Smoked Salmon and Rocket Mini Bagels

By Mélanie Dupuis

Smoked Salmon and Rocket Mini Bagels

These delicious mini bagels are almost too cute to eat!

Smoked Salmon and Rocket Mini Bagel Recipe

Preparation: 45 minutes to 1 hour

Cooking the bagels: 25 minutes

Resting: 1 hour 40 minutes

Techniques To Master:

Chopping finely – A herb: Hold the herbs in a tight bunch or pile up the leaves and roll them up, then slice as thinly as possible.

An onion or French shallot: Cut in half. Slice thinly lengthways with a sharp knife, without going all the way through at the root end, then do the same across the width. Slice into cubes.

Knocking back – Crushing to remove the carbon dioxide after rising.

Rolling out – Gradually spreading out a pastry dough with a rolling pin, always working away from you. To obtain an even thickness, set a rolling rod of the desired thickness on either side and roll until the rolling pin is resting on the rods.

Organisation:

On the day | Make the bagel dough and bake them. Make the cream cheese. Assemble everything. The bagels can be filled a few hours in advance. To prevent them drying out, put them in a baking dish covered with baking paper then with plastic wrap.

 

 

 

Makes 20

BAGEL DOUGH

Ingredients:

8 g fresh baker’s yeast, crumbled

190 g water

280 g plain flour

2 g salt

10 g sugar

30 g poppy seeds

POACHING WATER

3 litres (4 cups) water

2 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

GLAZE

1 egg

FILLING

1 bunch chives

150 g cream cheese

juice of ½ lemon

1 handful rocket leaves

250 g smoked salmon

Method:

Make the mini bagels.

Finely chop the chives, whisk into the cream cheese with the lemon juice, then set aside in the refrigerator. Wash the rocket.

Cut the bagels in half crossways with a bread knife, spread the bottom half with cream cheese using a palette knife, then place a few rocket leaves on top, cutting the leaves in half if necessary.

Add a folded and rolled piece of smoked salmon, spread cream cheese on the top half of the bagel, then place on top. Repeat for all the bagels. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Variations:

Replace the filling with pesto-flavoured cream cheese, dry-cured ham and sun-dried tomatoes.

Smart Tip:

Store the rocket in the refrigerator, covered with slightly moist paper towel.

WHY ARE BAGELS COOKED TWICE?

Poaching in water gelatinises the starch on the surface and makes the crust very smooth. In the oven, the pre-formed crust will dry out while retaining its smooth texture, and the interior of the bagel will cook.

 

 

MAKES 20 × 4 CM BAGELS

BAGEL DOUGH

8 g fresh baker’s yeast, crumbled

190 g water

280 g plain flour

2 g salt

10 g sugar

30 g poppy seeds

POACHING WATER

3 litres (12 cups) water

2 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

GLAZE

1 egg, beaten

Method:

Preheat the oven to 30°C. Pour, in order, the yeast, water, flour, salt and sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment. Mix at medium speed until the dough is smooth and falls away from the sides of the bowl.

Transfer to a round-bottomed bowl, cover with a tea towel and put in the oven for about 1 hour for the first rise; the dough should double in volume.

Place the dough on a floured work surface and knock it back.

Place the dough between two sheets of baking paper, then roll out using a rolling pin and rolling rods. Set aside in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Remove the top layer of baking paper, cut out discs using a 4 cm cookie cutter, and arrange them on a baking sheet lined with baking paper, spacing them at least 3 cm apart. Cut a 15 mm hole in the middle of each disc using a plain 15 mm piping nozzle. Join all the offcuts together without overworking and roll out again. Repeat until all the dough has been used.

Put in the 30°C oven for about 15 minutes for the second rise.

Bring the poaching water to the boil in a large saucepan, then add the sugar and bicarbonate of soda. Remove the bagels from the oven and increase the temperature to 180°C. Cut the baking paper into four pieces with the bagels still on it.

Reduce the heat under the saucepan. Plunge a piece of the baking paper with its bagels into the water, turning it over. Pull out the paper and cook the bagels in the simmering water for 1 minute, then turn the bagels over and cook for a further minute.

Remove the bagels using a skimmer, place them on a clean tea towel and cover with another tea towel to absorb any excess water. Repeat this process with the remaining bagels.

Line the baking sheet with fresh baking paper, add the bagels, glaze them with the egg using a pastry brush and sprinkle over the poppy seeds. Bake for 20–25 minutes, then remove and allow to cool on a wire rack.

 

This is an edited extract from The Ultimate Book of Party Food by Melanie Dupuis published by Hardie Grant Books RRP $60 AUD / $65.00 NZD and is available in stores nationally.

Photographer: © PIERRE JAVELLE

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