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Back to Basics: Master bagel making
Bagels are surprisingly easy to make at home
There is no need to introduce the bagel. With its popular round shape, hole in the middle and chewy texture, the bagel is a staple all over America.
While popular now all over the world, the bagel originated in Poland, with the first mention of a bagel-like bread going back to the 14th century. The bagel, as we know it today, goes back to the 17th century when it was first mentioned in Jewish community ordinances in Krakow, Poland.
In the United States, bagels arrived in the 19th century thanks to Jewish immigrants from Poland. Their round shape with a hole in the middle was convenient not just for easy stacking on poles and hanging on strings but for faster and more even baking.
Bagels are a popular and fun bread to eat, but you may be surprised to learn that they are also easy and fun to make. If you follow all the steps of my detailed recipe, you will become a bagel master (and not just in eating them).
First, place all dry ingredients into a mixing bowl of a self-standing stand mixer. You are going to need bread flour, rye flour, active dry yeast, sugar and salt. Hand stir with a whisk until all combined. Add water and barley malt syrup and process with the mixer’s hook attachment on low speed until all ingredients are partially incorporated, which takes about one to two minutes. Then, increase the speed to medium-high and knead until a dough is created and the ingredients stop sticking to the bowl, which usually takes about two to three minutes.
Barley malt syrup is an ingredient that you may not be familiar with. It is an unrefined sweetener that is made through extraction from sprouted barley. Barley syrup is one of the key ingredients of bagels, providing them with the exact right kind of flavor. It is also added to the boiling water in the later bagel-making steps to provide bagels with a nice color tone. It can be, in both cases, substituted with a more common and nearly as effective ingredient, molasses. I always prefer to use barley malt syrup in both steps, but if I start running out, I substitute with molasses, especially for the latter step of boiling in water.
When the dough is formed, it is time to let it rise until it doubles in size, which usually takes about two to three hours. You can leave the dough in the mixing bowl of the stand mixer; just make sure it is covered with plastic food wrap or a plate to prevent the dough from drying.
When the dough doubles in size, separate it into 12 even pieces, each about 3.5 ounces. You can simply eyeball the size or use a scale for more exact portions. Next, it is time to form each ball into bagels. This is usually done in two steps.
First, form the dough balls and then shape them into bagels. Shaping dough into the dough balls can be done any way you like. I prefer to form my dough by stretching with a bowl scraper.
To stretch the dough, place the bowl scraper at a slight angle against the bottom part of the dough while making sure that the bottom of the bowl scraper is touching the table. Then, keeping one hand on the top of the dough, push the scraper to move the dough slightly. The dough will roll slightly and stretch at the same time. Repeat this step a few times until a nice dough ball is shaped. Each time, turn the dough about 90 degrees to the right until a compact dough ball is shaped (usually about two times from each of the four sides).
The bagel-forming part is even easier. Take each dough ball and penetrate it in the middle with your thumb. Leaving the thumb in the center of the dough ball, start rotating the dough ball around the thumb and, at the same time, start gently stretching it into the bagel shape until you reach a center hole that is about 1-inch in diameter. Place each formed bagel on an upside-down baking sheet with a generously floured silicone mat. Using a silicone mat is very important for baking bagels as it prevents sticking.
Recipes
Bagels
Makes 8 regular or 12 small bagels
Active Time: 30 min./Total Time: 3 hours
Ingredients:
For the dough:
4 cups bread flour
1/2 cup rye flour *
1 tablespoon active dry yeasts
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons salt
2 cups of water — warm, about 80 degrees to 90 degrees (preheat in a kettle or microwave)
1 tablespoon barley malt syrup **
* You can use any rye flour you have available.
** You can optionally substitute barley malt syrup for the more cost-effective alternative, molasses.
For boiling:
3 quarts of water — adjust if needed (water should fill about half the pot)
3 tablespoons barley malt syrup *
* You can optionally substitute barley malt syrup for more the more cost-effective alternative, molasses. I usually do something in between. I use barley syrup for the dough and molasses for the boiling water.
For the brushing mixture:
1/4 cup milk
Optionally sprinkle with black and/or white sesame seeds; crushed pepper flakes; poppy seeds; sunflower seeds or any other kind of seeds; or sea salt (do not use if you are going to freeze or refrigerate — this makes them soggy)
Note: Do not use parchment paper since bagels may end up sticking to it. Only use a silicone mat.
Directions:
For the dough: Place into a stand mixer with hook attachment: 4 cups bread flour; 1/2 cup rye flour; 1 tablespoon active dry yeast; 1 tablespoon sugar; and 2 teaspoons salt. Briefly stir with a hand whisk just enough to combine all ingredients (about 1 minute).
Add 2 cups of water — warm, about 80 degrees to 9 degrees and 1 tablespoon barley malt syrup.
Knead on low speed until all ingredients are partially incorporated (about 1 to 2 minutes). Then increase speed to medium-high and knead until the dough is compact and stops sticking to the bowl (usually about 2 to 3 minutes).
Rising the dough: Remove the bowl from the mixer and cover with plastic wrap. Let it rise in a warm place until it’s doubled in size (about 2 to 3 hours).
Form dough balls: Important: Work on a non-floured surface (countertop). Place the dough on a work surface and, using a bowl scraper, separate the dough into 12 even pieces for regular-sized bagels (about 3.5 ounces each).
Tip: If you prefer jumbo bagels, separate the dough into 8 even pieces (about 5 ounces each).
Form each piece of dough into a dough ball by stretching it: To stretch the dough, place the bowl scraper at a slight angle against the bottom part of the dough while making sure that the bottom of the bowl scraper is touching the table. Then, keeping one hand on the top of the dough, push the scraper to move the dough slightly. The dough will roll slightly and stretch at the same time. Repeat this step a few times until a nice dough ball is shaped. Each time, turn the dough about 90 degrees to the right until a compact dough ball is shaped (usually about 2 times from each of the four sides).
Note: Optionally, you can form each piece of the dough into a dough ball another way (rolling between two hands), but the method mentioned above is recommended.
To form the bagels: Make sure that formed bagels will not stick and will be easy to release for boiling, place them on an upside-down baking sheet with a generously floured silicone mat.
Make sure that bagels have at least 1-inch space between each other — I usually place no more than 6 of them on each baking sheet.
To form the bagels: Take a dough ball and penetrate it in the middle with your thumb.
Leaving the thumb in the center of the dough ball, start rotating the dough ball around your thumb and at the same time, start gently stretching it into a bagel shape until you reach a center hole with about a 1-inch diameter.
Important: If you rip the dough ball during shaping, you need to form it into the dough ball again and repeat the steps — this doesn’t happen often.
Place the formed bagels on an upside-down baking sheet with a floured silicone mat and continue forming each ball.
To proof the bagels: Let all bagels proof at room temperature for about 30 minutes (keep the tray uncovered).
Note: Each ball will increase its’ size. Do not focus on how much; just make sure that they are resting for about 30 minutes. Most important is that the balls recover from shaping and are ready to be boiled.
Prepare the boiling bath: While the bagels are proofing, prepare your boiling bath. Place into a large pot: 3 quarts water; 3 tablespoons barley malt syrup and briefly stir.
Bring to a boil with occasional stirring and boil until the water and syrup are fully combined (usually a couple of minutes).
Set oven to preheat to 400 degrees
To boil bagels: Since bagels will expand during boiling, it is important to boil them in batches. Use a pot with the largest diameter to accommodate bagels being boiled at the same time. A 14-inch diameter pot can boil six bagels at the same time. With a pot with a smaller diameter, you may have to split boiling into more than 2 batches.
When the bagels have reached the end of their proofing time, place them into the boiling bath for 2 minutes and 30 seconds.
In the meantime, dust off all flour from the silicone mats — it doesn’t need to be perfect, but it is important to bake the bagels on non-floured silicone mats.
After the bagels are precooked for 2 minutes and 30 seconds, place them for about 15 seconds on a paper towel to partially dry. Then place them on a baking sheet with a silicone mat.
Optionally sprinkle toppings onto the bagels: Brush the boiled bagels with milk and immediately sprinkle them with sesame seeds, poppy seeds, other kinds of seeds, crushed pepper flakes, or sea salt.
To bake the bagels: Bake in a preheated oven until done (about 20 minutes). Rotate the baking sheets in the middle of baking. Test doneness with a toothpick.
Cool bagels on a cooling grate before eating.
Source: Tom Slepicka
Creamy Spread with Garlic and Chives
About 2 cups
Active Time: 6 min./Total Time: 6 min.
Ingredients:
8 ounces cream cheese
1/2 cup (4 ounces) sour cream
1 clove of garlic — peeled and grated (or crushed with garlic press)
1/4 cup chives — finely chopped (optionally substitute with fresh parsley or 1 tablespoon dried chives)
Pinch of salt
Pinch of pepper — ideally freshly ground
Directions:
Place into a stand mixer with whisk attachment all the ingredients. Process on high speed for 3 minutes or until it is nicely smooth and combined.
Taste and add more salt or pepper if needed.
The spread can be used immediately after preparation. It also can be refrigerated for up to seven days.
Tip: If parts of the ingredients stick to the side of the mixing bowl during processing, stop the mixer and, using a spatula, add it back into the mixture. Then, continue processing.
Source: Tom Slepicka
When all bagels are formed, let them proof at room temperature for about 30 minutes. Do not cover the bagels at this time as this will allow the outer part to slightly dry providing better structural integrity later.
In the meantime, prepare a boiling bath by adding water and barley malt syrup into a pot and bringing it to a boil. It is best to use the widest diameter pot that you have available so you can boil in fewer batches. I use a pot with a 14-inch top diameter that can boil up to six bagels at the same time.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
When the bagels have been proofing for about 30 minutes, gently place them by hand into the boiling bath and boil for 2 minutes and 30 seconds (work in batches). During the boiling, dust off all flour from the silicone mats — it doesn’t need to be perfect, but most of the flour needs to be removed for the upcoming baking. Right after cooking, remove each bagel with a slotted turner and place them on a paper towel to partially dry. Leave them on the towel for about 15 seconds, but not longer to prevent sticking. Then, place them on a baking sheet.
When all the bagels have been precooked, brush them with milk right before baking. Optionally sprinkle with sesame seeds, poppy seeds, other kinds of seeds, crushed pepper flakes, or sea salt.
Place the precooked bagels into the preheated oven and bake until done, typically 20 minutes. Rotate the baking sheets in the middle of baking and test with a toothpick to see if they are done. Fully cool or at least slightly cool before serving.
When my bagels are in the oven, I usually prepare a creamy spread with garlic and chives. This spread is a popular spread not just for bagels but also for all sorts of sandwiches. Cream cheese is often hard to spread when removed from the refrigerator and some may find it too heavy. My recipe for a creamy spread with cream cheese solves these annoyances. It is very easy to spread and lighter, thanks to the added sour cream. It is simple to make, and after you try it, you will never want another one.
To make simply place all cream cheese, sour cream, crushed garlic, chopped chives, salt, and pepper into a stand mixer with a whisk attachment and process on high speed until smooth and combined. Add sour cream and process to make this spread super light and easy to spread even right after taking it out of the refrigerator. And, of course, the flavor will be phenomenal.
Tom Slepicka is the founder of www.cookinghub.com, and is a recipe creator, culinary instructor, chef, and a consultant. You can reach him at tom@cookinghub.com.
Good to know
For preparing the bread dough or any dough of similar consistency, it is always best to use a hook attachment on your stand mixer (the most simple-looking attachment, typical for its spiral shape). Other attachments, which most often come with a stand mixer, are whisk attachments (for the finest of contents, e.g., pastry creams or whipping creams) or flat beater attachments (for midlevel thickness contents, e.g., cookie doughs).
Any yeasty dough will always perform well at room temperature or warmer for rising and proofing. To speed up both stages, you can use an oven with a proofing program according to the manufacturer's instructions. If your oven doesn’t have this program, you can still use your oven for the same purpose by simply following this trick. Set your oven to preheat at the lowest possible temperature and let it go for about a minute or two. Turn off the oven and carefully make sure that the temperature is equal to a comfortable sauna-like temperature. If yes, you have the best possible temperature for your dough. If it is much more, let it slightly cool and then place your dough in. Make sure not to turn the oven on after the dough is inside
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