The Fresh Loaf

A Community of Amateur Bakers and Artisan Bread Enthusiasts.

Bagels in about an hour

mountaineer cookie company's picture
mountaineer coo...

Bagels in about an hour


Alright as promised, here is the instructions for my Bagels.  I don't do the whole percentage thing, I am a by feel baker, so my flour measurements aren't set in stone.  First thing ya want to do is preheat your oven to 450 degrees.

 

1 1/2 cups water

1 1/2 tsp. sea salt

2 tsp. reg. instant yeast (not quick rise)

1 1/2 tsp. sugar

1 1/2 tsp. Barley malt syrup 

1 T. canola oil

 

Wisk above ingredients together till yeast is desolved  

 

 

 

Then kneed in 4 cups high gluten flour (I use king Arthur Sir Lancelot flour)  Use more or less, dough must be stiff.  I kneed dough in my Kitchen aid only till it comes together, then transfer it to the table where I kneed for about a minute then cover with plastic wrap for ten mins and kneed again, here is a before and after picture of my kneeding methods.  I kneed almost all my doughs this way, much easier on the wrist.

Before

After

Next shape into 4 and a 1/4 oz balls, it should make 8.  Then insert a small rolling pin or your finger and make a whole in the center and stretch into bagel like shape. see pictures.

Spray parparchment lined pan with pam.  Let sit for around 20 mins.  Meanwhile get your water ready

12 cups Water in a covered electric  skillet.

Large blob of malt syrup, sorry I don't measure this stuff, it's too sticky :)  Here is a picture of what I call a blob.

After bagels have proofed for 20 mins boil for 1 min. each side (do not start timing until water returns to a boil)  I do 6 at a time because I make about 4 times this size of recipe, but you could boil 4 at a time.  

Drain and add toppings at this point, try to work quickly in order to gain back shrinkage after boiling.  Place bagels on the same parchment lined pan the proofed on.  I suppose at this point you could bake them on a stone, I don't.  Bake them in a 450 degree oven for around 15 mins, more or less depending on how you like your crust.  Here is a picture of the finished product.

seseme

Asiago cheese (My Favorite)

I'm sure you can figure out the rest,  Happy Baking!!

 

 

Comments

LindyD's picture
LindyD

I'm curious why you would want to do this in an hour.

It doesn't appear there is any fermentation of the dough, unless you count the 20 minute "rest."  Since fermentation develops flavor, I wonder if there's a yeasty taste to the bagels.

On a positive note, at least you're using good flour.

 

saraugie's picture
saraugie

How do they taste along side some of the better commercial, as in good bagel bakeries? that make bagels ?

mountaineer cookie company's picture
mountaineer coo...

Look, this is the way some bakeries do it.  Quality flour and the malt is key.   They taste better than anything you get in the grocery store and quite frankly, they put Panera to shame.  Please try them before making your judgements.  They are NOT yeasty, in my opinion that comes from over proofing.  Don't get me wrong, I am a huge fan of preferments and slow bread,  but this sometimes intimidates the new baker.   

saraugie's picture
saraugie

I was not being derogatory nor hinting about your results not being up to standards.  I dislike supermarket bagels.  Also frozen ones from big commercial companies.  What I was asking is:  not including the Best of the BEST, LOL which I do not know who that would be even be, do yours taste like a bagel should ?

I live in Honolulu, my standards of what is good, in terms of bagels/Challah is not as fine tuned as someone living on the East Coast.  We have one place that makes, I think, decent bagels and Jewish type bread.  In fact when I made my first and so far only, Challah bread from P.H.'s ABED, I thought it the best I EVER tasted. LOL  I'm sure its cause I do not remember eating Challah when I lived in NYC.  

mountaineer cookie company's picture
mountaineer coo...

I was selling them at a farmers market and a woman bought them, then came back an hour later to tell me how much they reminded her of home.  The texture and crust is how they should be. chewy on the outside and tender on the inside.  I'm from Oregon, I so miss the bakeries there.  Do try them, I think you will like them.

saraugie's picture
saraugie

Sounds like they are good, will try, thank you.

LindyD's picture
LindyD

Actually, traditional bagels use no preferments.  Just high gluten flour, water, a bit of yeast, diastatic malt, and salt.  After mixing, the dough is fermented for an hour, then shaped and retarded overnight.  Boiled in water containing barley malt syrup the next day (while the dough is still cold), then baked.  It's a simple and easy method.

I cannot agree to even try your method because fermentation is absolutely crucial to the development of not only good flavor, but dough structure and strength.  I don't want to waste my Sir Lancelot flour on what I know is going to be an inferior product compared to the traditional bagels I regularly bake.  I don't mean this in an insulting manner; it's just a matter of personal preferences in what we expect to achieve in our baking and I know that good bread is not fast bread.

From your photos, it appears you are baking in your home kitchen and are using this speedy method to churn out a lot of product in little time so you can sell it.  If you have the refrigerator space, do try a traditional recipe, retard the dough (after it's been fermented) overnight, and boil and bake the next day.  

Then you can advertise a true old-time NY bagel and it will be wonderfully chewy with a great crust.

mountaineer cookie company's picture
mountaineer coo...

You havn't tried them so how can you judge, the crust is chewy, and they taste great.  And by the way, it's not my home kitchen, I went to great lengths to build a commercial (state approved) Kitchen in my basement.  This recipe was not intended for bagel fanatics.  They are good, and I know it, so I don't kneed your approval. 

Leesky's picture
Leesky

I'm confused about the blob. Does it go in with the water? Were you just showing us the measurement (blob-it's an accurate measurement) and then you add the 12 cups of water?

mountaineer cookie company's picture
mountaineer coo...

Yes, your right it goes in with the water.

Leesky's picture
Leesky

So to clarify, there's 1 1/2 tsp in the dough AND a blob in the water?

Just being sure I don't duplicate

thanks, sometimes you just need bagels in one hour

mountaineer cookie company's picture
mountaineer coo...

yep 1 1/2 in the dough and a blob in the water.

ppschaffer's picture
ppschaffer

Thanks very much Mountaineer Cookie for the great post and pics on bagels.  I'll try it this weekend!

kdwnnc's picture
kdwnnc

I made these on Saturday and they turned out really well, even if I did do a lousy job on the shaping :)  I will definitely try these again.  

mountaineer cookie company's picture
mountaineer coo...

Thank you for posting!

ppschaffer's picture
ppschaffer

Hi Mountaineer Cookie Company!  I got around to making your bagels and...they are ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC!  Thanks very much for the great recipe.  Incidently: I've tried making bagels literally for years and had never succeeded until your recipe.  I'm from NY and know what a good bagel is supposed to taste like! 

mountaineer cookie company's picture
mountaineer coo...

Now you can try adding different flavors, we made multi grain today.  Thanks for the response.!