The Fresh Loaf

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Durum Yeast Water Bagels

Isand66's picture
Isand66

Durum Yeast Water Bagels

If you live in New York like me you are spoiled as there is little doubt we have more bagel shops than anywhere in the country and most of them are very good.  I have tried bagels in other cities and usually they taste like a dense tasteless ball of dough.  Since I usually can get great bagels in my town I usually don't make them myself but I figured I would give it a go with a twist of course.

I decided to use my apple/blueberry yeast water to make a durum and high gluten flour starter.  I built this as usual in 2 steps as outlined below and I used King Arthur's Sir Lancelot high gluten flour along with some more durum flour in the final dough.

To shape the bagels I used the technique outlined in the excellent book "Inside the Jewish Bakery" which instructs you to form the dough into ropes and after cutting off the correct size piece to adjoin the rope together and roll out to seal.

I must admit I need more practice with this technique as some of my bagels ended up looking like a blind man-made them.

The end result was satisfactory.  The durum combined with the yeast water provided a nice slightly nutty flavor with a nice moist crumb.  I don't think I'm ready to open up my own bagel shop yet, but overall they made a nice toasted bagel with cream cheese.

Directions for Yeast Water Levain

Yeast Water Starter Build 1

60 grams Sir Lancelot High Gluten Flour (KAF)

60 grams Durum Flour (KAF)

120 grams Yeast Water Starter

Mix the flour and Yeast Water in a bowl until thoroughly combined.  Cover the bowl and let it sit at room temperature for around 4 hours.  The starter should almost double when ready to proceed to build 2.

Build 2

Add ingredients below to starter from above and mix until incorporated.  Cover with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for 4 hours.

50 grams Sir Lancelot High Gluten Flour (KAF)

50 grams Durum Flour (KAF)

100 grams Yeast Water Starter

Main Dough Ingredients

400 grams Yeast Water Levain from above

450 grams Sir Lancelot High Gluten Flour (KAF)

100 grams Durum Flour

38 grams Vegetable Oil

25 grams Malt Barley Syrup

14 grams Seas Salt or Table Salt

170 grams Water at Room Temperature

Procedure

Mix the levain with the water to break it up in your mixer or by hand.  Next mix the rest of the ingredients in your mixer or by hand for 2 minutes on speed #1.  Change to speed #2 for 4 minutes and then place on your work surface and knead by hand for about 2 minutes.  You should not have to add any flour as the dough should be tacky  but pretty stiff and easy to knead.

Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl and cover it.  Let it rest in the bowl for 3 hours.  After 3 hours turn the dough out onto your unfloured work surface and form the dough into a log shape.  Cut it into 2 pieces and roll each piece into a 2" diameter rope.  Let it rest covered for about 20 minutes to relax the dough.  Roll one of the ends of the rope into a strand about 8 to 10 inches long and wrap it around your knuckles and break it off with your thumbnail or a bench scraper.  Roll the overlapping ends against your work surface to seal the bagel.  You may need to spray some water on the surface to help roll and seal the bagels.

Place the bagels on a parchment lined baking sheet and cover with oil sprayed plastic wrap.  Place the bagels in your refrigerator overnight to develop the maximum flavor.

The next morning heat your oven to 460 degrees F. while at the same time prepare a large pot of water and bring to a rolling boil.  Add another 25 grams of malt syrup to the boiling water (note this is not listed in the total ingredients).  Next add 2-3 bagels at a time in the boiling water and remove them once they start to float.

Place the bagels on a cooling rack and immediately add your toppings of choice.  I used toasted onions, poppy seeds, toasted garlic mix and parmesan cheese mix.

Once the oven has come up to temperature, place the bagels on your baking sheet again and bake for 15 to 20 minutes until they are nice a brown.

Remove them from the oven when done and let cool on a rack for about 20 minutes or longer before diving in.

 

Cosmo Waiting Patiently for a Bagel

Comments

dabrownman's picture
dabrownman

But I saw some fine YW and durum bagels!  Can't figure out the oil in the dough though, unless you are of Italian Jewish extractions and love pizza!  Will post more when the rest of the photos show up.

Isand66's picture
Isand66

Thanks DA.  I used a recipe for SD bagels I found on TFL and combined it with the ITJB recipe.  Next time I will leave out the oil as I don't think it is necessary.

Regards,

Ian

dabrownman's picture
dabrownman

YW by itself would mimic the bagel classic taste without a SD tang.  At 50% hydration you are on the lower end of bagel range too.  I think if you don't use the oil next time, which does help in dough flexibility for handling, you might want to increase the hydration a little to compensate somewhat.   It would probably only take an extra 20 g of water and you would still be at 53% hydration.  These have to be good tasting bagels.

Now you have to make them better than you can buy on the street.  It is real easy for me to do in AZ but NYC will be a real challenge for you :-)

Nice baking! And love the mouse sitting on the back of your cat bagel holder :-)

Janetcook's picture
Janetcook

Hi Ian,

These look very tasty indeed and I imagine there are many in NY who would love some of these due to shops being closed since Sandy hit.

I have never had good success doing rope shaping with my bagels.  They always come apart either in proofing, boiling or baking so I do the unconventional way of shaping by making a small round ball of dough and then making a hole in the middle....Yours look great.  All seem to have stayed in a nice round shape. Maybe I will try one more time....they are in my baking line up and I think slated to be done this weekend.  I started up a fresh batch of raisin yeast water today and I can use it as you have done with yours if it is ready in time.....

Thanks for the nudge to try again!

Take Care,
Janet 

 

Isand66's picture
Isand66

Thanks Janet.

I think the secrate with the rope method is to spray a mist of water on the work surface and on the dough if necessary to create some friction.  I have to admit some of mine came out strange but they all stayed together at least.  I have to make this again so I get more practice.

I hope you give it a try again and let us know how it comes out.

We have another storm coming later today believe it or not.  I really hope this doesn't cause too much more damage as many people are at the breaking point by now.

Regards,
Ian

Janetcook's picture
Janetcook

The words 'post traumatic stress' take on a whole new meaning......I shutter when I think of the people in Japan and all they went though with the earthquake followed by the aftershocks that were not small rumbles and then topped off with the nuclear power plant situation....I often wonder how they are doing now.

Hope this one treats you all more kindly...I know for me that after we had a thunder storm accompanied by a tornado through here a few summers ago I simply can not relax and enjoy rain at all the way I use to.  I am getting a bit better now but wind still unnerves me.  

Take Good Care of Yourself,

Janet

Mebake's picture
Mebake

Lovely looking bagels, Ian! I've never eaten a bagel before, as they almost never exist in bakeries here. I'll have to try baking some.
Nice to see you baking and posting, following the aftermath of Sandy. I hope that your mother gets her house fixed soon.

Isand66's picture
Isand66

Thanks Khalid.  I think you will enjoy the bagels as I've never met a person who didn't like a bagel before :)

They are really not too difficult to make and with your skills you will certainly bake a tasty bagel for sure.

The bagels in the shops are not make with SD or YW but yeast but I don't think either way will make it any less tasty.  Many of the bagel shops now make specialty bagels like cinnamon raisen, blueberry, etc.

Thank you for your concern about my Mother.  Hopefully the storm coming today will not do any further damage.

Regards,
Ian

Mebake's picture
Mebake

Ian, i write this now from a hospital room in India. Unfortunately, the epidural injection didn't work out for me, as pain commenced after 2 weeks. I'm lined up for a spinal fusion surgery tomorrow. Phew! Had to get this off my shoulder. 

I'm not from India, in case you wondered, but surgeons here are very skilled, and experienced, and surgeries here are quite cheaper than elsewhere.  

This'll mean no baking for 3 months at least. I think i could live with that. 

Pray for me :)

Isand66's picture
Isand66

Khalid, I'm so sorry to hear you are in the hospital and getting ready for surgery.  Having been through the same surgery I can tell you it will hopefully be worth it in the end.  Everyones body reacts differently and heals at its own pace and I pray your surgery will be a success and your recovery quick and easy.

Please know your friends on TFL will all be thinking about you and I'm confident you will come out of this stronger and hopefully pain free.  I don't want to sugar coat what you are going to be up against though.  The recovery can be very painful as you will have trouble sitting up in bed and walking.  Hopefully you will have an easier time than I did, but do know it will be worth it in the end.

Please let me know how you are doing when you can get back on your computer and if you have any questions I can answer for you, please don't hesitate to ask.

You can also email me directly at isand66@optonline.net or ian.sandman@gmail.com

Take care.

Ian

Mebake's picture
Mebake

Thanks ian, that is very thoughtful of you. I agree, gettinng up from bed and walkin was painful at the beginning, but it is less so now. 

Thanks alot!

Isand66's picture
Isand66

Glad you are through the worse. Goo luck with your recovery.
Regards
Ian

dabrownman's picture
dabrownman

surgery goes well and that you heal fast to bake again as soon as possible.

Mebake's picture
Mebake

Thanks Da! it will take 3 months at least to even start baking anything. During those months, i'll be learning from other TFL members' posts.

 

Janetcook's picture
Janetcook

Khalid,

I just read this.....  My prayers are with you and the surgical team that performs the surgery.  

Take Care,

Janet

Mebake's picture
Mebake

Thank you janet for your thoughtfulness! I'm steadily recovering now. The surgical team did a great job, and so did the nurses. I'm gratful to God, and to them.

thanks for prayers!

Janetcook's picture
Janetcook

Hi Khalid,

So relieved to hear you got through the surgery and now are on the mend....The doctors do a bit of the work and then the body does the rest in ways I will never understand....Gratitude goes a long way and I am glad for you that you can feel it despite all you have been through with this challenge in your life.  I am still sending prayers your way for you and your family *^).

Take Care,

Janet

Mebake's picture
Mebake

Thank you, Janet. your kind words really comforts me alot. Your prayers and well wishes are thankfully received. 

Best regards to you, and your family.

 

 

Isand66's picture
Isand66

Don't know what's going on with the email.
I will sen dyou a message later with my email.