Serving Up Fun

bagels pt. 1

bagels pt. 2

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups warm water

1 T dry yeast (a little more than 1 packet)

1 T sugar

1 T oil

2 t brown sugar or powdered malt

4 1/2 to 5 1/2 c bread flour

2 t salt

cornmeal for pan

optional toppings: poppy seeds, sesame seeds, salt, dehydrated onions, dehydrated garlic, cinnamon sugar

1. Mix  together water, yeast and sugar in a large bowl.  A standing mixer makes the kneading easier, so if you only want to dirty one bowl mix it in there.  Put the dough hook attachment on your mixer.

2. Let yeast mixture stand until it has begun to bubble and you can smell the yeast.  It shouldn’t take more than a few minutes.  At this point, stir in 1 cup of the flour, the oil and the brown sugar or malt.

3. Add the salt, and most of the remaining flour.  Knead on low speed for 10-12 minutes.

4. Cover the bowl with a dishtowel and let the dough rest for 15 minutes.

5. Fill a large pot with water, 2 tablespoons brown sugar or malt and 1 tsp salt.  Bring the water to a boil.

6. Preheat the oven to 450.  If you are using a baking stone, put it in the oven now.

7. Divide the dough into 10-12 pieces.  Roll each piece into a ball and then make a hole in the center with your thumb.  Gently pull on all the sides to widen the opening. My son wanted his bagels to look like the DeathStar in Star Wars.  If you would rather have a DeathStar than a bagel, don’t put a hole in the middle and just flatten the ball.  Place the bagels and DeathStars on a baking sheet sprinkled with cornmeal.

8. Let the bagels rise for 15-20 minutes.

9.  Drop a few bagels at a time into the boiling water.  Boil them for 30 seconds on the first side, flip them over and boil them for 45 more seconds.  Remove them with a slotted spoon and place the boiled bagels on a  baking sheet covered with a dishtowel.  If you are adding any toppings, now is the time to sprinkle them on.

10.  Put the boiled bagels on either the preheated baking stone or a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  Turn the oven down to 425 and bake for 18 to 22 minutes.  Midway through, switch the baking sheets so the bagels brown evenly.

Jewish Holiday Baking by Marcy Goldman

Adapted from the New York Water Bagel recipe in A Treasury of Jewish Holiday Baking by Marcy Goldman

note: Ms. Goldman says that if you are going to try to mix the bagels by hand rather than with a dough hook, use all purpose flour instead of bread flour.