Bagels 10
New York bagels
MAKES 8 BAGELS
This recipe requires refrigerating the shaped bagels for 16 to 24 hours before baking them. This recipe works best with King Arthur bread flour, although other bread flours will work. Vital wheat gluten and malt syrup are available in most supermarkets in the baking and syrup aisles, respectively. If you cannot find malt syrup, substitute 4 teaspoons of molasses. The bagels are best eaten within a day of baking; fully cooled bagels can be transferred to heavy-duty zipper-lock bags and frozen for up to one month.
INGREDIENTS
1 cup ice water (8 ounces)
2 tablespoons malt syrup
2 2/3 cups (14 2/3 ounces) bread flour
4 teaspoons vital wheat gluten
2 teaspoons instant or rapid-rise yeast
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup (1 1/4 ounces) cornmeal
1/4 cup (1 3/4 ounces) sugar
1 tablespoon baking soda
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Stir ice water and malt syrup together in 2-cup liquid measuring cup until malt syrup has fully dissolved. Process flour, wheat gluten, and yeast in food processor until combined, about 2 seconds. With processor running, slowly add ice water mixture; process until dough is just combined and no dry flour remains, about 20 seconds. Let dough stand for 10 minutes.
2. Add salt to dough and process, stopping processor and redistributing dough as needed, until dough forms shaggy mass that clears sides of workbowl (dough may not form one single mass), 45 to 90 seconds. Transfer dough to unfloured counter and knead until smooth, about 1 minute. Divide dough into 8 equal pieces (3 1/2 ounces each) and cover loosely with plastic wrap.
3. Working with 1 piece of dough at a time and keeping remaining pieces covered, form dough pieces into smooth, taut rounds. (To round, set piece of dough on unfloured counter. Loosely cup your hand around dough and, without applying pressure to dough, move your hand in small circular motions. Tackiness of dough against counter and circular motion should work dough into smooth, even ball, but if dough sticks to your hands, lightly dust your fingers with flour.) Let dough balls rest on counter, covered, for 15 minutes.
4. Sprinkle rimmed baking sheet with cornmeal. Working with 1 dough ball at a time and keeping remaining pieces covered, coat dough balls lightly with flour and then, using your hands and rolling pin, pat and roll dough balls into 5-inch rounds. Starting with edge of dough farthest from you, roll into tight cylinder. Starting at center of cylinder and working toward ends, gently and evenly roll and stretch dough into 8- to 9-inch-long rope. Do not taper ends. Rolling ends of dough under your hands in opposite directions, twist rope to form tight spiral. Without unrolling spiral, wrap rope around your fingers, overlapping ends of dough by about 2 inches under your palm, to create ring shape. Pinch ends of dough gently together. With overlap under your palm, press and roll seam using circular motion on counter to fully seal. Transfer rings to prepared sheet and cover loosely with plastic, leaving at least 1 inch between bagels. Let bagels stand at room temperature for 1 hour. Cover sheet tightly with plastic and refrigerate for 16 to 24 hours.
5. One hour before baking, adjust oven rack to upper-middle position, place baking stone on rack, and heat oven to 450 degrees.
6. Bring 4 quarts water, sugar, and baking soda to boil in large Dutch oven. Set wire rack in rimmed baking sheet and spray rack with vegetable oil spray.
7. Transfer 4 bagels to boiling water and cook for 20 seconds. Using wire skimmer or slotted spoon, flip bagels over and cook 20 seconds longer. Using wire skimmer or slotted spoon, transfer bagels to prepared wire rack, with cornmeal side facing down. Repeat with remaining 4 bagels.
8. Place sheet with bagels on preheated baking stone and pour 1/2 cup boiling water into bottom of sheet. Bake until tops of bagels are beginning to brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Using metal spatula, flip bagels and continue to bake until golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes longer. Remove sheet from oven and let bagels cool on wire rack for at least 15 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.
SHAPING BAGELS LIKE A PRO
Thoroughly working the dough during shaping helps a New York bagel develop its characteristic chew.
1. Pat and roll dough ball (lightly coated with flour) with rolling pin into 5-inch round.
2. Roll into tight cylinder, starting with far side of dough.
3. Roll and stretch dough into 8- to 9-inch-long rope, starting at center of cylinder (don’t taper ends).
4. Twist rope to form tight spiral by rolling ends of dough under hands in opposite directions.
5. Wrap rope around fingers, overlapping ends by 2 inches, to create ring. Pinch ends together.
6. Press and roll seam (positioned under your palm) using circular motion on counter to fully seal.
SECRETS TO A GLOSSY CRUST, GREAT FLAVOR, AND BIG CHEW
Here’s how we created the hallmarks of a New York bagel without the ingredients and equipment (or tap water) used by the local pros.
HIGH-PROTEIN DOUGH: Lots of gluten is key to achieving that jaw-working chew, so we used relatively high-protein bread flour supplemented with vital wheat gluten, a powdered form of the protein that is sold in most supermarkets.
COLD FERMENTATION: Proofing the dough overnight in the fridge allows it to develop an especially complex mix of flavor compounds.
ROUGH HANDLING: We roll, stretch, and twist the dough to shape it into rings-actions that help tighten the gluten network and thus yield a bagel with substantial chew.
A BETTER BOIL: Adding baking soda and sugar to the water in the boiling step helps encourage consistent browning.
STEAM TREATMENT: Baking the bagels on a rack set in a rimmed baking sheet (set on a baking stone) and adding a small amount of boiling water creates steam that leads to a crisp, delicate crust.
Our New York-style bagels, made here in Brookline.
HOW TO ADD TOPPINGS
Place 1/2 cup poppy seeds, sesame seeds, caraway seeds, dehydrated onion flakes, dehydrated garlic flakes, or coarse/pretzel salt in small bowl. Press tops of just-boiled bagels (side without cornmeal) gently into topping and return to wire rack, topping side up.
FOR EVERYTHING TOPPING, combine 2 tablespoons poppy seeds, 2 tablespoons sesame seeds, 1 tablespoon onion flakes, 2 teaspoons garlic flakes, 2 teaspoons caraway seeds, and 1/2 teaspoon coarse or pretzel salt.