Project Bagel

Most people’s bucket lists include travel plans; places they want to see, the odd and slightly dangerous adventure they want to brag about. I have those too. Except that my bucket list includes a number of cooking challenges and large baking projects that I want to tackle. This past year I made (and kept alive) a sourdough starter (#quarentinystarter), I mastered a ‘from scratch’ Beef Wellington (recipe coming soon) and even tried my hand at a relatively authentic passover meal. And I made bagels from scratch, topped with homemade vegetable, herb and garlic cream cheese, because, why not. In for a penny in for a pound.

Perhaps I am slightly jaded in what I consider a lot of work (refer back to the sourdough starter), but these were actually not that bad! Yes the recipe has to be made over 2 days, you have to both boil and bake the bagels, but really it wasn’t that bad. Don’t let the long instructions that follow deter you. You can do this! You can have homemade, New York style bagels without leaving your house, because we don’t all live in New York and we’re supposed to be staying at home.

There are a few specialty ingredients that are not easy to find in a regular supermarket, but (I’m told) greatly improve the flavour and sheen of the bagels. Malt powder or syrup will sweeten the bagels and impart a very authentic bagel flavour. If you can’t find it, brown sugar is an excellent substitute ( I used it ). Similarly, barley syrup is usually added to the water when cooking the bagels, and it helps give the bagels a rich brown crust, reminiscent of a typical New York bagel. I was not able to find either malt syrup or barley syrup in the middle of a pandemic where I am avoiding stores. The bagels tasted great with out them. What cannot be skipped is the use of bread flour. All-purpose flour has wonderful attributes but it does not make a great bagel. Bread flour is available everywhere. Make sure you grab a bag from the grocery store before attempting this recipe.

A few notes on the “Window Pane Test”. This is used as a way of ensuring that you have kneaded your dough long enough. Cut off a piece of the dough, about the size of a golf ball. Hold it between your thumbs and first two fingers, and stretch your fingers apart so that it forms a square ‘window”. When the dough is ready you will be able to stretch it so that it forms that window. If the dough breaks before you can stretch it, the dough is not ready. Knead for a few more minutes and try again. Need a visual image? Try this link.

I know, all of these tests sound daunting and formal. Don’t let them scare you away from attempting the recipe. They are really in place to ensure that your bagels turn out perfect every time. Their purpose is to make things easier and ensure you have not waisted hours only to have the recipe flop.

Still not scared off and want to actually make homemade cream cheese and convince your family that you have ‘gone off the deep end?’ Here is a recipe from Smitten Kitchen. I found that one batch was the perfect amount .

Homemade Bagels

Adapted slightly from Smitten Kitchen
Makes 1 dozen bagels, or 18 mini bagels

Sponge
1 tsp instant yeast
4 cups unbleached high-gluten or bread flour
2 1/2 cups water, room temperature

Dough
1/2 tsp instant yeast
3 3/4 cups unbleached high-gluten or bread flour
2 3/4 tsp salt
2 tsp malt powder or 1 Tbsp malt syrup, honey, or brown sugar (see note above)

To Finish
1 Tbsp baking soda
3 Tbsp barley syrup (optional)
cornmeal or semolina flour for dusting
Your choice of topping: sesame seeds, poppy seeds, or Everything Bagel Mix (see below)

Day 1:
Make the sponge by stirring the yeast into the flour in a 4-quart mixing bowl. Add the water, stirring until it forms a smooth, sticky batter (like pancake batter). Don’t knead. Cover the bowl with a lid or 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.

In the same mixing bowl (or in the bowl of an electric stand mixer), add the additional 1/2 tsp of yeast to the sponge and stir. Add 3 cups of flour and all of the salt and malt. Mix on a low speed with the dough hook until the ingredients form a ball, slowly working in the remaining 3/4 cup flour to stiffen the dough. Alternatively you can do this by hand.

Knead the dough for an additional 6 minutes if using a machine, 10 minutes on the counter if kneading by hand. The dough should be firm, but still pliable and smooth with no raw flour. The dough should pass the windowpane test (see note above) and register 71-77 F. If the dough seems tacky or sticky add more flour to achieve a pliable, smooth, stiff dough.

Immediately divide the dough into 12 pieces and form into rolls. Alternatively, you can divide them into 18 or even 24 rolls for small/mini bagels. Cover the rolls with a damp towel and allow them to rest for approximately 20 minutes.

Line 2 sheet pans with parchment paper and lightly spray them with oil. Roll each dough piece into an 8-inch long rope, wrap the dough along the palm and back of your hand, overlapping the ends by several inches. Press the overlapping ends on the counter with the palm of your hand, rocking back and forth to seal. You may need to rest the pieces if they are springing back too much. Alternatively you can poke a hold in the ball of bagel dough and gently rotate your thumb around the inside of the hole to widen it to approximately 2 1/2 inches in diameter. Try to keep the thickness consistent.

Place each of the shaped pieces 2 inches apart on the pans. Mist the bagels lightly with cooking spray and cover the pans and let them rest for approximately 20 minutes. Use the “Float Test” to see if the bagels have rested long enough. Fill a small bowl with room-temperature water. Drop a test bagel in the water. If it floats within 10 seconds of being dropped the bagels are ready. If not, allow them to rest for 10 minutes longer and try again.

Wrap the bagels and allow them to rest overnight in the refrigerator.

Day 2:
When you are ready to make the bagels, preheat the oven to 500F with two racks set in the middle of the oven. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, the wider the pot the better. Add the baking soda and optional barley syrup to the water. Have a skimmer or slotted spoon ready.

Remove the bagels from the refrigerator and gently drop a few into the water, boiling only as many as comfortably fit. After 1 minute, slip them over and boil for another minute. [If you like chewy bagels you can increase this to 2 minutes per side]. While the bagels are boiling, sprinkle the parchment-lined, sprayed sheets with cornmeal or semolina flour. If you are topping the bagels, do so as soon as they come out of the water. Repeat with the remaining bagels, making sure not to overcrowd the pot.

When all of the bagels have 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 degree rotation. After the rotation, lower the oven to 450F and continue baking for about 5 minutes, or until the bagels turn light golden brown.

Remove the pans from the oven and let the bagels cool on a rack for 15 minutes or longer before serving.

Everything Bagel Topping

2 Tbsp poppy seeds
2 Tbsp white sesame seeds
2 Tbsp black sesame seeds
2 Tbsp dried minced onion
2 Tbsp kosher salt
1/2 Tbsp dried minced garlic

Mix together all of the above and top on the bagels as soon as they are taken out of the boiling water. Extra topping will keep for several weeks or several months in the freezer.