13/05/2026
My toxic relationship with blueberry bagels continues.
Sorry to everyone that missed out on their blueberry fix today!!! We will come back with your blueberry kick on Saturday š«
Iāve been making bagels for over 4 years now and this mornings blueberry bagel bake still came out underproofed and didnāt rise the way I wanted them to.
Sometimes the dough is colder than usual, sometimes the yeast is still asleep, sometimes the fruit changes the hydration, sometimes the fridge is too cold or the timing that normally works just doesnāt work for that batch.
A long cold fermentation doesnāt automatically mean your dough is ready, it still needs to be properly proofed before it hits the boil and bake stage.
Underproofed bagels can come out dense, smaller, tighter in the crumb and not as puffy because the dough hasnāt built up enough gas and strength before baking.
So if your bagels, or any bake in general, donāt rise the way you wanted, donāt just throw the recipe in the bin and quit baking.
Look at the dough, ask yourself these questions.
Was it too cold?
Did it feel tight?
Did it pass the float test?
Did it need more time at room temperature before boiling?
Did your add-ins, like blueberries, make the dough heavier or wetter than usual?
The best part about baking is experimenting, adjusting, testing and figuring out what went wrong so next time you can get closer to that perfect bake.
Because when you finally nail it, itās all worth it.
