I have been meaning to try this recipe for over a year now. Why this necessitates having a kid, I’m not sure. Now I have less time. Thank goodness for mother-in-law’s!
Total time: 2 days, or 2 hours + 1 hour + overnight to 2 days in ‘fridge
Sponge
- 1 t instant yeast (0.11 oz) or 0.33 oz cake yeast or 0.22 oz active yeast
- 4 C bread flour (18 oz)
- 2.5 C water (20 oz), room temp
- plastic wrap
- 4 qt mixing bowl
Dough
- 0.5 t instant yeast (.055 oz) or 0.15 oz cake yeast or 0.11 oz active dry
- 3 3/4 C bread flour or high-gluten flour* (17 oz)
- 2 3/4 t (0.7 oz) salt
- 2t malt powder or 1 T malt syrup, honey or brown sugar
- 2 sheet pans lined with parchment and lightly misted with spray oil
- bowl of cool or room-temp water for testing
Finishing
- 1 T baking soda
- large wide pot, filled at least 3 inches of water
- cornmeal or semolina flour
- sesame seeds, poppy seeds, salt, dried minced garlic or onions
- Make sponge by mixing yeast and water in bowl. Let it sit and foam (10 min) if you are not using cake flour. Add flour, mix until a smooth, sticky batter. Cover with plastic wrap. Let it rest about 2 hours. You want it to double in size.
- Add extra yeast, then add 3 C of flour and all the salt and malt. Keep stiring or mixing until it forms a ball. Use the remaining 3/4 C to stiffen the dough.
- Knead at least 10 min (or 6 min by machine) The dough should be firm, but still smooth. Windowpane test and register 77-81° F. If dry and rips, add a few drips of water.
- Put into 4.5 oz pieces or 2.25 oz for smaller.
- Form either with poking a hole and rotate thumb inside until desired shape. Or make into a rope and then press overlapping pieces.
- Place on pans, 2 inches apart. Sit at room temp 20 min.
- Test at this point to see if it floats in the water in 10 sec. If not, then let sit another 10-20 min and test again.
- Retard in refrigerator overnight to 2 days.
{8 hours – 2 days later}
- Heat oven to 500 F.
- Heat water to rolling boil. Add baking soda.
- Boil bagels 1 min on one side, 1 min on the other. To make them more chewy, let boil 2 min per side. If you want to top the bagels, do so after boiling.
- Line the pans with the semolina / cornmeal.
- Bake about 5 minutes at 500 F, then rotate pans 180 and switch shelves and reduce to 450. Want golden brown bagels.
- Cool at least 15 min before serving.
Makes 12 large or 24 small bagels
Adapted from Bread Baker’s Apprentice