May 15, 2016 - 6:13pm
Blasphemous question re: bagel crust
I actually love the crust on crappy chain store California bagels like Einstein Bros. Bagels. Go figure, eh?
Question is, how can I duplicate their leathery crust w/ my own sourdough recipe?
Any ideas or suggestions?
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Been making micro batches i.e. single bagel size and experimenting. Just finishing one that I put in tiny loaf pan and covered w/ tin foil tent to keep water out and pressure cooked it on "High" for 20 minutes, quick released the pressure and found water had pooled inside the loaf pan anyway. So poured out the liquid and put in oven at 350 for 25 minutes and pulled it from the pan. Still a bit "damp" but crust very close to what I want. Cooling it under absorbent towel to keep it from drying out too much. Tastes do vary but I love that almost rubbery chewy kind of texture...
So it seems I need to figure out how to steam at about 250 degrees large batch in heavy enough steam it is almost boiled for most of baking time. May be out of reach without specialize equipment.
I believe a lot of chains, like Noah's, steam instead of boil their bagels.
LBC Mini Rack Oven [Steam Bagels] - Food Makers Bakery Equipment
Kathy, thank you. That is my next "test". Plan is to put large surface are baking pan on bottom shelf and fill it with water. Preheat to 250 F (temp of the pc on high) and wait until water at full rolling boil before putting bagels in on top shelf. Bake and check for done every 20 minutes or so.
Thanks again for that info/confirmation!
Just watched video and slight change of plans-- I will set oven temp for max i.e. 500 F to get max steam room effect and start checking for done every 10 minutes!
It will be interesting to see if you get the result you are looking for. Though, I would of thought boiling the bagels would give a more leathery crust than steaming. I haven't tried baking bagels yet, so I'm not sure if that translates as well in a home kitchen.
Kathy, have boiled and they come out ok but still too much "crunch"/not enough "leather". That was before I learned about cooling under a towel though and that makes a huge difference in itself, esp since I live in a very dry climate, essentially high dessert though irrigated so lots of farms. Ambient humidity is often around 20% I think. Internet claims 70% but all the women know that is 100% bunk! (Ask their hair and skin or visit here from Florida!).
May have to revisit the boiling dunk if this does not work out. The steamy, hot oven I think shows a lot of promise and should be much easier, less labor intensivea than boiling each one.
Just reading up a bit--I have tiny loaf pan been using for tests made of some type of glass and biggest baking dish made of Pyrex. Just found out that above 425, you risk glass explosion! So metal pans only for the very high heat, I guess clay ceramic is fine but I do not have.
Final verdict is in. 2nd best but not bad is to put dough on middle shelf of oven and and large surface area pan of water on lower shelf.
Much better though can only do one loaf at a time is in Dutch oven--I have very small "cooling rack" that fits in the pot. I always do free standing bread without bread pan so gets more evenly "crusted" on all sides so I put parchment paper on rack w/ dough on that and water underneath. Lid to Dutch oven so heavy it likely does a low grade pressure cooker thing as well. For my very small loaf, starting from cold setting oven to 350 and bake for 1 hour is perfect! Needs a few minutes in oven exposed w/ no steam to dry the damp/sticky surface at the very end. Then cool wrapped in absorbent towel. YUM!!!
Thank you all for suggestions and comments