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madbakerThis week's Resolution Recipe: Bagels.
Dough:
1 Tbsp instant yeast
4 cups unbleached bread flour (I used: 2/3 cup dark rye, 2/3 cup pumpernickel rye, 1 1/3 cup white wheat, 1 1/3 cup white)
2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp barley malt syrup
1 1/2 cups lukewarm water
Bath:
2 quarts water
2 Tbsp barley malt syrup
1 Tbsp sugar
Whisk the yeast into the water and let activate for ten minutes. Combine the rest into the water and knead vigorously, by hand for 10-15 minutes, or by machine on medium-low speed for about 10 minutes. It takes a bit more time and effort to develop the gluten. The dough will be quite stiff; if you're using a mixer it will thwap the sides of the bowl and hold its shape without spreading at all when you stop the mixer. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl and set it aside to rise until noticeably puffy though not necessarily doubled, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
Transfer the dough to a work surface and divide it into eight pieces. Working with one piece at a time, roll it into a smooth, round ball. Cover the balls with plastic wrap and let them rest for 30 minutes. They'll puff up very slightly.
While the dough is resting, prepare the water bath by heating the water, syrup, and sugar to a very gentle boil in a large, wide-diameter pan. Heat the oven to 425.
Use your index finger to poke a hole through the center of each ball, then twirl the dough on your finger to stretch the hole until it's about 2" in diameter; the entire bagel will be 4" across. Place each bagel on a lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet and repeat with each ball of dough.
Transfer the bagels, four at a time, to the simmering water. Cook for 2 minutes, then flip them over and gently simmer for 1 minute more. Remove from the water and place back on the baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining bagels. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until they're as deep a brown as you like; turn them over after 15 minutes, which will help them remain tall and round. Remove from the oven and cool completely on a wire rack.
What worked: I grew up eating pumpernickel rye bagels, and those are sadly near-impossible to find. Even the few places I've tried that make good bagels (Wise Sons, Marla's Bakery) don't make pumpernickel rye, because it's just not popular enough. So I occasionally resort to making my own.
These were by far the best bagels I've ever made. Using 1/3 rye flour allowed some gluten to develop while still imparting the rye flavor I love. Did the malt syrup make a real difference? I don't know; I'd have to make some others side by side to really tell, and I'll probably never do that.
We ate these for brunch with cream cheese, smoked salmon, shallot, and capers. And an entire bottle of prosecco. It was fabulous. They looked and tasted like good-quality commercial bagels. The flip-over really works to keep the bagels tall.
Also, I used a Silpat sheet rather than parchment, which I should do more often since I have two of them and they really work. And I used the Kitchenaid dough hook for the first time ever, which I assume worked since the dough did rise. It saved me 15 minutes of shoulder-beating kneading anyway.
What didn't: They took a long time from start to finish (if not that much effort). Granted I didn't get up until 8ish, but we ate close to noon. Some of the bagel holes were off-center; clearly I need more practice. An egg wash might have been nice, as would seeds or a bit of salt. I'd have to do that on the flip though.
Will I make it again? As a holiday-type or weekend brunch, definitely. Plus I've got an entire bottle of malt syrup, and what the hell else am I going to use it for? I might try it with sourdough, although that will only increase the prep time.
Dough:
1 Tbsp instant yeast
4 cups unbleached bread flour (I used: 2/3 cup dark rye, 2/3 cup pumpernickel rye, 1 1/3 cup white wheat, 1 1/3 cup white)
2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp barley malt syrup
1 1/2 cups lukewarm water
Bath:
2 quarts water
2 Tbsp barley malt syrup
1 Tbsp sugar
Whisk the yeast into the water and let activate for ten minutes. Combine the rest into the water and knead vigorously, by hand for 10-15 minutes, or by machine on medium-low speed for about 10 minutes. It takes a bit more time and effort to develop the gluten. The dough will be quite stiff; if you're using a mixer it will thwap the sides of the bowl and hold its shape without spreading at all when you stop the mixer. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl and set it aside to rise until noticeably puffy though not necessarily doubled, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
Transfer the dough to a work surface and divide it into eight pieces. Working with one piece at a time, roll it into a smooth, round ball. Cover the balls with plastic wrap and let them rest for 30 minutes. They'll puff up very slightly.
While the dough is resting, prepare the water bath by heating the water, syrup, and sugar to a very gentle boil in a large, wide-diameter pan. Heat the oven to 425.
Use your index finger to poke a hole through the center of each ball, then twirl the dough on your finger to stretch the hole until it's about 2" in diameter; the entire bagel will be 4" across. Place each bagel on a lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet and repeat with each ball of dough.
Transfer the bagels, four at a time, to the simmering water. Cook for 2 minutes, then flip them over and gently simmer for 1 minute more. Remove from the water and place back on the baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining bagels. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until they're as deep a brown as you like; turn them over after 15 minutes, which will help them remain tall and round. Remove from the oven and cool completely on a wire rack.
What worked: I grew up eating pumpernickel rye bagels, and those are sadly near-impossible to find. Even the few places I've tried that make good bagels (Wise Sons, Marla's Bakery) don't make pumpernickel rye, because it's just not popular enough. So I occasionally resort to making my own.
These were by far the best bagels I've ever made. Using 1/3 rye flour allowed some gluten to develop while still imparting the rye flavor I love. Did the malt syrup make a real difference? I don't know; I'd have to make some others side by side to really tell, and I'll probably never do that.
We ate these for brunch with cream cheese, smoked salmon, shallot, and capers. And an entire bottle of prosecco. It was fabulous. They looked and tasted like good-quality commercial bagels. The flip-over really works to keep the bagels tall.
Also, I used a Silpat sheet rather than parchment, which I should do more often since I have two of them and they really work. And I used the Kitchenaid dough hook for the first time ever, which I assume worked since the dough did rise. It saved me 15 minutes of shoulder-beating kneading anyway.
What didn't: They took a long time from start to finish (if not that much effort). Granted I didn't get up until 8ish, but we ate close to noon. Some of the bagel holes were off-center; clearly I need more practice. An egg wash might have been nice, as would seeds or a bit of salt. I'd have to do that on the flip though.
Will I make it again? As a holiday-type or weekend brunch, definitely. Plus I've got an entire bottle of malt syrup, and what the hell else am I going to use it for? I might try it with sourdough, although that will only increase the prep time.
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no subject
Date: 2016-10-10 01:08 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2016-10-10 02:56 am (UTC)JK, I hate it too. I've had good bagels in Nevada, here, in Portland, in Seattle. . .
I applaud you for making your own bagels, though. I don't think I'd have the patience.
no subject
Date: 2016-10-10 07:46 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2016-10-10 08:06 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2016-10-11 11:04 pm (UTC)In terms of dough composition, is there a difference between bagels and bialys other than the cooking?