Mmm...bagel, bagel, bagel,.... Do you like bagels? I do. But not all the bagels taste good. Some bagels taste like regular bread that's only shaped like a bagel, and some are very dense. You can find plenty of bagel recipes online, but only a few have caught my attention (after trying and testing various recipes). So far the one that my family and I like the best is "Chewy Everything Bagels" from King Arthur Baking. The "Chewy Everything Bagels" are easy to make and require minimum amounts of active time. Since my equipment is limited and I don't have high-gluten flour, I made some changes to the original recipe. You can get the original "Chewy Everything Bagels" recipe from www.kingarthurbaking.com. Another bagel recipe - "Martin's Bagel" - also from King Arthur Baking is a good one to try.
Chewy Everything Bagels (modified)
Ingredients -
Starter
120g Unbleached bread flour
113g water, cool
1/4 tsp instant yeast
Dough
All of the starter
113g water, lukewarm
1 tsp salt
241g Unbleached bread flour
1-1/2 tsp non-diastatic malt powder
1 tsp instant yeast
To finish
1 Tbsp non-diastatic malt powder, for the water bath
Everything Bagel Topping or seeds of your choice, for topping
Directions -
1. To make the starter: Place the starter ingredients in a small bowl and stir until combined. Cover and let rest at room temperature overnight. (*I made the starter around 7 pm, then start the dough around 8 am next morning.)
2. To make the dough: In a large mixing bowl, combine the starter with the water, flour, malt powder and yeast, then sprinkle the salt. Mix and knead to make a smooth, elastic dough; this will take 8 to 10 minutes using a stand mixer set at medium speed, or about 20 minutes by hand.
3. Cover the dough and let it rise until noticeably puffy, about 45 minutes. (*I put the covered dough and a mug of boiling water in the microwave....the dough rose beautifully.)
4. Divide the risen dough into six pieces (approx. 97g each) and form into balls. Poke a hole in the center of each and stretch until the hole is 1" across.
5. Place the bagels on a parchment-lined baking sheet, covered with kitchen towel and let them rest for 30 minutes.
6. While the bagels are resting, adjust the oven rack to the center of the oven, preheat the oven to 425F.
7. Pour water to a depth of 2" to 3" into a large, deep skillet or pot with a lid. Add 1 tablespoon non-diastatic malt water and 1/4 tsp salt to the water. Ten minutes before the end of the bagels' resting time, bring the water to a simmer.
8. Drop the bagels into the water and simmer for 90 seconds. Gently turn over (a chopstick works well here) and cook for an additional 90 seconds. Lift the bagels out of the water, let them drain on the rack, then place them back on the parchment-lined baking sheet. Brush the bagels with egg wash (1 egg plus one tablespoon of water), then sprinkle with the bagel toppings.
9. Bake the bagels for 24 minutes. Remove from the oven and transfer to a rack to cool completely.
10. Store leftover bagels, tightly wrapped, at room temperature for several days; freeze for longer storage.