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Sourdough Bagels for breakfast this morning (Jan. 2, 2019)

dmsnyder's picture
dmsnyder

Sourdough Bagels for breakfast this morning (Jan. 2, 2019)

Sourdough Bagels

(adapted from Hamelman's bagel formula in Bread)

David M. Snyder

January 2, 2019

Almost two years ago, I converted Jeffrey Hamelman's formula for bagels to sourdough, although I did continue to spike the dough with instant yeast. Since then, I acquired my Mockmill 100 and have been baking almost everything with at least some freshly milled flour. Today, I baked a batch of bagels using 24% home-milled whole white wheat. The rest of the flour was Breadtopia's "High-protein Bread Flour." These are by quite a bit the best bagels I have ever made. They may be the best I have ever eaten.

Total Dough

 

 

Ingredient

Wt (g)

Bakers' %

High-protein bread flour

705

76

Whole white wheat flour

223

24

Water

538

58

Barley Malt Syrup

5

0.5

Salt

18

2

Instant yeast

11

1.2

Total

1500

161.7

 

Makes 13 113 g (4 oz) bagels.

Note: For this bake, the High-protein bread flour was from Breadtopia. The whole white wheat flour was freshly milled using a Mockmill 100.

 

Liquid Levain

 

 

Ingredient

Wt (gm)

Bakers' %

Hi-protein bread flour

200

100

Water (85ºF)

200

100

Active liquid levain

80

40

Total

480

240

  1. Dissolve the levain in the water.

  2. Add the flours and mix thoroughly.

  3. Place in a clean container and ferment until ripe. 8-12 hours, depending on vigor of your starter and the ambient temperature – 76ºF is ideal. (For a liquid levain, this means the surface is bubbly and wrinkled. It should smell fruity, not like raw flour and not sour.)

  4. If not ready to mix the final dough, the ripe levain can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.

 

Final Dough

 

Ingredient

Wt (gm)

High-protein bread flour

520

Whole white-wheat flour

223

Water (85ºF)

353

Barley malt syrup

5

Salt

18

Instant yeast

11

Liquid levain

370

Total

1500

 

Procedures

  1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, place the water, ripe liquid levain and malt syrup. Mix at low speed until these ingredients are well-blended.

  2. In a separate clean bowl, combine the flours, salt and instant yeast. Add this mix to the liquid ingredients a third at a time, mixing each addition at low speed until well-blended before adding the next.

  3. Mix at medium speed until an early gluten window forms (6-8 minutes).

  4. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured board. Form into a ball and place in a lightly oiled clean bowl. Cover tightly and ferment at 76ºF for one hour. The dough should be almost doubled in volume.

  5. Transfer the dough back to the board and divide into 113 g (4 oz) pieces.

  6. Pre-shape into rounds and allow to rest, covered with a towel, for 20 minutes or so.

  7. Form bagels from each piece. Degas gently. Form a tube, as if shaping a baguette. Roll each tube into a cylinder (not tapered) about 12 inches long. Wrap this around your open hand, with the ends overlapping under your palm by 2-3 inches. Roll your open hand back and forth on the board to seal the bagel. If it sticks, flour the board lightly. If it slides, wipe the board with a very slightly damp towel.

  8. Place the bagels with at least an inch between them on parchment-lined baking sheets sprinkled with semolina or coarse cornmeal. Cover with plasti-crap or place in a food-safe plastic bag and refrigerate for at least 6 hours or overnight. (I find quarter sheet pans most convenient. Each holds 6 bagels.)

  9. Pre-heat the oven to 500ºF (with an optional baking stone in place).

  10. In a large sauce pan (4 quart or larger), bring water to boil with 2 tablespoons of barley malt syrup.

  11. Take as many bagels as you can bake at one time out of the fridge.

  12. Boil the bagels right out of the fridge, 3 or 4 at a time, 15-20 seconds on each side. They should float.

  13. Remove the bagels to a cooling rack placed over a sheet pan. If topping, press the top or both top and bottom, if desired, into a pie tin containing the topping of choice. (If the bagels' surface is too dry for the toppings to stick, place a damp paper towel on a baking pan or another pie tin. Put the bagel on this for a moment before pressing into the topping mixture.)

  14. Then place the bagels on a clean, parchment-lined baking sheets sprinkled with semolina or coarse-ground cornmeal with at least one inch between them.

  15. Repeat steps 10. and 11. until all the bagels have been boiled and topped. (Note: If you cannot bake all the bagels at once, leave the ones you cannot accommodate in your first bake in the fridge until the first batch has been baked, then repeat steps 9.-11. with the remaining bagels.)

  16. Bake for 15-18 minutes, until the desired degree of brownness has been achieved.

  17. Cool on a rack for at least 30 minutes. Those that are not to be eaten right away can be frozen for later consumption.

These were baked this morning, so freshly baked for breakfast. I had one half with a lox shmear made yesterday ... 

I don't know how my local Whole Foods Market knew I would be baking bagels today, but yesterday, for the first time I can remember, they had genuine Great Lakes Smoked Whitefish! So, that's what I had with the other half bagel for breakfast. 

Very yummy stuff!

For your interest, this was not actually my first bake of 2019. Yesterday, I baked some more multi-grain sourdough, which continues to be our favorite "daily bread." You can see it here: https://www.instagram.com/p/BsJ7lDLjnSc/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet

Happy New Year to all my Fresh Loaf friends, and Happy Baking in 2019!

David

Comments

trailrunner's picture
trailrunner

I used to make bagels all the time and always used Wild Yeast formula. I will have to re-visit making bagels after seeing these glorious examples. Hope you are having a great New Year so far and that it only gets better . c

dmsnyder's picture
dmsnyder

I don't make bagels often - maybe less than once a year. This batch is so good though, that may change.

Thanks for the good wishes. Same to you!

David

Danni3ll3's picture
Danni3ll3

I haven’t attempted bagels... yet! ?

dmsnyder's picture
dmsnyder

Bagels are "different" in several respects but not difficult to make. If you like them, you can probably make better ones than almost any you can buy, unless you live in a very few special places with exceptional bagel bakeries.

David

WatertownNewbie's picture
WatertownNewbie

Wow, what a great way to start the new year (even if technically your second bake, but it is your first post here).  Wonderful as always, and, by the way -- Happy New Year!  Fortunately, I live near a baker who could challenge anyone in NYC.  His bagels are phenomenal, but if I ever decide to give baking bagels a try, your recipe is the one that will be my first in that arena.

Thanks as always for your posts.

PalwithnoovenP's picture
PalwithnoovenP

 They are definitely in my top 3. Love the unique crispy crust and the extra chewy crumb, so satisfying to eat! Your are lovely, they're almost perfect rings. Bagels are my bread of 2018. I fed my starter a while ago to make something similar to a bagel. Great way to start the year with your bakes! Happy New Year David!

dmsnyder's picture
dmsnyder

I like bagels, but they are not among my favorite breads. My wife loves them, which is reason enough to bake them more often.

Happy New Year to you too!

David

dabrownman's picture
dabrownman

57.5% hydration with nearly 24% whole grains is spot on too.  These being the best bagels you have ever had is really saying something.  I feel the same way about home made SD bagels with whole grains in the mix too!  Why folks like those puffy, cake bagels at Einstein's is beyond me but their spinach and cheese bagels with a schmear and lox is to die for.

The last time I saw smoked whitefish anywhere was at Central Market in Houston last year in March.  I didn't get any then and I have regretted it ever since.  What a great way to start off the new year with whitefish on SD home made bagels!  It doesn't get any better than that.  Glad you are liking the the breads coming out of you oven with the home milled flour in them.  They are just a notch above any other bread that doesn't have some home milled flour in it.

Happy bagel making in the New Year David.

PS it is hard to see the crumb under all that lovely whitefish though:-)

dmsnyder's picture
dmsnyder

FYI, the crumb was pretty classic bagel - relatively dense - maybe more so because of the WW. But it was also classically chewy. The main texture difference in this bake was actually the crust, which was crisper and more like the classic bakery bagel when fresh out of the oven. I think the high baking temperature improved the results. The contrast with today's common cakey bagels couldn't be greater.

I've never been a fan of any modification of water bagels besides toppings - seeds or onion or garlic. Egg bagels, rye, pumpernickel - none did it for me. Anything further from a plain water bagel just doesn't attract me.

Happy New Year to you and yours!

David

Filomatic's picture
Filomatic

Bookmarked with extreme prejudice.  Really nice work.  The best hope baked bagels I've seen.  Thanks for sharing.

Elsie_iu's picture
Elsie_iu

What a great way to start a new day! Bagel is the first kind of bread I've fallen in love with and it will forever hold a special place in my heart. Like the others, I just love how chewy it is. It goes so well with smoked fish that I often pair it with smoked salmon and arugula. Smoked whitefish is not as commonly found but I enjoy it just as much, if not more. It's perfect when I want something lighter with my bagel.

The blistering crust looks awesome! Though you see less of it on the sesame seeds topped bagels, I'd still pick them over the plain ones :)

Isand66's picture
Isand66

I've been meaning to bake some bagels myself for a while so your post was excellent timing.  What do you think the yeast adds versus using all starter?

Happy New Year David

dmsnyder's picture
dmsnyder

The IY results in a faster and more predictable bulk fermentation time. I don't think I have ever made bagels leavened soley by starter. I suppose I ought to, if only for my edification. Frankly, that's way down the "needs to be tried" list. 

Happy New Year to you too!

David

hanseata's picture
hanseata

 like my next project! I haven’t made bagels for a long time. 

I bought a Mockmill 100 at last year’s Kneading Conference, sold my old Nutrimill at Craig’s List, and am glad I did. So much easier to use! 

Happy New Year to you, too,

Karin

 

dmsnyder's picture
dmsnyder

Happy New Year!

I am super happy with my Mockmill. I'm glad I waited for this model, for both its performance and price.

David