return to the bagel.

Now that my bagel dough is loving tucked under my 2 down blankets I can bestow the rest of the recipe on you.

Day 3.
Take the dough out of the refrigerator and let sit 30 minutes at room temperature before shaping.

Shape the dough and let it rise for 20 minutes. Set a sheet of parchment paper or lightly floured towel on a counter top near the stove top.

Transfer the dough to an unfloured surface. cut it in half and place one piece covered in the fridge. Cut the dough into 5 equal pieces and allow to rest for about 10 minutes.

there are two methods you can use for shaping
a. form each piece of dough into a tight ball. turn the ball over so the seam is at the bottom, stick your index finger all the way thought the center of the ball, to make a hole. hook the bagel over your thumb and insert the finger of your other hand into the hole, stretching and rotating it to make a hole about 2 1/2 inches in diameter.

b. for slightly more chewiness, roll each piece of dough on an unfloured surface into a 12 inch long rope. make a ring over lapping the ends by 2inches and joining them by pressing down and rolling on the overlap until you have the same thickness as the rest of the dough ring. there will be a one inch hole in the center. this method produces rounder higher bagels with smaller holes.


* i always use method b.

working with once piece at a time keep the remaining pieces covered (with plastic wrap). place each as you shape it on the parchment or floured towel, and cover gently with oiled plastic wrap or a second towel.

Preheat your oven to 500* F 30 minutes before baking. use the lowest level and place a baking stone or baking sheet on it before preheating.


Water Bath and Topping
molasses 2 tbs
baking soda 1 tsp

Glaze and Topping
2 Large egg whites
cold water 1 tsp
your choice of bagel toppings 3-4 tbs

Boil the Bagels.
Bring a large pot to boil. stir in the molasses and baking soda until dissolved. with a slotted spoon transfer the bagels one at a time into the boiling water, without crowding them; cook in batches of 2 or 3 so they can swim around without touching each other. boil for 30 seconds to 2 minutes on each side, gently flipping over with the slotted spoon. remove boiled bagel shaking off excess water and set onto the parchment paper or unfloured towel to drain. half a minute later using a pancake flipper move them to the prepared baking sheet.

whisk together the egg whites and cold water to break up the whites and brush each bagel with the glaze. brush with second coat and sprinkle the toppings on top.

Baking
Lower your oven temp to 450* and bake for 20 minutes. Turn off the oven (with out opening it) and let the bagels remain for 5 minutes. Then open the oven door and leave the bagels in for another 5 minutes.

Cool.
Remove your bagels and set them on a wire rack to cool. Bring the oven back up to 500* and shape, boil, top and bake your second batch.

These bagels will keep for 1-4 days, but in my experience they go quickly.