Monday, January 18, 2010

MAGIC DISAPPEARING BAGELS

I started a batch of bagels on Thursday evening for breakfast with my family on Sunday morning. I took some pictures of the process, and a few notes for next time...

First, you mix a "sponge" which is basically a runny dough. The sponge is fermented at room temperature for an hour, then refrigerated overnight. (This fermentation is where a lot of the flavor in the dough comes from) The next day, the dough is thickened and kneaded, allowed to rise until doubled, then ripened in the refrigerator for 2 days. Next time, I'd like to add vital wheat gluten to unbleached flour to get a chewier texture. This is the dough before ripening:

The next morning, the bagels are shaped. The dough is fairly sticky, and I found that very cold dough and lightly floured hands were the key. The shaped bagels are placed on floured parchment for 15 minutes to slightly rise...

The bagels are boiled in a large kettle along with some molasses and baking soda. The molasses and baking soda help with the color and shine of the finished bagel. I boiled these for 2 minutes a side. The longer the bagels are boiled, the thicker the outer skin will be. I think a shorter boil time would make a smoother, but less chewy skin, but I like the chewiness....


The boiled bagels are allowed to dry on parchment for a few minutes, then brushed with egg whites and coated in toppings. Next time, less pepper in the everything bagel mix (I used equal parts fennel, sesame, poppy, onion, garlic, salt, and pepper). Also, try dehydrating some jalapenos... Here are the coated bagels, ready to be baked. I made 1/2 salt, and 1/2 everything...

The bagels are baked for around 30 minutes before they disappear.




1 comment:

Lisa Young said...

In your face Noah's!
Best. Bagels. Ever.