New York City. I love you (most of the time) and I adore your pizza (especially Paulie Gees) but your bagels as of late, the thing you are suppose to be known for, seem to be doughy behemoths the size of a small child's head. I find it unfortunate because eating a bagel shouldn't leave me feeling as if I just ingested an entire loaf of bread. I'm not breaking up with you and your bagels (we aren't quite at that level) but I did decide it was time for me to take matters into my hands. This is why I spent my weekend tackling homemade bagels.
I'm really glad I did.
Homemade bagels are a relic of a bygone area. They are flavorful (malt syrup is a beautiful thing) and they have a superior crust with a excellent chewy interior. They are superb (really superb) fresh from the oven slathered in salted butter but they are amazing when served open-face with thinly sliced aged cheddar, avocado, and poached eggs. That is one epic (and proper) New York breakfast.
Homemade Bagels
Recipe via Leite’s Culinaria
This recipe looks a hell of a lot more intimidating then it really is.
This recipe looks a hell of a lot more intimidating then it really is.
Makes 6 to 8 bagels
For the dough
1 tablespoon (0.75 oz / 21 g) barley malt
syrup, honey, or rice syrup, or 1 teaspoon (0.25 oz / 7 g) diastatic malt
powder
1 teaspoon (0.11 oz / 3 g) instant yeast
1 1/2 teaspoons (0.37 oz / 10.5 g) salt, or 2
1/2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (9 oz / 255 g) lukewarm
water (about 95°F or 35°C)
3 1/2 cups (16 oz / 454 g) unbleached bread
flour
For the poaching
liquid
2 to 3 (64 to 96 oz / 181 to 272 g) water
1 1/2 tablespoons (1 oz / 28.5 g) barley malt
syrup or honey (optional)
1 tablespoon (0.5 oz / 14 g) baking soda
1 teaspoon (0.25 oz / 7 g) salt, or 1 1/2
teaspoons coarse kosher salt
Day One: Make the
Dough: Stir the malt syrup, yeast,
and salt into the lukewarm water. Place the flour into a mixing bowl and pour
in the malt syrup mixture. If using a mixer, use the dough hook and mix on the
lowest speed for 3 minutes. If mixing by hand, use a large, sturdy spoon and
stir for about 3 minutes, until well blended. The dough should form a stiff,
coarse ball, and the flour should be fully hydrated; if it isn’t, stir in a
little more water. Let the dough rest for 5 minutes.
Resume mixing with the dough hook on the lowest speed for
another 3 minutes or transfer to a very lightly floured work surface and knead
by hand for about 3 minutes to smooth out the dough and develop the gluten. The
dough should be stiff yet supple, with a satiny, barely tacky feel. If the dough
seems too soft or overly tacky, mix or knead in a little more flour.
Place the dough in a clean, lightly oiled bowl, cover the
bowl tightly with plastic wrap, and let the dough rise at room temperature for
1 hour.
Day One: Shape the
Bagels: When you’re ready to shape the bagels, prepare a sheet pan by
lining it with parchment paper or a silicone mat, then misting it with spray
oil or lightly coating it with oil. Divide the dough into 6 to 8 equal pieces.
(A typical bagel is about 4 ounces or 113 grams before baking, but you can make
them smaller. If you make more than 6 bagels, you may need to prepare 2 sheet
pans. I made 8 bagels and found I was
able to fit all of them on one pan.)
Form each piece into a loose ball by rolling it on a
clean, dry work surface with a cupped hand. (Don’t use any flour on the work surface.
If the dough slides around and won’t ball up, wipe the surface with a damp
paper towel and try again; the slight bit of moisture will provide enough
traction for the dough to form into a ball.)
There are two methods to shape the balls into bagels:
The first method is to poke a hole through the center of the ball to create a donut shape. Holding the dough with both thumbs in the hole, rotate the dough with your hands, gradually stretching it to create a hole about 2 inches in diameter.
The second method, preferred by professional bagel makers, is to use both hands (and a fair amount of pressure) to roll the ball into a rope about 8 inches long on a clean, dry work surface. (Again, wipe the surface with a damp towel, if necessary, to create sufficient friction on the work surface.) Taper the rope slightly at each end and moisten the last inch or so of the ends. Place one end of the dough in the palm of your hand and wrap the rope around your hand to complete the circle, going between your thumb and forefinger and then all the way around. The ends should overlap by about 2 inches. Squeeze the overlapping ends together by closing your hand, then press the seam into the work surface, rolling it back and forth a few times to seal. Remove the dough from your hand, squeezing it to even out the thickness if need be and creating a hole of about 2 inches in diameter.
The first method is to poke a hole through the center of the ball to create a donut shape. Holding the dough with both thumbs in the hole, rotate the dough with your hands, gradually stretching it to create a hole about 2 inches in diameter.
The second method, preferred by professional bagel makers, is to use both hands (and a fair amount of pressure) to roll the ball into a rope about 8 inches long on a clean, dry work surface. (Again, wipe the surface with a damp towel, if necessary, to create sufficient friction on the work surface.) Taper the rope slightly at each end and moisten the last inch or so of the ends. Place one end of the dough in the palm of your hand and wrap the rope around your hand to complete the circle, going between your thumb and forefinger and then all the way around. The ends should overlap by about 2 inches. Squeeze the overlapping ends together by closing your hand, then press the seam into the work surface, rolling it back and forth a few times to seal. Remove the dough from your hand, squeezing it to even out the thickness if need be and creating a hole of about 2 inches in diameter.
Place each shaped bagel on the prepared sheet pan, then
mist with spray oil or brush with a light coating of oil. Cover the entire pan
with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight or for up to 2 days. (You can also
proof the full piece of dough in the oiled bowl overnight and then shape the
bagels on baking day, 60 to 90 minutes before boiling and baking them, or as
soon as they pass the float test.)
Day Two (Or Even Three)
Test the Bagels: Remove the bagels from the refrigerator 60 to 90 minutes
before you plan to bake them, and if you plan to top them with dried onion or
garlic, rehydrate those ingredients (see the variations below). Immediately
check whether the bagels are ready for baking using the “float test”: Place one
of the bagels in a small bowl of cold water. If it sinks and doesn’t float back
to the surface, shake it off, return it to the pan, and wait for another 15 to
20 minutes, then test it again. When one bagel passes the float test, meaning
they rise to the surface, they’re all ready to be boiled. If they pass the
float test before you are ready to boil and bake them, return them to the
refrigerator so they don’t overproof. About 30 minutes before baking, preheat
the oven to 500°F (260°C) and gather and prepare your garnishes (seeds, onions,
garlic, and so on).
Day Two (Or Even Three):
Poaching the Bagels: Fill a pot with 2 to 3 quarts (64 to 96 ounces) of
water, making sure the water is at least 4 inches deep. Cover, bring to a boil,
then lower the heat to maintain at a simmer. Stir in the malt syrup, baking
soda, and salt.
Gently lower each bagel into the simmering poaching
liquid, adding as many as will comfortably fit in the pot. They should all
float to the surface within 15 seconds. After 1 minute, use a slotted spoon to
turn each bagel over. Poach for another 30 to 60 seconds, then use the slotted
spoon to transfer it back to the pan, domed side up. (It’s important that the
parchment paper be lightly oiled, or the paper will glue itself to the dough as
the bagels bake.) Sprinkle on a generous amount of whatever toppings you like
as soon as the bagels come out of the water (except cinnamon sugar; see the
variation below).
Transfer the pan of bagels to the oven, then lower the
oven heat to 450°F (232°C).
Bake for 8 minutes, then rotate the pan and check the
underside of the bagels. If they’re getting too dark, place another pan under
the baking sheet. (Doubling the pan will insulate the first baking sheet.)
Bake for another 8 to 12 minutes, until the bagels are a
golden brown. (Mine were done at 8
probably because they were of a smaller size.)
Cool on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes before
slicing or serving. (I waited maybe 15
minutes and there were perfectly awesome then.)
Bagel Variations
You can replace any amount of the bread flour with an
equal amount of whole grain flour (by weight), such as wheat or rye. If you do
so, increase the water in the dough by 1 tablespoon (0.5 oz / 14 g) for every 2
ounces (56.5 g) of whole grain flour you substitute.
Top your bagels with any combination of the following
garnishes: poppy seeds, sesame seeds, coarse salt, or rehydrated dried onions
or garlic. (Soak dried onions or garlic in water to cover for at least 1 hour
before applying.) The toppings will stick even better if you first brush the
top of each bagel with an egg white wash made by whisking 1 egg white with 1
tablespoon (0.5 oz / 14 g) of water. If using coarse salt as a garnish,
remember that a little goes a long way.
For raisin bagels, mix in 1 1/3 cups (8 oz / 227 g) of
raisins during the final 2 minutes of mixing and, if you like cinnamon, stir
1/2 teaspoon (0.14 oz / 4 g) of ground cinnamon into the flour before you start
mixing. When the bagels come out of the oven, brush the tops with melted butter
and dip the top into a bed of cinnamon sugar to give it a very tasty cinnamon
crust. You can make cinnamon sugar by whisking 2 tablespoons (1.6 oz / 44 g) of
ground cinnamon into 1/2 cup (4 oz / 113 g) of granulated sugar.
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