Reinhart bagels - uneven cooking fiasco
I decided to try my hand at Reinhart's bagels from BBA. Followed everything, but the only changes were AP flour, and brown sugar, instead of syrup. I used two pans, rotated, etc. I'm also high altitude, but have yet to have a problem with my other bread. Now, in the picture - top left, the 'perfect' bagel. Top right - a bigger, darker, but still good bagel. The sad bottoms are mainly my concern. Bottom right, is a bit overcooked (I went so far as to use the broiler on these poor souls), but still with mushy spots. The bottom left is all mush on top, and cooked on the bottom. I'm not quite sure what went wrong, but I'm wondering if it had something to do with the boiling? I just have no idea. Anyone else have this problem, or know how to fix it? I used just a regular sized kitchen pot with a tbs. of baking soda. I didn't think that would make a difference, guess it might? Like I said, my first attempt at bagels, though far from my first bread baking. Thanks for any help.
Elisabeth
I just realized that it may have been the oil I used, and the sitting overnight. I didnt have spray oil, so I uses peanut oil, and just brushed them all. Perhaps?
You are definitely not supposed to brush the bagels themselves with oil, only the tray or parchment perhaps where you let them rise (the small amount that adheres to the bagels should dissolve away when you boil them.) Peanut oil is fine for that though, as long as you use it sparingly. The fact that your bagels baked unevenly might be because your oven is small and heats unevenly, especially at the high temperature required for bagels. Reco's clay Bagel Baker might solve this problem for you. I have a small oven too and it always scorches around the edges unless I bake in covered vessels.
Hope your next batch comes out better, Elisabeth.
I have not made this recipe before so I cannot make any comment on that. Brown sugar and barley malt syrup are not exact substitutions. Better could be subbing molasses, honey, or golden syrup for the syrup (yes brown sugar has molasses in it, I know). Using the broiler will not help the situation and the resulting interior gumminess would be expected. Im not sure about oiling the bagels for the overnight rise. That could be causing alot of the problems. I form my bagels and place them on an oiled and cornmeal dusted half-sheet pan. Then place a clean linen over the top of them. Place inside a new (unscented) garbage bag and tuck the opening under. Place in fridge and let rise overnight. The bag will keep moisture in but allow just enough drying of the dough to form a nice crust. Add some kind sugar to the water instead of baking soda. Something like golden syrup, honey, or something. The sugar forms a small layer on the bagel and provides a nice color to the crust. Dont be afraid to get some color on them during baking. I bake mine hot and hard. They develop a nice crust with deep color and the inside is still soft and tender.
Check out my post on how I make my bagels.
http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/33521/bagels
from his book, "Artisan Breads Every Day". I didn't use the recommended chill overnight, just shaped the bagels and boiled them after proofing, the same day. I used the recommended honey, baking soda and salt in the boiling water. They were the best bagels. Sometimes overnight in the fridge doesn't bring as much as you expect to a recipe. I have gotten more flavor by adding a little starter to a recipe than an overnight stay in the fridge. Also, I've found that proofing in the oven, uncovered, with some misting to keep dough moist works better for me than adding oil or covering with plastic wrap. Just mist the oven walls, door and floor to keep a moist environment.
I made the BBA bagels a while ago and had great luck, instead of using syrup I used diastatic malt powder and I followed his procedure to the letter... or maybe I added a little flour to get the dough stiff enough I don't remember. subbing out flour types or brown malt for brown sugar should not yield a messed up bagel, just possibly something that is a little less bagely then you may of been picturing. Also I'm a big fan of baking soda in the water. I think that maybe brushing them with oil may of been your downfall. I say try it again.
Thank you all very much. Will definitely redo these.