The Fresh Loaf

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Bagels: Inside the Jewish Bakery

mrosen814's picture
mrosen814

Bagels: Inside the Jewish Bakery

Hi all, 

I recently purchased Inside the Jewish Bakery, and was thoroughly excited to try out the New York bagel recipe -- it's an excellent book and highly recommend.

I almost always use Reinhart's bagel recipe from BBA. 

The bagels had a beautiful color and a crispy exterior. However, I found them to be very dense. I know bagels are supposed to be dense, but these were a bit over, imo.

I used what they call "Baker's Flour"  here in Australia...not sure the flour was a contributing factor to the denseness. 

I am leaning towards my fridge being too cold?? I don't know the exact temp.

Further, the bagels didn't float immediately, when I dropped them in the boiling water -- I am pretty sure this is a bad thing.  Bagels were baked @ 460F for approx 25 min.

Any clarity/comments would be much appreciated!

Thanks, 

Michael

 

 

Floydm's picture
Floydm

I don't know... Peter's bagels tend to be a bit lighter, but real NY bagels are dense and chewy.  Those look pretty darn authentic from your picture.

-Floyd

mrosen814's picture
mrosen814

Thanks, Floyd.

JeremyCherfas's picture
JeremyCherfas

I'm with Floyd; your bagels look great. And for what it may be worth, mine never float immediately either. Takes at least 15-30 seconds for them to rise to the surface.

Jeremy

mrosen814's picture
mrosen814

Thank you

GSnyde's picture
GSnyde

Those look good, Michael.  Maybe more boldly baked than I like them.

I find ITJB's bagel formula a bit too dense, too.  I have taken to using a combination of flours: 75% King Arthur Sir Lancelot (14.2% protein) and 25% King Arthur Bread Flour (12.7% protein).  This formula results in a chewy bagel but not jaw-cramping.

I do a one hour primary ferment on the well-kneaded dough before shaping, and my bagels do float immediately when placed in boiling water the next morning.

Glenn

mrosen814's picture
mrosen814

Thanks, Glenn. I will try the one hour prim ferment prior to shaping, next time.

ehanner's picture
ehanner

If you could show a shot of the crumb it would be helpful to compare. What did you boil them in? I'm guessing baking soda or lye based on the color of the crust. Looks tasty from here.

Eric

mrosen814's picture
mrosen814

Hi Eric -- I usually boil with baking soda, but this time I boiled with 1 Tbs of malted barley syrup. Thanks.

jaywillie's picture
jaywillie

Doesn't BBA say if the bagel doesn't float within 10 seconds, it's not ready? I think Reinhart says to let the bagels proof until they "pass the float test" -- float immediately or within 10 seconds -- before you boil them. I wonder what ITJB has to say about this issue?

mrosen814's picture
mrosen814

I don't recall reading anything about the float test in ITJB -- though, I know BBA mentions. I usually never float the bagels before they hit the fridge and they usually come out great (BBA). 

Elagins's picture
Elagins

my bagels rarely float before at least a full minute has passed and everyone tells me they're the best bagels they've ever eaten. a proper NY water bagel is supposed to have a dense crumb, well-glazed crust and chewy texture, with a little crunch when you first bite into it.

stay cool, guys. baking is a matter of taste, not of hard-and-fast rules of conformance like a dog show -- at least not the kind of baking we all ought to be doing, which is simply to please ourselves and those we care for. stop worrying and start having fun, ok?

btw, those are absolutely gorgeous bagels!

Stan Ginsberg
www.insidethejewishbakery.com
www.nybakers.com

GSnyde's picture
GSnyde

Ohhh....he wants less chewy beagles!

Glenn

 

Elagins's picture
Elagins

and oy again

mrosen814's picture
mrosen814

Ok, ok...I will learn to appreciate the denseness moving forward :)

Yerffej's picture
Yerffej

Stan,

The whole world worries too much.............and not just about bread !!!!!!!!!!!

Jeff

mrosen814's picture
mrosen814

LOL! Well said, Stan.

I bake bread because it's something I love to do  -- and, especially love sharing my creation with friends. That is certainly what it's all about.

Btw...I am really enjoying ITJB. It's a book I can culturally connect with; it certainly goes beyond bread.

joyfulbaker's picture
joyfulbaker

Michael, I had baked the bagels from ITJB and posted the bake awhile ago; here's the link: 

http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/26533/great-bagels-itjb

I did a 40-minute bulk fermentation before shaping and retarding, and the bagels floated just fine.  Sometimes they stick on the bottom of the pot, so a little nudge can help.  Your bagels look great, and I agree with others re. the chewy texture.   These are the bagels we crave.

Joy

mrosen814's picture
mrosen814

This is great...thanks!