Melinda Lee - Clear Channel, Los Angeles
Now, how elegant is this?! A French bagel! To make things even easier, the
making-a-rope technique for shaping bagels, used by professional bakers, is NOT
the one we’re using here. It’s very difficult to make that rope of dough
perfectly even in thickness, as it wraps around the baker’s open hand, being
rolled back and forth expertly. For the home baker, this recipe simply calls for
making a ball of dough, then pushing a hole through the center – you’ll
see, below. There are also some Cook’s Notes, and a few suggestions for variations
(this recipe is for plain water bagels) in case you’d like to make onion
or sesame or poppy seed or other flavors.
MAKES 10 LARGE BAGELS
3 1/2 cups (approximately), bread flour [or substitute all-purpose flour]
2 packages, dry yeast
3 tablespoons, sugar
1 tablespoon, salt
1 1/2 cups, hot water (120-130 degrees)
3 quarts water
1 1/2 tablespoons, barley malt syrup [or substitute sugar in the same amount]
1 egg white – beaten with 1 teaspoon, water
topping of choice, if any (see Variations, below)
cornmeal for sprinkling on the baking sheet
Make the dough: In a mixing bowl (or the bowl of an electric mixer) measure
3 cups of the flour and stir in all the remaining dry ingredients. Pour in the
hot water, and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon (or with the flat paddle
attachment of the electric mixer at low speed) and beat for about 2 minutes.
Add the remaining half-cup of flour, a little at a time, stirring by hand.
When the batter becomes thick and heavy, attach the mixer’s dough hook
(if using) or lift the dough from the bowl and place it on a lightly floured
work surface for kneading by hand.
Knead the dough: Knead the dough at medium low speed on the mixer –
or by hand (using a push, turn and fold motion, energetically) for about 10
minutes – or until the dough is firm and solid when pinched with the fingers.
Add flour as needed if the dough is sticky in your hands, or sticks to the sides
of the mixing bowl (if using electric mixer).
First Rising: When dough is kneaded enough, place it in an oiled mixing
bowl, cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap, and set aside at room temperature
until it has doubled in volume – about 1 hour.
Prepare water bath: Near the end of this rising time, bring the 3 quarts of
water to the boil in a large saucepan. Add the malt syrup or sugar; then, reduce
the heat and leave the water just barely moving – at a slow simmer.
Shape the bagels: When the dough has doubled in volume, turn it out
onto a lightly floured work surface and punch it down with extended fingers
to remove excess gas.
Divide the dough into 10 pieces (each will weigh about 3-4 ounces). Shape each
piece into a ball. Allow the balls to stand and relax for a few minutes –
then flatten each one with the palm of your hand.
With your thumb, press deep into the center of the bagel and tear the depression
open with your fingers. Pull the hole open, pull it down over a finger and smooth
the rough edges. It should look like a bagel! Form all of the bagels and place
them on your work surface.
Second Rising: Cover the shaped bagels with wax paper or parchment paper.
Leave them at room temperature just until the dough has risen slightly –
about 10 minutes (this is called a “half proof”). [Cook’s Note:
If the bagels are allowed to rise too much during this “second rise”
– they will not sink when put in the simmering water; but, if that should
happen, just pretend that they DID sink – and cook them for the same 1
minute as described below. The difference will be unnoticeable to most anyone.]
Prepare the baking sheet: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. [Cook’s
Note: If using a convection oven, reduce the heat by 50 degrees.] Grease a baking
sheet with shortening (or use a non-stick baking sheet, or line a baking sheet
with “Silpat” or similar material) and sprinkle the baking sheet with
cornmeal.
Water-bathing the bagels: Into the gently simmering water prepared earlier,
slip one bagel at a time (use a large skimmer, and gently lower them into the
water). Simmer only 2 or 3 bagels at a time – do not crowd the pan. The
bagels will sink and then rise again after a few seconds. Simmer gently for
one minute, turning each bagel over once during that time. Lift each bagel out
of the water with the skimmer, drain briefly on a towel, then place each bagel
on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat until all bagels are simmered, drained
and on the baking sheet. [Cook’s Note: Thanks to the malt syrup or the
sugar that was added to the simmering water, the bagels will be shiny as they
come from the water.]
Baking the bagels: If toppings are desired, (see “Variations”
below) now is the time to add them, by sprinkling the desired topping over the
bagels. Brush each bagel lightly with the egg-white-water mixture first, then
sprinkle the topping if desired – or leave unadorned, for water bagels.
Place the baking sheet on the middle rack of the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes.
When the bagel tops are a light brown, turn them over to complete baking. This
turning-over step will keep the bagels in a rounded shape, instead of their
being flat on the bottom. When brown and shiny, remove the finished bagels from
the oven.
Place the bagels on a metal rack to cool.
Variations:
Toppings may include: coarse salt, shredded onion, sesame seeds, poppy seeds,
caraway seeds, or other flavors of your choice. Sprinkle toppings over before
baking bagels, as described above.
Another tasty treat: slice each bagel crosswise into 4 thin rounds. Return
the rounds to the oven and bake the rounds until dry throughout, and just beginning
to brown – about 20 minutes. Remove the rounds from the oven, immediately
butter them and salt lightly – then return to the oven for about 5 minutes
until the butter is absorbed by the rounds. Serve hot or at room temperature
as a snack.
