Jerusalem Bagels

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Palestine… Its love knows no nationality or identity. Our love has been instilled in our hearts since childhood.

Jerusalem bagels are famously sold in the streets of Old Jerusalem. In an image that preserves the city’s history and civilization, which is being wiped out by the Israeli occupation.

It originated in 1605 AD, when the recipe was inherited from the Ottomans. They mixed flour with water and they cover it with sesame seeds and bake it in a wood-fired oven until it turns golden. It’s a profession that’s been passed down through generations. Some bakeries have had their doors closed down, others have changed, and the rest are trying and resisting to remain.

The recipe and taste is still resisting the occupation, and the local Palestinian in Jerusalem knows if the bagels were made in the Old City or not. Many claim that the flavor changes as soon as the bagels leave the Old City’s walls. The Old City’s bagels have a distinct flavor that cannot be paralleled. It gives the bread a distinct flavor since the wood-fired ovens use olive wood when baking, while we use our conventional gas or electric ovens at home.

Not to mention that we are far from Palestine – from its weather, its flour, its oil, and its sesame…

May Palestine be closer to freedom every year. Our eyes lay upon you in yearning every day.

As the journalist, Talal Salman said, “There is no freedom without Palestine. There is no progress without Palestine. There is no independence without Palestine. There is no unity without Palestine. No Arabism without Palestine, and no Arabs.”

And the great leader Salah al-Din al-Ayyubi said, “How can I smile when Al-Aqsa is a prisoner (a captive)? I am ashamed of God to smile while my brothers are there being tortured and killed.”

Peace to a land created for peace, and never saw a peaceful day. – Mahmoud Darwish

Come, let us remind the world of the Palestinian cuisine.

Come, let us protect it from colonization.

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Jerusalem Bagels

Yield: 16

Author: Yasmeen's Kitchen Diary

Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 40 MinInactive time: 1 HourTotal time: 1 H & 50 M

Ingredients

Dough:

• 1 kg (8 cups) flour
• 2 tbsp yeast
• 550 g (2½ cups) water
• 1 tsp salt
• 90 g (7 tbsp) sugar
• 90 g (7 tbsp) oil

Bagel topping:

• 400 g (3 cups) sesame seeds
• 2 tbsp water
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp salt

Instructions

Combining the dough:

1. In a bowl, add warm water and yeast and allow the yeast to bloom.
2. Add flour in the bowl of a stand mixer and add the warm water, salt, sugar, and olive oil.
3. Knead on medium-high until a dough ball forms.
4. Form into a tight ball and transfer to an oiled bowl to proof for an hour or until doubled in size.
5. Once proofed, divide the dough into 200 g sized equal balls.

Shaping + Baking

1. Preheat oven at 200ºC (400ºF)
2. Flatten the dough by patting it on the surface.
3. Carefully roll it into a log.
4. Roll it between the palm of your hands to stretch the log out, attach the edges together, and then shape it into a circle.
5. In a bowl, add sesame seeds and 2 tablespoons of water and a tablespoon of sugar.
6. Coat your bagels in the sesame mixture by rolling it with the palm of your hands and stretching it into an oval shape.
7. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until golden.

Nutrition Facts

Calories

288.96

Fat (grams)

3.43

Sat. Fat (grams)

0.49

Carbs (grams)

56.17

Fiber (grams)

2.88

Net carbs

53.29

Sugar (grams)

6.56

Protein (grams)

8.02

Sodium (milligrams)

294.83

Cholesterol (grams)

0.00

https://www.yasmeenskitchendiary.com/home/jerusalem-bagels

bagels, jerusalem bagels, palestine, middle east, arabic cuisine

Bread and Pastry

Middle Eastern

Bon appétit!