Bagels...

Things are not always as they say they are. This is especially true in the case of foods that claim to be “Authentic NY” here in Texas (Just as the reverse is true in NY with foods claiming to be “Authentic Texas”). I’ve lived in Texas since August of 1998. In those 12 and a half years, I have yet to find one single “NY Bagel”. There have been a multitude of places over the years that have claimed to serve “NY Bagels”, and even some places CALLED by the name “NY Bagels”, but… they all LIE.

Liars. Every last one of them.

After jonesing for so long, I was ecstatic when I saw a recipe for bagels in a book from Peter Reinhart I picked up a few weeks back and I knew I had to try it out. Peter is very well known in bread and pizza making circles. The guy knows a thing or two about bread-related items. The book is called “Artisan Breads Every Day“, and after reading it thus far, I highly recommend it.

I made the bagels last week and they looked beautiful. However, after they cooled, I thought they were good, but not “exactly” Authentic NY Bagels. The next day was a different story, though. After they had completely cooled and tightened up overnight, the crumb structure was exactly as I remembered it back home. They were gorgeous. They toasted perfectly and made me feel like I was sitting in my mom’s kitchen, scarfing down a bagel for breakfast before school. I knew I had to share them and the recipe with you.

Keep in mind that I tripled this recipe for my latest batch of bagels.

Here’s the recipe, and the detailed illustrated instructions afterward…



Dough Ingredients:

1 tablespoon (21 g) honey or barley malt syrup (honey is better)

1 teaspoon (3 g) instant yeast

2 1/2 teaspoons (10.5g) kosher salt (1 1/2 teaspoons table salt)

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (255 g) lukewarm water (I used a mixture of beer and water – lukewarm, of course)

3 1/2 cups (454 g) unbleached bread flour



Brine (Poaching Liquid) Ingredients:

2-3 quarts (181-272 g) water

1 1/2 tablespoons (28.5 g)honey (I used both honey and molasses on my tripled recipe, and it came out great)

1 tablespoon (14 g) baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoon (7 g) kosher salt (1 tsp table salt)



Preparing ahead of time…

To make the dough, stir the honey, salt, and some of the yeast into the water (or water/beer mix). Put the entirety of the flour and the rest of the yeast into the mixer’s bowl. You can use the dough hook or the paddle on the mixer, but you’ll need to switch to the hook very quickly if you start with the paddle because the dough will get stiff quickly (I guess it’s male dough?). Set the mixer to the lowest speed, and let it run for 3 minutes. After 3 minutes, it should be fully hydrated and lumpy. Let it rest for 5 minutes.

After the 5 minute rest, put the mixer back on the lowest setting, with the dough hook installed. Let it go for another 3 minutes. After this, it’ll be silky and supple (now it’s female dough?), but firm. At this point, let it sit, covered at room temperature, for 1 hour in a lightly oiled bowl.

While it’s resting for that hour, get a sheet pan out and lightly oil it. When the dough is done resting, divvy it up into 4 ounce balls (113 g) and this particular recipe will give you about 6 dough balls. I used 4.5 ounce balls on my tripled recipe. If you make smaller balls, you’ll have more bagels (duh?!) but you’ll need another sheet pan. No more than 6 per sheet. Ok? Otherwise they’ll run into one another as they ferment and then proof.

When you’ve got your balls in a row, start to roll them out to about 7 inch length ropes, or so, and taper the ends. Form them into rings, and connect the tapered ends so the seam disappears (do your best). Place each newly formed bagel on the sheet pan, cover with some plastic wrap, and stick it in the fridge overnight. They can go up to two days in the fridge.

On the baking day…

Pull the bagels out of the fridge 60-90 minutes before you want to bake so they can proof to room temp. NOTE: you do not want these puppies to OVERPROOF. You will end up with small frisbees, not bagels. They will flatten if they overproof. Don’t let them do that.

Start the brine (poaching liquid) by mixing the ingredients together and get to boiling it. Once it boils, let it simmer. Now, set your oven to 500 degrees F.

Get a sheet pan covered with parchment paper, and lightly spray some cooking spray on the paper.

When you’re ready to bake, drop 3 bagels at a time, GENTLY into the poaching liquid. They should float within 15 seconds. Let them poach for 30-60 seconds, then flip them GENTLY. Let them poach for another 30-60 seconds. Pull them each out with a slotted spoon, let them drain in the spoon for a second or two, then place them DOME SIDE UP onto the parchment topped sheet pan. Repeat these steps for each batch of bagels.

Put the sheet into the oven and drop the temp to 450, and bake for 15-20 minutes – turning once during baking, until the bagels are golden brown, or slightly darker if you like that. During the bake, check the bottoms of the bagels, if they are getting too dark, insulate the sheet pan by putting a second pan under it.

Let them cool for about a half hour before slicing and enjoying.

Illustrated instructions can be found at this Link