Bagels

Ingredients
4 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 ¼ cups warm water
5 cups all purpose flour
¼ cup lye or ½ cup of baking soda
¼ cup sugar
1 tablespoon oil
1 ¼ teaspoon salt
Options
¼ cup poppy seeds or
¼ cup sesame seeds

Yield: Makes 10 bagels

Directions
1. Put the yeast in the bowl of a standing mixer.
Add 1 ¼ cups lukewarm water and allow the yeast to activate, about five minutes.
Add remaining ingredients, except lye, and mix at low speed for five minutes using the dough hook.
Cover the dough and allow to rise at room temperature for about two hours.

2. Punch the dough down and shape into a rough rectangle about 1 to 1½ inches thick, and about two times longer than it is wide.

3. Cut the dough into 10 pieces of about 3 ounces each.
Roll each into an 8-inch-long snakelike shape, tapering the dough at each end.
Circle the dough around your hand, pinching the ends together and rolling under your palm once or twice to seal.
Put the bagels on a Silpat or parchment paper on top of a baking sheet.
Cover well with plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 10 hours, or up to 24 hours.

4. Heat the oven to 425 degrees.
Bring a large non-aluminum pot containing 5 cups of water to boil, add 1 teaspoon of salt and ¼ cup lye into the boiling water
Remove the bagels from the refrigerator.

5. Dip formed bagels into the lye solution and then return to parchment covered baking sheet
(You may substitute ½ cup baking soda instead of lye.)
CAUTION: If using lye, add the lye to water, not water to lye.

6. OPTIONAL: Pour poppy or sesame seeds into a bowl wider than the bagels.
Working very quickly, remove the bagels one by one and dip them into the topping before placing on parchment paper.

7. Bake on the second to highest shelf of the oven for eight to 10 minutes.
Then flip the bagels, rotate the pan and continue baking for about eight minutes, or until they are golden brown

Alternate Bagel Recipe

Bagel Dough
8 grams instant yeast
20 grams sugar
300 grams water
500 grams bread flour
10 grams salt

Poaching liquid
2000 grams water
15 grams baking soda
15 grams salt
30 grams sugar

For Baking
1 egg
a splash water
a sprinkle cornmeal

Everything bagel seasoning
2 parts poppy seeds
1 part black sesame seeds
1 part sesame seeds
1 part garlic powder
1 part onion powder or flakes
1 part flaky salt

Directions
Step 1: Mix the dough
Add the yeast and sugar to the warm water. Stir until dissolved. Let stand for 5 minutes until a light foam surfaces and little bubbles are visible.
Add the flour and salt to a large mixing bowl. Once the yeast is proofed, pour in the mixture and vigorously mix the dough with your hands until no dry flour remains in the bowl and a cohesive mass forms, about 2-3 minutes.
The dough will be sticky and stiff. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 15 minutes.
Note: Resting will allow the flour to start hydrating all on its own, and make the dough a little bit easier to work with when we start

Step 2: Kneading
Turn the dough onto the counter, do not add extra flour. Knead the dough by pressing with the heel of your hand away from you, fold the dough back over and repeat.
Continue kneading for 8-10 minutes (set a timer). The dough will be stiff due to the low hydration but as it is kneaded it will become more pliable and smooth on the outside.
After the 8-10 minutes, test for gluten development by cutting off a small piece of the dough and stretching it very thin to see if it is slightly translucent before tearing.

Step 3: Bulk ferment
Cover with plastic wrap and let the dough rise until doubled in size, about 45 minutes.

Step 4: Divide, shape, and proof
Divide the dough into 8, 100-gram portions. Shape each portion into a taut ball and let rest for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, get out a large baking sheet and sprinkle over some cornmeal. For bagel shaping, there are two options:
Rolled: Roll the dough flat to about 5 inches wide. Roll the dough into a tight cylinder. Wrap the cylinder around your hand and connect the two ends with a pinch, roll the dough ring off your hand. Place on the parchment paper to proof.
The rolled method is typically the method used in bagel shops. It stretches the gluten more and is said to give a chewier bagel, but I didn't notice much difference in side-by-side taste tests.
Punched: Punch a hole in the dough ball with your thumb and index finger. Stick your index finger from each hand into the hole and gently stretch the hole while rotating your fingers until about 2 inches wide. Place on the parchment paper to proof.
Shape each bagel and add them to the cornmeal-sprinkled baking sheet. Cover the baking sheet with plastic wrap and let the rolled bagels proof for 45 to 60 minutes at room temperature.
Alternatively, the bagels can be placed in the fridge to proof overnight or even up to two days. This slow fermentation will generate additional flavor compounds.
During this final proofing stage, move on to the next steps while waiting.

Step 5: Prep egg wash and seasoning
Make the egg wash: Beat together the egg and the water until smooth.
Make the everything seasoning: Combine all spices in a container. Set aside.
With 15 minutes left to proof, fill a large wok, pan, or pot with 2 liters of water). Set on high heat and bring to a boil.
Additionally, preheat the oven to 475°F/246°C on the convection setting (500°F/260°C for no convection).

Step 6: Boil
Add the baking soda, salt, and sugar to the boiling water. Stir until completely dissolved.
Place the sheet of proofed bagels to the left of the water and set a second parchment-lined baking sheet on the right.
Drop the bagels into the poaching liquid in small batches. Let each boil on one side for about 45 seconds, then using a slotted spoon to flip the bagels and cook for another 45 seconds.
Remove the boiled bagels from the water and let them drip before placing them on the other baking sheet.
Repeat until all the bagels are done.
Gently brush the egg wash on the bagels and sprinkle over the everything bagel seasoning to create an even coat.

Step 7: Bake
Add the sheet pan of bagels to the preheated oven and set a timer for 12 minutes.
Halfway through, open the oven and rotate the pan to promote even browning.
Pull the bagels when they are golden brown all over and sound hollow when thumped.
Remove the bagels from the oven and place on a cooling rack for 10 minutes before slicing and enjoying.

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