Copycat Dunkin’ Donuts Cheddar Bagel Twist

I have been craving a Dunkin’ Donuts bagel twist for weeks. They don’t carry them regularly anymore, so I set out to create my own at home. Is it really a bagel if it doesn’t have a hole? I’ll let you debate that! I argue that it is because you cook it in water before baking it.

These bagels take a while to come together, but not necessarily a lot of hands-on time. I make a starter the evening before and then prep the dough the next morning. I know a lot of people make bagels without a starter, but the more and more I make doughs, the more I’ve come to discover just how much more flavor breads have when made with a starter. It really does not take a lot of extra time; it only takes some planning ahead.

This dough is a little different than most traditional bagels because it uses less sugar… it’s a cheese bagel, who wants it to be more sweet?!

I make the starter in my standing mixer bowl, wrap it up and let it sit overnight. This way, the next morning, I can add all of the bagel ingredients to the same bowl and mix it.

This is a very wet, sticky dough. A lot of people can find that either disconcerting or frustrating. Those that find it disconcerting tend to add a ton more flour, making it too dense. You won’t realize it until you take a bite into it and it’s just too… thick? heavy? not moist enough? DO NOT ADD MORE FLOUR!  AND, an important trick in knowing you have gotten this JUST right is weighing the flour. If you do not have a kitchen scale, do not pack the flour into the measuring cups. The measurements provided would generally be a looser scoop of flour, not scraped with a knife. And, those that find wet dough frustrating do so because it’s hard to get out of the bowl, hard to kneed, and it sticks to your hands… argh! My recommendation for that? Get your hands wet before handling the dough. And I kind of “roll” the dough out of the bowl to transfer it.

When your done mixing the dough, letting the bread hook kneed the dough for you, transfer the dough to a lightly oiled, large bowl.

My bowls have lids (I try to save on using plastic wrap as often as I can!). If your bowls do not have lids, cover it tightly with plastic wrap. I place the bowl in an unheated oven with the door closed and the oven light turned on. The light generates just enough warmth on an air-conditioned summer day to let the dough rise more quickly then in my air-conditioned kitchen. Still, it took me two hours for my dough to double in size.

Once your dough is doubled in size, roll it into a ball on a lightly floured surface (remember, wet your hands!). Then, cut the dough into sixteen pieces.

Roll the dough to be about 4 to 5 inches long. Do this for two at a time. Then pinch them together at the top and braid them. Do this for all 8 pairs.

Throw a towel over them and let them puff back up ~ about half an hour. While you wait, start to preheat your oven and prepare the bath. The bath so does not look right ~ it’s a dark brown! You’re going to ask yourself if this is right and will these turn out good after all of this work??! It is and they will.

So here is the part that the household was divided on… whether to do an egg wash or not. You wouldn’t think something so simple would make such a huge difference, but it does! My two vultures (they’re always circling for food) argue that the twists without the egg wash taste better. I swear that the ones with the egg wash taste better. So, I recommend doing half with an egg wash and the other half without and decide for yourself!

If you use an egg wash, brush it on one side of the twist before putting it in the water. When you’re done with the bath, transfer the bagel twists to a baking sheet lined with either a silicone baking sheet (recommended!) or parchment paper. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese.

When popping both trays into the oven (one rack in the middle, the second rack on the second to last rail), take a spray bottle filled with water and quickly squirt about 10 blasts into the oven. This creates steam, which is what helps give your bagels that nice crust while keeping the insides soft and chewy. About halfway through cooking, switch the trays.

I highly recommended eating these as soon as they’re done… It’s hard not to. And they are soooo good!

Enjoy! (and don’t eat these all at once!)

Copycat Dunkin’ Donuts Cheddar Bagel Twist

• Author: the old woman and the sea
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 30 minutes
• Total Time: 13 hours
• Yield: 8 servings 1x
• Category: Baking
• Cuisine: Breakfast

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

Starter

57 grams (about ½ cup) all-purpose flour

½ cup water – room temperature

1/16 tsp yeast

Dough

1 ¼ cup warm water

½ TB salt

2 tsps sugar

482 grams (3 1/2 cups) all-purpose flour

1 ½ tsps yeast

1 cup shredded cheddar

Water Bath

2 quarts water

1/2 TB baking soda

1 TB molasses

Topping and Finishing Up

Egg Wash

1 cup shredded cheddar

Spray bottle of water

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Instructions

Make the Starter

The day before, combine all of the ingredients for the starter. You can use a standing mixer with the paddle attachment, a spoon, or your hands to mix this. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature. Let sit for at least 12 hours.

Bagel Twist Dough

Take the starter and add all of the ingredients for the dough. Using the bread hook, mix all of the ingredients with a standing mixer until thoroughly blended and all dough separated from the bowl.

Lightly oil a large bowl. Place the dough in the bowl and gently roll the dough into a ball, coating it in oil. Cover tightly with a lid or plastic wrap. Let the dough sit until it doubles in size. Depending on room temperature, this can take 1 to 2 hours. Note my tip to place the bowl in an unheated oven with the door closed and the oven light on if you are making this during the summer with the AC running!

Once the dough has doubled in size, transfer to a lightly floured surface. Deflate the dough, removing any air bubbles, and roll into a ball. Cut into 16 pieces. Working in pairs, roll the dough to 4 to 5 inch long pieces. Pinch the tops of the two pieces together and braid them. Once all sixteen pieces have been braided into eight pieces, lay a towel over them, letting them sit for 30 minutes to puff back up.

While waiting, preheat the oven to 425°. Have one rack in the middle and a second rack in the second to bottom rack.

Line two baking sheets with silicone baking sheets or parchment paper.

Prepare the Water Bath

Combine all of the ingredients and stir to combine. Over medium heat, bring the water to a boil, and then reduce the heat to medium low. You want the water to be just below the simmering point.

If using, brush the egg wash on top of the bagel twists. Place the bagel twists in the water bath… I could fit about four in at a time. Cook for 2 minutes and then carefully flip the twists and cook for 1 minute.

Carefully transfer the finished bagel twists to the two prepared baking sheets. I needed two spoons to transfer the bagel twists, so they wouldn’t fall apart.

Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the 8 bagel twists.

Put the baking sheets in the oven and spray 10 quick bursts of water into the oven, quickly closing the oven door to seal in the steam. After 12 minutes, swap the trays to ensure even baking. Continue cooking for 13 minutes, or until golden brown.

Remove from the oven and transfer the twists to a cooling rack.

Enjoy!

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