Bagel Recipe

Hi everybody!

Many people have been asking me for my bagel recipe, so here it is, adapted from this one on Wild Yeast Blog. This method requires an overnight rise, so make the dough the night before you want bagels. Also, the sourdough starter needs to be nice and "ripe" — meaning it is bubbling nicely and fed about 6–12 hours earlier at room temp. Although this recipe has commercial yeast, it also gets lift from the ripe starter. I hope to try this recipe without the commercial yeast at some point; my hunch is that it'll work but require 3–4 hours of rising time rather than the one hour.

Ingredients

350 g all-purpose flour

300 g high-gluten flour

300 g ripe 100%-hydration sourdough starter

300 g ice water

3 g active-dry or 2 g instant yeast

16 g salt

15 g sugar

10 g barley malt syrup

45 g milk

1 T. baking soda for boiling

Seeds for topping (optional)

Method

1. Measure all the dough ingredients in the bowl of your stand mixer using a kitchen scale.
2. Using the dough hook, mix on low speed (stop to push the dough down if it's climbing up) for about 5 minutes, until dough is smooth and strong. You may have to add a little water if the dough is too dry. 
3. Cover and let rise for about an hour.
4. Divide into 10 pieces for large bagels, 12 for medium bagels, or 16 for small (mini) bagels.
5. Form into balls, poke your finger through, widen the hole a bit, and place on a parchment-lined cookie sheet. 
6. Cover the shaped bagels with a wet light towel or a plastic sheet, place in fridge overnight.
7. In the morning, boil water in a wide pot (like a Dutch Oven); preheat oven to 425°F. 
8. Once the oven is hot and the water is boiling, set up your bagel-baking station: place a wire rack on top of a kitchen towel on the counter top next to the stove. Put your seeds for topping in a small flat plate next to that (if using). Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Take your bagels out of the fridge.
9. Toss 1 tablespoon baking soda into the boiling water — it will foam!
10. Place three or four bagels at a time into the boiling water for 30–60 seconds each; turn each bagel over halfway through (after 15–30 seconds). Using a mesh spoon, remove them and put them on the wire rack. 
11. Once cooled slightly, dip each wet bagel into the seeds, then onto the cookie sheet; usually I bake six on each cookie sheet. 
12. Bake for 18 minutes, turning sheets around halfway through.
13. Let them cool for 5–10 minutes before cutting in half and eating with your favorite bagel toppings! (Mine are a shmear of cream cheese, sliced cucumbers and red onion, and capers.)

For a cool video of my son boiling the bagels, check out Seb da Pleb on YouTube: