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Bagels

Mike Avery <mavery@mail.otherwhen.com>
Sun, 13 Mar 2011 07:53:07 -0500
v111.n012.1
"Allen Cohn" <allen@cohnzone.com> commented:
 > Subject: RE: Homemade bagel questions
 > Date: Mon, 7 Mar 2011 01:03:30 -0800
 >
 > * what's "overly" chewy? Real bagels are darn chewy.
 > * bagels are typically made out of very high protein flour--14% or
 > so. At the very least use bread flour, not AP (as the referenced 
recipe does)
 > * for the great taste, bagels are typically rested after forming (but
 > before poaching) overnight in fridge
 > * the dough is usually very dry (50-55% hydration)
 > * the poaching liquid is usually made alkaline by adding baking soda
 > or baked baking soda--this gives the correct exterior
 > * Barley malt is often added to the poaching water--also helps with
 > exterior of bagel
 > * they only need to be poached 30-60 seconds per side
 > * I bake at 450F, not 375 as in referenced recipe

All are good comments.  I haven't used baking soda.  George 
Greenstein didn't use it in "Secrets of a Jewish Baker" so I never 
thought to do so.

I hate to toot my own horn, but my bagel recipe is mentioned quite 
often at the fresh loaf.  One person says that while Reinhart's 
recipe is good, Jeff Hamelman's is better, but mine is the best.  My 
recipe is a sourdough adaptation of George Greenstein's recipe that 
came out quite well.  When we were running our bakery New York 
ex-pats stopped me on the street with tears in their eyes, telling me 
that my bagels took them home to a New York that was no longer 
there.  I think I do a fair job of explaining they process in the web 
page, so look at http://www.sourdoughhome.com/sourdoughbagels.html 
for my sourdough bagel recipe.

One quick warning note.  Bagels will destroy mixers!  The dough is 
very, very dense and you should not mix more than 4 bagels in most 
KitchenAid mixers, no more than 8 or so in their top of the line 
models.   If you burn out your KitchenAid, please don't come crying to me!

Mike