Great bagels from ITJB

Just this week made a dozen bagels from ITJB (pp. 98-100).  I used malt powder in the dough (bought it from NY Bakers, as well as the high-gluten flour--All Trumps).  The recipe told me that the powder is best mixed with the water, and I put about 2 TBS of barley malt syrup in the boiling water (as in the recipe).  I followed the recipe closely; only exception (Hamelman tip) is that I put the bagels in a bowl of ice water after the boil, then put them on a towel-topped cooling rack, then dipped into a tray of seeds.  I did a bulk fermentation before shaping of about 40 minutes (Hamelman--again--says an hour; ITJB says 20 minutes--so I compromised).  They were refrigerated overnight after shaping (the old-fashioned way, but I had to scale them--3 oz--novice that I am).  They were made as a "straight" dough, the flavor being developed through the overnight retardation.  I left a couple plain, topped the rest with a variety of seeds, sesame, poppy, multi-seeded (sesame, B & W, poppy, flax, fennel and, my favorite, sunflower, mixed with some onion powder a little fresh-ground sea salt).  I found the size to be just right (I previously had made 4-oz bagels, which really are more than I ever eat--I usually eat just a half of those).  They freeze beautifully, and they are the real New York style water bagel.  My late Uncle Leo was a bagel baker in Brooklyn (never found out if he was in the union--better ask my cousin), and I know a good bagel when I sink my teeth into one.  These are the real deal.  (My husband, who lived on the Lower East Side as a youngster, is in bagel heaven.)  Here they are, half on the way to being bagged and frozen--uncut.

Joy