homemade bagels: trust me, it’s possible!

Perhaps I’m insane, but I’ve been dreaming about homemade bagels for weeks — warm breakfast bread that’s crisp on the outside and chewy on the inside. Sheets of formed dough covered in poppy and sesame seeds, sweet from cinnamon and toasted brown sugar, have tormented me for weeks — until I finally gave in. Until I decided that it was time to be fearless and accept the possibility that even the best laid plans can sometimes go array. Until I let some of my Type-A tendencies go.

Bread baking is an art form, so it’s important to not be paralyzed by the thought of working with yeast. Yeast is the ingredient that breaths life into a mass of dough, allows it to bubble and rise. That, coupled with the technique of kneading, and the quality of patience, will make for perfect bagels. I spent the better part of last week sifting through recipes and techniques until all roads pointed toward Peter Reinhart, bagel artisan.

This recipe isn’t terribly difficult — you just have to be patient. I didn’t know what to expect this morning when I rose at dawn, giddy with the thought of savoring something of my own creation, but I poached my dough, fought with my fire alarm, and made a batch of pretty delicious bagels.

Peter Reinhart’s Bagels
From Luisa Weiss of The Wednesday Chef
Makes 6 to 8 bagels

I often find that it helps to read through a recipe several times before getting started so you are familiar with the work flow. The bagels need to be shaped and then left in the fridge overnight to proof before they are baked, so if you want fresh bagels for breakfast or brunch, start preparing the dough the night before. Since my smoke alarm goes off when I’m BOILING WATER, I set my oven to 450°C and baked them for about 16 minutes, or until golden.

INGREDIENTS
3 1/2 cups (1 pound) unbleached bread flour
3 teaspoons salt, divided
3/4 teaspoon instant yeast*
1 tablespoon honey or barley malt syrup, if you’ve got it
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons water**
1 teaspoon baking soda
Poppy seeds

*I used active dry yeast and it was fine.
**I ended up using 1 1/4 cup of water

DIRECTIONS
By hand, mix the flour, 2 teaspoons salt, the yeast, honey and the water until the ingredients form a stiff, coarse ball of dough (about 3 minutes). If necessary, add a little more water. Let the dough rest 5 minutes. The dough will take some time to come together but make sure that you ultimately shape it into a ball.

Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface until the dough feels stiff yet supple, with a satiny, slightly tacky feel, 2 to 3 minutes. If the dough seems too soft or too tacky, sprinkle over just enough flour as needed.

Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and place it in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour and up to several hours. Keep in mind that the bagels must be shaped before proofing overnight.

When ready to shape the bagels, line a baking sheet with lightly greased parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator and divide it into 6 to 8 equal pieces. Form each piece into a loose, round ball by rolling it on a clean, dry work surface with a cupped hand; do not use any flour on the surface. If the dough slides around and won’t ball up, wipe the work surface with a damp paper towel and try again – the slight amount of moisture will provide enough “bite” for the dough to form a ball. When each piece has been formed into a ball, you are ready to shape the bagels.

Using your hands and a fair amount of pressure, roll each dough ball into a “rope” 8 to 10 inches long, starting from the center moving horizontally so that you have an even distribution of dough (moisten the work surface with a damp paper towel, if necessary, to get the necessary bite or friction). Slightly taper the rope at the ends so that they are thinner than the middle. Place one end of the dough between your thumb and forefinger and wrap it around your hand until the ends overlap in your palm; they should overlap by about 2 inches. Squeeze the overlapping ends together and then press the joined ends into the work surface, rolling them back and forth a few times until they are completely sealed.

Remove the dough from your hand and squeeze as necessary to even out the thickness so that there is a 2-inch hole in the center. I twisted and folded ends together and rolled the dough until the ends are fully combined. This is incredibly important because you don’t want your dough to fall apart when you boil the bagels.

Place the bagel on the prepared sheet pan. Repeat with the other pieces. Lightly wipe the bagels with oil, cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator overnight.

Remove the bagels from the refrigerator 90 minutes before you plan to bake them. Fill a large stockpot with 3 quarts of water (be sure the water is at least 4 inches deep), cover with a lid, and slowly bring the water to a boil. When it comes to a boil, add the remaining teaspoon of salt and 1 teaspoon of baking soda, reduce the heat and simmer with the lid on.

Thirty minutes before baking, heat the oven to 500 degrees.

Test the bagels by placing one in a bowl of cold water. If it sinks and doesn’t float to the surface, return it to the sheet, wait 15 minutes and then test it again. When one bagel passes the float test, they are ready for the pot.

Gently lift each bagel and drop it into the simmering water. Add as many as will comfortably fit in the pot. After 1 minute, use a slotted spoon to flip each bagel over. Poach for an extra 30 seconds. Using the slotted spoon, remove each bagel and return it to the lined baking sheet. Continue until all the bagels have been poached. Generously sprinkle each bagel with a topping.

Place the baking sheet in the oven and reduce the heat to 450 degrees. Bake for 8 minutes and then rotate the sheet (if using two sheets, also switch their positions). Check the underside of the bagels. If they are getting too dark, place another sheet under the baking sheet. Bake until the bagels are golden brown, an additional 8 to 12 minutes. Remove from the oven and transfer the bagels to a rack for at least 30 minutes before serving.