume.
Immediately after preheat the oven well and bake the bagels for 20-25 minutes until they get a nice color.
The baking secret is that in the beginning the oven temperature should be 200 °C and after 10 minutes we lower the temperature at 170 °C.
The bagels should be crispy without holding any moisture and therefore can be kept in a container for some time.
