Twisted Bagels (with Butter or Cheese)

In a bowl pour the lukewarm water and the slightly warmed fresh milk. Add the oil, salt, sugar, the egg whites and the yeast. If the yeast is fresh, crumble it. Stir well until everything dissolves and a homogeneous mixture is obtained.

Start adding the previously sifted flour. Add it to the mixture and stir.

Once the dough starts to form a ball, tip it out onto a floured work surface.

Knead the dough until you get a soft dough that sticks very slightly to the fingers. In my case the dough took exactly 800 grams of flour.

Grease a bowl with a little oil and place the dough in it. Cover it with a lid, a soft cloth or clear cling film and leave the dough in a warm place until it doubles in volume (depending on the temperature the time can be from 30 to 60 minutes).

Tip the risen dough out onto the work surface.

With your fingers (or with a rolling pin, of course) spread the dough into a square about 70-80 cm.

Brush generously with the soft butter. In my case the butter had not softened much, so I put it on in tiny pieces which I lightly pressed onto the dough.

Mentally divide the rolled-out sheet into 3 horizontal strips. Fold the top 1/3 over the middle part.

Brush this part with butter too.

Then fold the bottom part over the middle.

Brush with butter again.

Now mentally divide the dough into two halves vertically - left and right. Fold the left over the right or vice versa - it makes no difference.

Carefully with your hands spread the dough into a square about 40-50 cm.

With a sharp knife or a pizza cutter cut vertical strips about 4-5 cm wide. You can make them thinner. That way you will get more and smaller little bagels, which I think is great. Next time I make this recipe I will make them more and smaller.

Take one strip and fold it in half.

Pull the strip from its two ends to lengthen it so it becomes roughly as long as it was before you folded it.

Now carefully twist the dough several times.

Wind it into a bagel and overlap the ends so they don't come undone. You can also make a light knot (not a double one)...

Take a large flat tray and line it with baking paper. I used the large oven tray. Place 4 little bagels apart from each other, as they puff up quite a lot afterwards. Cover them with a soft cloth and let them rest about 15-20 minutes.

Carefully brush the bagels with the egg yolks beaten with a little oil.

Sprinkle poppy seeds over the place where you joined the bagels (you can also sprinkle them whole). Of course, you can use another kind of seeds for sprinkling or a combination of them.

Bake the bagels in a preheated oven at 200 degrees without a fan for about 20 minutes, until they turn golden brown.

They are wonderful, aren't they?

Soft inside, crispy outside and smelling of loooots of butter!

Dig in while they are still warm! Enjoy!