I remember when I moved to NY from Indiana. One day at work, I turned to a co-worker and said, "Where can I get a good tenderloin sandwich?" The blank stare on her face made me realize that I was living in a land without my beloved breaded pork tenderloin sandwich!
We are now back in Indiana and there are tenderloins available on every corner. I've probably only had 3 or 4 in the two years we've been back, but just knowing they are there is what matters!
It didn't take long before the local bagel shops weren't cutting it for us. They weren't like the chewy bagels we had grown to love. They were more like rolls with a hole in them and seeds on top!
Thus began my foray into creating the perfect bagel recipe. We had some stumbles along the way, but now I'm able to turn these babies out with my eyes closed. If you fail the first few times, don't give up. Chances are you won't end up with inedible product, but you will get a feel for the dough and that's the hardest part.
Philip’s
Weekend Bagels
This
recipe calls for specific flours available through King Arthur, but you could
make it with 3 cups of your favorite bread flour. The results will not be a true chewy bagel,
but it will still be delicious!
Dough:
1 ½ teaspoons Salt
2 tablespoons White Sugar
2 tablespoons Non-Diastatic Malt Powder (Optional, but highly
recommended. It’s the secret!)
2 ¼ teaspoons Instant Yeast (If you use Active Dry yeast, proof it in
water with the sugar)
1 to 1-¼ cups Warm Water
Topping Options:
Minced Onion, Caraway Seeds, Poppy Seeds, Sesame Seeds or Coarse Salt. I use the Everything Topping from KA Flour!
Egg Wash:
1 Egg White
1 tablespoon Cool Water
Boil:
Large pot of water
2 tablespoons Non-Diastatic Malt Powder (or 2 each of Brown Sugar and Baking Soda)
Combine flours, salt, sugar, Non-Diastatic Malt Powder and yeast into mixer
with dough hook attachment (or stir together in large bowl). Add 1 cup of warm water until dough comes
together, it will be smooth and not sticky.
If the dough isn’t coming together, add a little more warm water until
it does. Using the dough hook or by
hand, knead for 5 – 7 minutes.
Let rise in bowl, loosely covered with cling film, for one hour. The dough will swell and smooth out, but it
will not double. Divide the dough into
equal pieces for 6 large bagels or up to 10 small bagels. (I weigh my dough and then portion it, by
weight, into 8 pieces.) Roll each
portion into a ball and flatten slightly.
Rest for 30 minutes.
Place dough in fridge for up to 24 hours. *
When you’re ready to bake, remove from fridge and rest for 30 minutes.
Poke a hole into each dough ball and twirl on your finger to create a 1
½- to 2-inch hole. Place on parchment or
silpat lined baking sheet and rest for 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 375˚.
Combine egg white and water in small bowl, set aside.
While dough is resting, bring a large pot of water to a steady, low boil. Stir in 2 tablespoons Non-Diastatic Malt Powder (or Brown Sugar or Baking Soda). Drop bagels into water and boil for 30 seconds on each side. Drain on a clean towel and return to lined baking sheet. When all bagels are boiled, brush lightly with egg wash and then sprinkle on your desired topping.
Bake for 12 minutes, rotate pan and bake for
another 10 – 15 minutes or until bagels are golden.
* It is not necessary to retard the dough in the
fridge, but it allows the flavor to develop and it makes a delicious
bagel. It also helps if you want hot
bagels early in the morning because there’s less work to do! If you want to bake your bagels right away,
just go ahead and make your holes and continue on to your 1 hour of resting
before boiling.
Variations:
Cinnamon Raisin:
Use brown sugar instead of white sugar, add up to 1 tablespoon good
cinnamon and ½ cup raisins, which have been soaked and well drained.
(What? Rum soaked, you say? Maybe!)
Jalapeno Cheddar:
Add a minced Jalapeno and ½ cup of shredded Cheddar.
Chocolate Chip: Use brown sugar
instead of white sugar, add ½ cup mini chocolate chips.
