Recipe: WA-BAGEL’s easy mochi matcha bagels

Yukiko Iikura, the header baker at WA-BAGEL, walks Jennifer Palma through the process of making a mochi matcha bagel, Japanese-style.

Ingredients:

Dough (Makes 6 bagels):

• 2 1/2 cups bread flour (400 g)
• 2 tablespoons poweder matcha (12 g)
• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar (40 g)
• 1 teaspoon Japanese sea salt (6 g)
• 1 tablespoon fresh yeast (14.8 g)
• 1 1/8 cups water (272 g)

Fillings (Per Bagel):

• 1 tablespoon mochi (15 g)
• 1 1/2 tablespoons red bean paste (25 g)
• 1/2 tablespoon roasted walnuts (7 g)

Instructions:

Day 1:

1. In a mixing bowl, whisk together all the dough ingredients until it forms a shaggy, crumbly dough.
2. Transfer the dough to a clean, floured work surface and knead until it comes together without any crumbs.
3. Divide the dough into six equal balls.
4. Place the dough balls in a container, cover, and refrigerate overnight.

Day 2:

1. Take the dough balls out of the refrigerator and let them sit at room temperature for one hour.
2. Using your hands, spread out each dough ball into an oval shape.
3. Place the fillings on each oval, then roll each piece into a rope. Join and seal the ends to form a circle. Use flour on your hands and work surface as needed.
4. Place the formed bagels on a baking sheet with parchment paper.
5. Preheat the oven to 420 degrees F with the rack in the upper-middle position.
6. Let the bagels proof in a warm place until the joints stick together, about 30 minutes.
7. Prepare boiled water in a big pot.
8. Gently pick up each bagel, boil in the water for 2 minutes, wetting your hands and dough as needed.
9. Place the boiled bagels back on the sheet pan with parchment paper.
10. Bake on the upper-middle rack of the oven for 20 minutes.

Enjoy your homemade mochi matcha bagels!