The Easiest Bagels EVER!

Ok, to sum everything up and how good these bagels, I will never be buying bagels from the grocery store ever again! 
This recipe is based on Ethan Chlebowski's bagels!

Dough

8 g Instant Yeast

20 g Honey (or sugar)

300 g Water (~105 F)

500 g Bread Flour (preferably)

10 g Salt

Cornmeal for sprinkling on baking sheet

Poaching liquid

~ 2 liters (quarts) of Water

15 g Baking Soda

15 g Salt

30 g Honey (or barley malt syrup or sugar)

Egg wash

1 Egg

15 ml Water

Everything Bagel Seasoning

2 parts Poppy Seed

1 part Black Sesame Seed

1 part White Sesame Seed

1 part Garlic Powder

1 part onion powder

1 part Morton's Coarse Kosher Salt (or flakey salt)

Mix the Dough 

Add the yeast and honey to the warm water. Stir until dissolved. Let stand for 5 minutes until a light foam surfaces and little bubbles are visible.

Note: Proofing is done to test the viability of the yeast. If there is no foam surface or little bubbles the yeast is likely dead and should be discarded for new yeast.

Meanwhile, add the flour and salt to a large mixing bowl. Once the yeast is proofed, pour in the mixture and vigorously mix the dough with your hands until no dry flour remains in the bowl and a cohesive mass forms, about 2-3 minutes. The dough will be sticky and stiff. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 15 minutes.

Note: Resting will allow the flour to start hydrating all on its own, and make the dough a little bit easier to work with when we start kneading it.

Kneading 

Once rested, turn the dough onto the counter, do not add extra flour. Knead the dough by pressing with the heel of your hand away from you, fold the dough back over and repeat. Continue kneading for 8-10 minutes (set a timer). The dough will be stiff due to the low hydration but as it is kneaded it will become more pliable and smooth on the outside.

After the 8-10 minutes, test for gluten development by cutting off a small piece of the dough and stretching it very thin to see if it is slightly translucent before tearing.

Note: The gluten window test is the key to understanding if the flour has been hydrated enough. If the dough tears before getting to a slightly translucent window, continue with the kneading for another couple of minutes.

Bulk Ferment 

After kneading, cover with plastic wrap and let the dough rise until doubled in size, about 45 minutes.

Divide and shape / Proof 

Once doubled, divide the dough into 8, 100-gram portions. Shape each portion into a taut ball and let rest for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, get out a large baking sheet and sprinkle over some cornmeal. For bagel shaping there are two options: Rolled or Punched.

Rolled: Roll the dough flat to about 5 inches wide. Roll the dough into a tight cylinder. Wrap the cylinder around your hand and connect the two ends with a pinch, roll the dough ring off your hand. Place on the parchment paper to proof. The rolled method is typically the method used in bagel shops. It stretches the gluten more and is said to give a chewier bagel, but I didn't notice much difference in side by side taste tests.

Punched: Punch a hole in the dough ball with your thumb and index finger. Stick your index finger from each hand into the hole and gently stretch the hole while rotating your fingers until about 2 inches wide. Place on the parchment paper to proof.

Cover the baking sheet with plastic wrap and let proof for 45 to 60 minutes at room temperature. Alternatively, the bagels can be placed in the fridge to proof overnight or even up to two days. This slow fermentation will generate additional flavor compounds.

With 15 minutes left to proof, fill a large wok or pot with 3 liters (quarts of water). Set on high heat and bring to a boil. Additionally, preheat the oven to 475 F on the convection setting (500 F for no convection) and prepare the everything bagel seasoning and the egg wash.

Boil - 10:15 AM to 10:25 AM

Add the baking soda, salt, and honey to the boiling water. Stir until completely dissolved.

Place the sheet of proofed bagels to the left of the water and set a second parchment-lined baking sheet on the right. Drop the bagels into the in small batches. Let boil on one side for about 45 seconds, then using a slotted spoon flip the bagel and cook for another 45 seconds. Remove the boiled bagels from the water and let drip before placing it on the baking sheet. Repeat until all the bagels are done.

Gently brush the egg wash on the bagels and sprinkle over the everything bagel seasoning to create an even coat.

Bake - 10:25 AM to 10:40 AM

Add the bagels to the preheated 475 F convection oven and set a timer for 12 minutes. Halfway through, open the oven and rotate the pan to promote even browning.  Pull the bagels when they are golden brown all over and sound hollow when thumped.

Remove the bagels from the oven and place on a cooling rack for 10 minutes before slicing and enjoying.


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