Yeast Breads ~ Bagels

Event: Blogging marathon #40
Theme: Yeast based breads

I came across these bagels at Kingarthurflour website and was influenced to try going by the good reviews the recipe got. This was my first attempt at making bagels and they turned out great. The instructions were simple to follow and this recipe yields eight big sized, beautiful bagels. I topped some of them with sesame seeds and some with the leftover mozzarella cheese I had. Everyone at home were impressed with the texture and flavor of the bagels. I particularly loved the bagels topped with cheese. The bagels were chewy but the helpline was suggesting that if one is expecting an ideal chewy Newyork style bagel, they should go with high gluten flour.

Ingredients for the dough:

4 cups unbleached bread flour

1 tbsp instant yeast

2 tsp salt

1 tbsp non-diastatic malt powder or brown sugar or barley malt syrup (I substituted it with honey.)

1 & 1/2 cups / 12 oz lukewarm water

Ingredients for the water bath:

2 quarts / 64 oz water

1 tbsp granulated sugar

2 tbsp non-diastatic malt powder or brown sugar or barley malt syrup (I substituted it with honey.) 

Dough preparation: 

The dough can be prepared using a bread machine, mixer or manually and I have provided all the methods below. I manually made the dough to prevent the after clean up mess. 

Mixer method:

Combine all the dough ingredients and knead by machine on medium-low speed for 10 minutes. It takes relatively more effort and time to develop the gluten because of the high protein bread flour used in the recipe. The resulting dough should have been quite stiff according to the recipe but mine was not as you notice in the below image. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl and set it aside to rise for about 1 to 1 & 1/2 hours.  

Bread machine method:

Place the dough ingredients in the bowl of the machine. Program the machine for dough / manual and press the start button. Check the dough after about 10 minutes. It should be quite stiff and won't have formed a smooth ball. The dough would feel quite firm if you poke it with your finger. Allow the machine to complete it's cycle.

Manual method:

* Combine all the dough ingredients and knead vigorously by hand for 10 - 15 minutes. 

* Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl and set it aside to rise for about 1 to 1 & 1/2 hours.

* After the resting period, the dough need not double in volume but noticeably rise to puffy.

* Divide the dough into eight portions. Work with one portion at a time and roll it into a smooth, round ball.

* Cover the balls and let them rest for about 30 minutes. 

* They will again puff up slightly. 

* Add water, sugar and malt to a wide mouthed pan and bring them to a gentle boil. 

* Preheat the oven to 425 deg F. 

* Poke a hole through the center of each ball with your index finger. Then twirl the dough on your finger to stretch the hole until it's about 2 inches in diameter and the entire bagel is about 4 inches in diameter. It got a little tricky for me here since I overlooked the twirling part and by the time I got the hang of it, there were no dough balls to try. Place the bagels on a greased baking sheet.

* Transfer 3 - 4 bagels to the simmering water. Cook the bagels for 2 minutes.    

* Flip them and cook for one more minute. Remove the bagels using a skimmer. 

* Place them on the baking sheet. Add toppings of your choice now. There are plenty of choices when it comes to toppings. I topped some with sesame seeds. And some with mozzarella cheese since I had to finish off the cheese. One can top it off with poppy seeds or can add add raisins before the final kneading or go with other choices. Repeat the process with the remaining bagels.

* Bake the bagels for 20 to 25 minutes, or until they're as deep brown as you like, turning them over about 15 minutes into the baking time. Remove the bagels from the oven, and cool completely on a wire rack.
 

Warm and yum ~ Fresh from the oven

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