Bagels

If there's been an onslaught of Jewish recipes around here, it's no coincidence.  September hits, and I inevitably become homesick for the dishes that remind me of fall, the dishes that ring in the new year.  There are many wonderful things about the Bay Area, but the availability of quality Jewish food is not one of them (neither is 90 degree weather in the fall).

Bagels are probably the worst offender of Jewish foods butchered in the Bay Area.  Heck, even as a proud Bostonian, I am willing to concede that a bagel is only really a bagel in New York.  A bagel in not fluffy.  It's chewy and dense.  It has a complex flavor, brought upon by a long rise and malt syrup.  And they only come in a finite set of flavors; there is no such thing as a blueberry bagel. 

As Yom Kippur arrives, all I want is a good bagel to break fast.  And knowing that I wouldn't find one in Berkeley, I set about making my own.  It's a lot of work, and it takes a long time, but the payoff is immense.  It's probably the kind of thing that isn't worth making at home if you happen to live blocks from decent bagels, but when you are 3000 miles from one - well, you'll be glad you made the effort.

Bagels
Makes a dozen

It's best to read this recipe from start to finish before beginning.  There are a lot of steps, and it's a two day process.  I've added notes that I found helpful, but feel free to play around and see what works for you.



For the sponge:
1 t yeast
4 c high-gluten flour (I just used regular flour, and I am sure I would have even better bagels with the high-gluten stuff; I will be ordering some for next time)
2 1/2 c water, room temperature

For the dough:
1/2 t yeast
3 3/4 c  high-gluten flour
2 3/4 t salt
1 T malt syrup (you can substitute honey or brown sugar if you can't find any, but this is what gives them that bagel flavor, so give it your best shot

For the bath:
1 T baking soda
1 T malt syrup

As toppings:
Sesame seeds, poppy seeds, kosher salt, rehydrated dried minced garlic or onions (optional)

Day one:

Stir  yeast into  flour in large mixing bowl.  Add the water, whisking or stirring only until it forms a smooth, sticky batter.  Cover with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature for approximately 2 hours, or until the mixture becomes very foamy and bubbly.

In the same mixing bowl, add the additional yeast to the sponge and stir.  Then add 3 cups of the flour and all of the salt and malt.  Stir until the ingredients form a ball, slowly working in the remaining 3/4 cup flour to stiffen the dough.

Knead for at least 10 minutes.  The dough should be firm but still pliable and smooth.  If the dough seems to dry, 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 1/2 ounce pieces.  Form the pieces into rolls.

Cover the rolls with a damp towel and allow them to rest for approximately 20 minutes.  Line two baking pans with  parchment and mist lightly with oil.  Poke a hole in a 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. The dough should be as evenly stretched as possible (try to avoid thick and thin spots.)

Place each of the shaped pieces 2 inches apart on the pans.  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 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.  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. 

Day two:
Preheat the oven to 500 degrees with the two racks set in the middle of the oven.  Bring a large pot of water to a boil, and add the baking soda and malt syrup.  Have a slotted spoon nearby.

Remove bagels from the refrigerator and gently drop them into the water, boiling only as many as comfortably fit. After two minutes, flip them over rand boil for another two minutes. 

If you want to top the bagels, do so as soon as they come out of the water.  You can use any of the suggestions in the ingredients list or a combination.  I just made plain for now.

When all the bagels have been boiled, place the pans on the 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 setting to 450 degrees 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.