My first bagel attempt!
So, after years of saying I was going to try it, I finally got around to sourcing "malt syrup" and baking me up some Montreal style bagels. So with out further ado, a receipe and some photos!
Montreal Style Bagels (From http://www.food.com/recipe/montreal-bagels-35261 )
1 1/2 cups water
5 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons canola oil
1 (8 g) package dry yeast
1 tablespoon beaten egg
1 tablespoon malt drink powder or 1 tablespoon syrup
4 1/2 cups unbleached white bread flour (you may need more)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup poppy seed (or 1/2 cup sesame seeds, or be creative and try a combination)
6 quarts water
1/3 cup honey
The end product tasted great (so great in fact that they were all eaten at a brunch before I could take a photo! This is the one remaining survivor) - My only complaint is the bagels got hard fast - I was wondering if anyone has ideas as to how I could tweak the receipe to potentially keep them soft for at least 1-2 days after baking?
If you want to keep them softer for longer, you would have to incorporate more fat or protein, which will change the texture (and the chew is the purpose of the bagel!) :)
Alternately, you could just store them in a plastic bag, they will be softer but that kind of airtight storage will hasten their decay.
Its funny, one experience I have had in bread baking is the addition of starchy vegetables (potatoes / yams) into my breads seems to make them stay fresh longer - I wonder if its just my imagination?
Not your imagination, this is another technique. The starches in those vegetables help retain moisture.
I guess the obvious next experiment is Montreal Potato bagels :)
I *love* Montreal bagels. Those look great!
Mine so often look like wrinkled toes that haven't made them in awhile. Your beautiful bagels have inspired me to make another stab at it!