When I posted my pictures of our homemade bagels I had no idea they would generate so much interest. As promised here is the recipe with some more detailed photos of the process. Making bagels has been on my list of things to try my hand at for many years. I’m so glad that I finally gave it a go. It was well-worth it!
New York-style Bagels
Ingredients
1 1/2 teaspoons instant or rapid-rise active dry yeast
337 grams (12 ounces) warm water (not hot!)
623 grams (22 ounces; approximately 4 cups) bread flour
2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon barley malt syrup (this is the ‘secret’ ingredient. Don’t leave it out!)
3 tablespoons cornmeal, for dusting
Optional toppings
Sesame seeds
Poppy seeds
Caraway seed
Dehydrated onion flakes
Dehydrated garlic flakes
Sea or kosher salt
Mix the yeast into the warm water in a small bowl or measuring cup and let it start to foam while you prepare the rest of the dough. (If the mixture fails to foam after several minutes, dump it out and start over with new yeast.)
Combine the flour, salt and barley malt syrup in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough-hook attachment. Add the yeast mixture and beat on the lowest speed until the dough starts to come together around the dough hook, about four minutes. Increase the speed to medium-low; beat for seven to ten minutes or until the dough is cohesive, smooth and stiff.
Dust a rimmed baking sheet with the cornmeal. Turn the dough out onto a work surface, then divide it into eight equal portions (110 grams each). Roll the pieces into smooth balls and cover with plastic wrap to rest at room temperature for five minutes.
Form each dough ball into a rope about 11 inches long by rolling it under your palms. Try to avoid tapering the ends of the rope.
Shape each rope into a circle with a diameter of about four inches, overlapping the ends by about one and a half inches. Pinch the overlapped areas firmly together, moistening them lightly with water if the ends won’t stick. Working with one at a time, place your fingers through each ring of dough; with the pinched-together seam facing down, roll the rope several times, applying firm pressure to seal the seam to form a bagel. Each ring should be about the same thickness all around; if it’s not, you can roll it in other places around the ring to even it out.
Place the dough rings on the cornmeal-covered baking sheet as you work, spaced an inch or two apart. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. The rings will have puffed and spread slightly.
When you’re ready to boil and bake the bagels, preheat the oven to 230ºC / 450ºF. Make sure that you are completely preheated. The oven needs to be hot!
Fill a large, wide pot with three inches of water; bring it to a boil over high heat.
Drop 3 or 4 dough rings into the boiling water, stirring and briefly submerging them until very slightly puffed, 30 to 35 seconds. Transfer the dough rings to a wire rack, bottom (flatter) sides down, to drain. Repeat with the remaining rings.
If you are using any optional toppings, dip the bagels in them while the dough is still wet.
Transfer the bagels to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Bake (middle rack) for 12 to 18 minutes or until the bagels are a deep golden brown and crisp, rotating the parchment paper or baking sheet halfway through; the baking time will depend on whether you’re using a stone and perhaps the heat distribution of your oven.
Use tongs to transfer the bagels to a wire rack to cool. If you’ve split the bagels into two batches, slide the second one in and bake.
Wait for a few minutes before splitting open the hot bagels.
They are definitely amazing fresh and warm from the oven. But, they also freeze well. I wrapped my individually in cling film and froze. To reheat, I unwrapped them and put them on a baking pan and straight into the oven at 200ºC / 400ºF.
