RCP: A simple bagel - for Stuart and John T.

I had some time to play in the kitchen today, and put together a simplified recipe for bagels. Pete took lots of pictures for me. This recipe is my version of one listed in the New York Cookbook by Molly O’Neil. Methodology is mine, and the recipe has been tweaked to reduce the salt and add malt extract.

I’m hoping Stuart, John T and anyone else who was bemoaning the lack of a “decent” bagel will give this a shot (which is why I’m including heaps of photos). It really is quite easy to do, and this recipe produces a very manageable 10 bagels. It uses commercial yeast as well, so it’s quick, and very very delicious. My son has decided he likes these better than the sourdough ones !

Usual disclaimer : I’m neither Jewish nor American, and have never had a true NY bagel. While we really like these, we make no claims of authenticity.

Ingredients :

4 cups bread or bakers flour
2 tsps fine sea salt
1 sachet dry yeast (mine had 8g in it)
3 tsps malt extract (original recipe called for 3 tsps brown sugar)
1½ cups filtered water

1. In one mixing bowl, whisk together flour and salt. In another, whisk together water, yeast and malt extract.

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2. Mix flour mix into water/yeast mix. Mix together initially with a wooden spoon or spatula, and then get your clean hand right in to mix it all together. Squish the mix in your fingers to make sure it’s all evenly combined.

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3. Spray a little oil on the bench, and turn the dough out, scraping out any stuck bits. Knead the dough for 5 minutes or so.

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4. Oil the mixing bowl you had the dough in, shape the dough into a ball, and put it back in the bowl to rise. Cover and leave it for about an hour, or until doubled in size.

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5. Tip the risen dough out onto the re-oiled bench, and punch it down. Divide into 10 equal pieces (about 3.75oz or 110g each), and shape into balls. Then stick your finger in the middle of each ball, and twirl the dough around your index fingers.

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6. Shape the dough more by squeezing the “tyre” in the palms of your hands. You want to make the hole big.

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7. Place “tyres” onto baking paper on the bench, which has been lightly dusted with cornmeal or flour, cover with a tea towel, and allow to rise for 30 minutes. Halfway through, put the kettle on to get the hot water ready. Also, preheat oven to 400F (200C).

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8. Fill a wide shallow pan with boiling water, with 1 Tbsp salt and 1 Tbsp malt syrup added. Bring to a rolling boil, and add bagels gently – don’t overcrowd. Boil or "kettle" the bagels for 1½ minutes on each side, turning them with a plastic slide, then fish them out and drain them on a rack covered with a clean teatowel.

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9. Gently dry the bagels with a clean, lint-free towel (I use a cotton/linen napkin). Place onto baking tray lined with Bake, and brush with eggwash (1 egg beaten with 1 Tbsp water), then sprinkle on toppings.

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10. Bake in oven for 12 minutes, then rotate the tray to brown evenly. Bake for a total of about 20minutes or until golden brown.

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I’d say allow to cool, which is what you’re supposed to do, but on John T’s advice I had one warm today smothered with butter, and I now think he’s right, and that IS better !

Cheers, Celia

Impressive, girlfriend! You rock!!

(Thanks, Pete!)

Also very impressed, particularly with the immaculate fingernail hygeine.

No doubt we will talk more about it in Chat tomoz.

Celia, I can't speak for Stuart, but I can't remember being more flattered on FLDG.

I am saving this recipe. Given that my wife is the more gifted of us when it comes to working with dough, I'm going to ask her to execute the recipe, with my supervision, of course.

They look delicious. Really. I'm imagining one with butter right now, and my stomach is beginning to growl.

If it wouldn't be too much trouble, could we get a shot of one that's been sliced open? I'd like to get a look at the crumb.

John can't speak for me (indeed, he can barely speak for John), but *I* am incredibly grateful. The step-by-step photo thing is VERY helpful.

Beautiful pictures and I must agree with the impressive nail hygiene. It was not too long ago that I cringed while watching Martha Stewart cooking. Now I know she gardens and digs in the dirt but there was no excuse not to have her nails clean. The same goes for Ina Garten - there are still times when I wish the close-ups were not so close.

You inspired me to make bagels as it now looks easy. This will certainly go into my "to do" file. Thanks for the lesson.

Thanks for the kind comments !

John and Stuart, I really, really hope you'll give these a whirl. They might not be exactly what you're after, but hopefully you'll enjoy them anyway. I know firsthand how big a hole a childhood memory can leave in your stomach...

I meant to include a note in the recipe about the dough being quite stiff. It's probably stiffer (ugh, I searched for a better word ) than say a standard pizza or bread dough, so don't be put off if it takes a bit of muscle to knead. Also, I have a fanforced oven - if you don't, you might want to preheat the oven to a slightly higher temperature.

John, some crumb shots as requested. The first one was taken when the bagel was hot - that's the one Pete and I wolfed down. It didn't really show the crumb very well, so I left it off the original post. The second one I've just taken this morning, so that bagel is now a day old (it was the last one left in the bag !).

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Oh, and on the topic of short nails - you can't knead bread with long fingernails. Apart from being gross, you just can't get the dough out afterwards !

They look pretty darned good, Celia.
The reason I asked for a crumb shot is, too many of the bagels I buy these days are nothing more than rolls with holes; that is, closer in texture to bread than to a real bagel, though the shape may be right. The bagels I recall loving as a kid were much denser than ordinary bread. They had a chewiness to them that bread couldn't match.

Yours look right to me. If only Robin could figure out a way to have this site deliver a taste as well as a picture.

That's good to know - thanks John !

I think the secret to a chewy bagel is a stiff dough. Now (note especially to Stuart ), flours will vary depending on batch and air temperature, so you might occasionally need a little more or a little less. That's why I included a picture of the dough, so you get some idea what it's supposed to look like.

Best way to taste - make a batch !

Celia