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–+ servings

Saffron Bagels

These small-batch New York style bagels are quick to make, deeply savory, crisp yet fluffy and filled with flavor and color from the unique addition of saffron. They are one of the easiest bagel recipes on the internet but still give such a delicious result!
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Prep Time:20 minutes
Cook Time:25 minutes
Resting Time:1 hour 30 minutes
Course: baking, Bread, Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Keyword: bagel, saffron
Servings: 3 bagels

Equipment

  • 1 large pot

Ingredients

  • 2 teaspoons saffron
  • 3/4 cup warm water at 90-95°F 170 grams
  • 1 teaspoon active dry yeast 3 grams
  • 1 teaspoon granulated sugar 5 grams
  • 1 & 3/4 cups bread flour 240 grams
  • 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt 3 grams
  • Olive oil as needed
  • 2 tablespoons black sesame seeds
  • 1/2 teaspoon flakey salt

Instructions

  • Using a mortar and pestle, crush the saffron. In a measuring cup, add the water and saffron and mix, letting the water dissolve the saffron.
  • In a large bowl, add 1/4 cup of the saffron water the yeast and sugar. Stir and let sit for 5 minutes to get foamy.
  • Add in the bread flour, salt and the rest of the saffron water. Use your hands to form into a shaggy dough.
  • Move this dough to a very lightly floured work surface and knead for 9-10 minutes, or until you can poke the dough and the dough springs back.
  • Lightly oil a bowl and add in the dough. Cover and let the dough rise in a warm place until doubled in size. About 1-1 & 1/2 hours.
  • When the dough has risen, punch it down and portion into 3 even pieces.
  • If you are forming the dough into stars, see notes. Otherwise, form the pieces into tight balls, pinching the bottom so there are no scraggily ends.
  • Use your thumb to punch an indent directly in the center of the dough. Use both hands to stretch the dough out into a large circle with a big hole in the middle. The bagels will expand, so make the hole a touch bigger than you think it needs to be.
  • Add each bagel to an individual square of parchment paper, cover loosely with cling wrap, and let rise another 30 minutes.
  • Preheat the oven to 425°F.
  • Bring a large pot of water to a gentle boil, and one at a time, boil the bagels for 1-2 minutes on each side. They will expand by about 25%, and that's a great thing!
  • Once the bagels are done boiling, transfer them to a parchment-lined baking sheet and sprinkle with the sesame and flakey salt. For more topping options, see blog post.
  • Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden on the top. Enjoy warm!

Notes

To make these bagels into star shapes, use a bench cutter to cut the dough into three even pieces. The pieces should look like rough triangles, which you'll want to cut into 5 pieces for each. So from here, grab the first piece of dough and cut off the tip, this will create another "tip," which you again should cut. This create a bunch of elongated triangle pieces. Grab the longest ends and pinch them together in the center to create a star. This can be a bit confusing, so look to the blog post images for guidance.
After the shaping, you can return to the instructions for boiling.