what the homemade bagels?

One of my cooking resolutions this year (is it odd that I have specific cooking resolutions?) is to be more adventurous and take on projects that seem scary and intimidating. I consider myself a fairly decent cook and an excellent cookie baker, but there are some things that just seem so hard. Artisan breads. Macarons. Candy-making. Baking a cake that doesn’t turn into a disaster. This year I really want to try new things and build my confidence in the kitchen, and I figured bagels were a great way to start. The recipe is fairly complicated and takes at least 24 hours to complete, but the bagels are seriously amazing. I think they might be the best bagels I have ever eaten. Hands down better than Einstein’s and maybe tied with Rich’s Bagels (my very favorite). I am itching to pick up some asiago cheese at the store and try to recreate my favorite Rich’s bagel, and then I shall have no need for bagel shops. Unless, that is, I decide to open one myself.

I was a little worried when I put the bagels into the fridge overnight, because they looked small and a little lumpy. When I pulled them out this morning, though, they were plump and beautiful. (Incidentally, Geoff asked me about the status of the bagels last night, and I told them they were “just being retarded” in the fridge overnight, and then we laughed.)

We boiled the bagels as specified, and then I topped half with cinnamon sugar and half with cheese (cheddar on some and parmesan on others).

Ten minutes later, they were out of the oven and looking awesome!

I was a little scared to take the first bite, after all that time and hard work, but it was amazing! I texted Geoff, “We should forget about our plans for life and just open a bagel shop. I need cream cheese stat!” The texture is fantastic, with the outsides chewy and the insides soft. Plus the flavor is delicious.

Because I’m such a rebel (and also lazy) I didn’t follow the recipe exactly. I used all-purpose instead of bread flour, and honey instead of malt powder (who has or needs malt powder?). I really liked the step-by-step instructions on Annie’s Eats, and I tried not be jealous that her bagels were more perfect than mine.

Homemade Bagels
Annie’s Eats

For the sponge:
1 tsp. (0.11 oz.) instant yeast
4 cups (18 oz.) unbleached bread flour
2 ½ cups (20 oz.) water, at room temperature

For the dough:
½ teaspoon (0.055 oz.) instant yeast
3 ¾ cups (17 oz.) unbleached bread flour
2 ¾ teaspoons (0.7 oz.) salt
2 teaspoons (0.33 oz.) malt powder OR 1 tablespoon (0.5 oz.) dark or light malt syrup, honey, or brown sugar

To finish:
1 tablespoon baking soda
Semolina flour or cornmeal, for dusting
Desired toppings (such as cinnamon-sugar, shredded cheese, seeds, etc.)

To make the sponge, stir the yeast into the flour in a medium mixing bowl.  Add the water, whisking or stirring only until it forms a smooth, sticky batter (similar to pancake batter). Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature for approximately 2 hours, or until the mixture becomes very foamy and bubbly.  It should swell to nearly double in size and collapse when the bowl is tapped on the countertop.

To make the dough, in the same mixing bowl (or in the bowl of an electric mixer), add the additional yeast to the sponge and stir.  Then add 3 cups of the flour and all of the salt and malt. Stir (or mix on low speed with the dough hook) until the ingredients form a ball, slowly working in the remaining ¾ cup flour to stiffen the dough.

Transfer the dough to the counter and knead for at least 10 minutes (or for 6 minutes with the mixer). The dough should be firm, stiffer than French bread dough, but still pliable and smooth.  There should be no raw flour – all the ingredients should be hydrated.  The dough should pass the windowpane test and register 77 to 81˚ F.  If the dough seems dry and rips, add a few drops of water and continue kneading.  If the dough seems tacky or sticky, add more flour to achieve the stiffness required.  The kneaded dough should feel satiny and pliable but not be tacky.

Immediately divide the dough into 4 ½ ounce pieces for standard bagels, or smaller if desired. Form the pieces into rolls.  Cover the rolls with a damp towel and allow them to rest for approximately 20 minutes.

Line two sheet pans with baking parchment and mist lightly with spray oil.  Proceed with shaping the bagels by pushing a hole through the center and stretching out the hole to 2 ½ inches in diameter.  Place each of the shaped pieces 2 inches apart on the pan.  Mist the bagels very lightly with the spray oil and slip each pan into a food-grade plastic bag, or cover loosely with plastic wrap.  Let the pans sit at room temperature for about 20 minutes.

Check to see if the bagels are ready to be retarded in the refrigerator by using the “float test”.  Fill a small bowl with cool or room-temperature water.  The bagels are ready to be retarded when they float within 10 seconds of being dropped into the water.  Take one bagel and test it.  If it floats, immediately return the tester bagel to the pan, pat it dry, cover the pan, and place it in the refrigerator overnight.  (At this point, the bagels can be refrigerated for up to 2 days).  If the bagel does not float, return it to the pan and continue to proof the dough at room temperature, checking back every 10 to 20 minutes or so until a tester floats. The time needed to accomplish the float will vary, depending on the ambient temperature and the stiffness of the dough.

The following day (or when you are ready to bake the bagels), preheat the oven to 500° F with the two racks set in the middle of the oven.  Bring a large pot of water to a boil (the wider the pot the better), and add the baking soda.  Have a slotted spoon or skimmer nearby.  Have your toppings ready.  

Remove the bagels from the refrigerator and gently drop them into the water, boiling only as many comfortably fit (they should float within 10 seconds). After 1 minute flip them over and boil another minute.  If you like very chewy bagels, you can extend the boiling to 2 minutes per side.

While the bagels are boiling, sprinkle the same parchment-line sheet pans with cornmeal or semolina flour.  (If you decided to replace the paper, be sure to spray the new paper lightly with spray oil to prevent the bagels from sticking to the surface.)  If you want to top the bagels, do so as soon as they come out of the water.

When all the bagels have been boiled, place the pans on the 2 middle shelves in the oven.  Bake for approximately 5 minutes, then rotate the pans, switching shelves and giving the pans a 180˚ rotation.  (If you are baking only 1 pan, keep it on the center shelf but still rotate 180˚.)  After the rotation, lower the oven setting to 450° F and continue baking for about 5 minutes, or until the bagels turn light golden brown.  You may bake them darker if you prefer. Remove the pans from the oven and let the bagels cool on a rack for 15 minutes or longer before serving.