Bagel Process
I am struggling to perfect my process of making a bagel. I need to find consistency (look and shape) that can be reproduced in large quantities. I like my flavor. That isn't the issue.
I can't describe everything I've tried because we don't have the time.
I am currently making my dough, letting it rise 1-1.5 hours then refrigerating it overnight. When I remove in the morning and form (hand rolled) I can't seem to get the dough to seal well. I wait about 15 minutes before I drop into the water. Sometimes the seal from rolling breaks and when I bake I see cracks in the dough.
I'm thinking I need to knead the dough more once I pull it from the fridge then hand roll and then give even more time to let them proof again before the boil.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Mix and knead for about ten minutes. Turn the dough out and roll into a log. Cut the log lengthwise into two pieces, roll into 2" diameter logs, cover and let rest twenty minutes. Now shape and move to the fridge overnight.
In the morning, get your water boiling and preheat the oven. Pull out only the number of bagels you can bake at a time, and put them in the boiling water, then top and bake.
Except for the short rest and the long, slow, retarded proof, don't raise or proof the dough, and use only a small amount of yeast, say <0.5%.
cheers,
gary
I have always had more luck forming small rounds, resting them, then flattening them and poking a hole in the middle. You then use that hole to stretch it into its final shape (for example by putting your index fingers in the hole from opposite sides and rotating them around each other while moving them further and further apart).
I've never liked the form a log and seal it process, in part because of the seams that don't full seal, but also because of the wrinkles that often form in the rest of the bagel as it is rolled under your hand. I'm sure there is a technique to address both problems with this general method, but the other way is really easy (and if you have a divider/rounder, very scalable).