No-Fail Bagels
Submitted by Car55
No-fail bagels boil shaped dough rings in water before baking on cornmeal-dusted pans, yielding the chewy interior, glossy crust and dense crumb of a true New York-style bagel.
YIELD
16 servingsPREP
30 minCOOK
35 minREADY
185 minReal homemade bagels live or die by the boil. That brief swim in hot water before baking is what gelatinizes the surface starches, traps the rise, and gives bagels their signature dense, chewy interior and shiny crust. Skip it and you have made a roll with a hole.
This version uses bread flour for the protein needed to develop strong gluten, then a long, vigorous knead (fifteen minutes, which is not a typo) to build the chew. After shaping into rings, the dough takes a warm rise to puff up, then a cool retard in the refrigerator to slow fermentation and develop deeper flavor.
The boil is short, just four minutes total with a flip halfway. A quick bath sets the surface; longer would leave the bagels gummy. Cornmeal on the cookie sheet keeps them from sticking and adds that classic gritty bottom you taste at any old-school deli.
Pro Tips
- Knead the full fifteen minutes, by hand or stand mixer with a dough hook. Under-kneaded dough yields cakey, soft bagels that lack the proper chew.
- Test the rise with a poke. The dough should slowly spring back about halfway. Fully springy means under-proofed; sluggish means over-proofed.
- If a shaped bagel sinks and stays down during the boil, give it more rise time. The bagel needs trapped air to rebound on its own.
- Top before baking: brush with egg wash and sprinkle sesame, poppy, or everything seasoning while the surface is still wet so it sticks.
Variations
- Stir a tablespoon of barley malt syrup or honey into the boiling water for a more authentic, deeply browned crust.
- Add raisins and cinnamon to half the dough for cinnamon-raisin bagels.
- Swap a cup of bread flour for whole wheat for a heartier, nuttier bagel.
Ingredients
Directions
Place yeast in glass with ½ cup warm water.
Stir in sugar until yeast is disolved.
Let stand for 5 minutes, until foamy on top.
Pour this mixture into a bowl and add 2 cups lukewarm water.
Stir in salt.
Add the 5½ cups flour a cup at a time, mixing with a wooden spoon to blend after each addition.
Dough will be sticky.
Spread ¼ cup of the remaining flour on a work surface.
Place dough on flour.
Place ¼ cup flour on top of the dough.
Begin kneading slowly until the flour comes together with the rest of the dough.
Knead vigorously for 15 minutes.
You may have to add several tablespoons of flour if the mixture is sticky.
Using a sharp knife dipped in flour, cut the dough into 16 equal portions.
Roll each portion into a ball.
Poke your thumbs through the center to make a hole about the size of a quarter.
Spread ¼ cup cornmeal on each of two trays or cutting boards and place 8 formed bagels on each about 1 inch apart.
Cover with a clean dish towel and place in a warm draft free spot for 45 minutes to rise.
Remove towel and place trays of bagels in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
Pre-heat oven to 400℉ (200℃).
Boil 3 cups water in a large pot.
Spread ¼ cup yellow cornmeal on 2 cookie sheets.
Place bagels four at a time into the boiling water.
The perfect bagel should sink to the bottom and rise immediatly.
Boil about 4 minutes turning about every 30 seconds.
Don’t worry if your bagels don’t sink to the bottom; however if they sink to the bottom and lie there, wait until they float to the top before timing the 4 minutes.
Remove bagels with a slotted spoon and place on a clean towel for a few seconds to drain excess water.
Place 8 bagels on each cookie sheet.
You can now add a favorite topping sesame, garlic or onion if desired.
Bake 35 minutes or until golden.
Remove bagels from cookie sheet and let them cool on a wire rack.
Comments