New York Bagels
Ana Ferreira Demo- Makes
- 6 bagels · about 770 g
- Active
- 59 min
- Total
- 16 h
You’ll Need Stand mixer with a dough hook or strong arms, Large mixing bowl, about 4 litres, Digital scale, Sheet pans lined with parchment (two), Wide pot for boiling, Slotted spoon or skimmer, Spray oil
Method
Sponge
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Stir into in a large bowl. Add and whisk or stir only until it forms a smooth, sticky batter, like pancake batter.
smooth, with no dry flour -
Cover with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature for about .
very foamy and bubblynearly doubledit collapses when the bowl is tapped on the counter[object Object]
Dough
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Stir into the sponge. Add with and , and stir, or mix on low speed with the dough hook, until it forms a ball. Work in gradually to stiffen the dough.
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Knead on the counter for at least , or for in the mixer. If it tears and feels dry, add a few drops of water; if it is tacky, add a little flour.
26 °C ± 1 °Cfirm, stiffer than French bread dough, but smooth and pliablesatiny, not tacky, with no raw flourpasses the windowpane testthe dough reads 25 to 27 °C (77 to 81 °F) -
Straight away, divide the dough into 6 pieces of about four and a half ounces each and form each into a smooth roll. Cover with a damp towel and rest for about .
weigh the pieces so they bake evenly[object Object]
Shaping and Overnight Retard
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Line two sheet pans with parchment and mist them lightly with .
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Poke a hole through the middle of each ball and gently rotate your thumb inside it to widen the hole to about 6.5 cm (2 ½ in), stretching the ring as evenly as you can. Or roll each piece into a 20 cm (7 ¾ in) rope, wrap it around your hand with the ends overlapping in your palm, and roll the join on the counter to seal it.
an even ring with no thick or thin spots -
Set the bagels 5 cm (2 in) apart on the pans, mist them lightly with oil, slip each pan into a food-safe plastic bag or cover loosely, and leave at room temperature for about .
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Drop one bagel into a bowl of cool water. If it floats within about , pat it dry, return it to the pan and refrigerate the bagels overnight. If it sinks, keep proofing at room temperature and test again every .
4 °Cthe test bagel bobs up within secondsUp to 2 days in the fridge.[object Object]
Boiling and Baking
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Heat the oven to 260 °C with two racks in the middle. Bring a large, wide pot of water to the boil and add and , if using.
260 °C -
Take the bagels straight from the fridge and drop as many as fit comfortably into the boiling water. Boil for , flip and boil more, or a side for a chewier bagel. Lift them out with a skimmer.
100 °Cthey float within a few seconds of going inthe surface turns smooth and slightly shiny -
Sprinkle the parchment with . Set the bagels back on the pans and top them straight away, while still wet, with , or if you like.
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Bake for , then rotate the pans: swap shelves and turn each pan around.
260 °C[object Object]
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Lower the oven to 232 °C and bake for about more, until light golden brown, or longer if you like them darker.
232 °Clight golden brown and glossyjudge by colour rather than time[object Object]
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Cool on a rack for at least before serving.
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From Ana Ferreira
Reinhart credits three things for the real New York flavour and chew: high-gluten flour, barley malt, and a dip in alkaline water before baking. The sponge and the overnight cold retard do the rest, giving the bagels time to develop flavour and a blistered, shiny crust. The dough is stiff, so a stand mixer helps.
Notes
- High-gluten flour (about 14% protein) is what gives the chew. Bread flour works in a pinch, with a softer crumb.
- Malt: diastatic or non-diastatic malt powder, or a tablespoon of barley malt syrup, in the dough. Honey or brown sugar can stand in. Adding a little malt syrup to the boiling water as well gives a darker, more classic colour.
- Size: pieces of about 128 g (4 1/2 oz) make standard bagels; halve them for minis.
- Shaping: either poke a hole through a ball and stretch it, or roll a rope about 20 cm long and wrap it around your hand, sealing the overlapping ends by rolling them on the worktop.
- The float test tells you the bagels are ready for the fridge: one should float within ten seconds in a bowl of cool water. If it sinks, give them 10 to 20 more minutes at room temperature and test again.
- Chewier bagels: boil for 2 minutes per side instead of 1.
- Bake by colour, not the clock: light golden for classic, longer for darker.
- Toppings: sesame, poppy seeds, coarse salt, rehydrated dried onion or garlic, or onions tossed in oil. Add them as the bagels come out of the water.
Storage
Best the day they are baked. Keep a day in a paper bag, or slice and freeze, then toast from frozen.
Make Ahead
The shaped bagels can stay in the fridge for up to 2 days before boiling and baking.
When to Start
Plan backwards from a time
Filed under Breakfast · Bread · North America › United States · Baking · Bread Making · Poaching · Bagel. Tags: #baker's percentage, #brunch, #overnight.
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