3/4ouncefresh yeast(or 3 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast)
1cupmilk(plus 1/2 cup water, heated together until warm)
1/4cupneutral-flavored oil(such as sunflower)
3tbspsugar
1beaten egg
1/2cupsesame seeds
2tbspsugar
Instructions
Place the yeast in a large bowl with the water/milk mixture, the oil and the sugar. Stir gently and cover the bowl. Allow the yeast to rehydrate, 10 minutes. If using a mixer, use the mixer bowl.
Whisk the yeast mixture together to disperse any lumps. Sift the flour over the liquid and mix in vigorously. If using a mixer, fit the dough hook and mix 10 minutes. If kneading by hand, knead 10 minutes. Either way, the dough should be smooth and a little tacky.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a recycled plastic bag and allow it to rise 30 minutes or until doubled in size.
Sprinkle your work surface with flour. Divide the dough into sixths. Roll each sixth into a “snake” about 1 1/2 feet long.
Join the ends and press them together. Hook a forefinger into the bottom of the hole that you just made, and gently stretch the dough to make a long hole.
Preheat the oven to 350° F (175° C). Line two baking trays with baking parchment. Place the bagels on the trays with the joined side facing down. Brush well with the beaten egg, turning the tray to reach all sides of the bagels. It’s important to coat the bagels at this point and not wait until they’re ready to bake, because then they’ll be light and fragile and may collapse under the brush.
In a small bowl, mix the sesame seeds and sugar. Sprinkle very generously over the bagels, again turning the tray to ensure that as much surface is covered with the seed/sugar mix as possible. It’s the sesame seeds that give the characteristic flavor to this bagel.
Let the bagels rise 1/2 hour or until doubled in size.
Bake 12-15 minutes, or until the bagels are golden and the bottoms are brown.
Set on a rack to cool, covered with a towel.
Traditionally, people just rip a chunk off and dip it into the dry za’atar spice mix. But Jerusalem bagels are fine as a snack by themselves, or as a great mopper-up of sauce at meal time.