>Robert wanted to know how to get the crispy crust on his bagel. Try
>spraying them with plain water while they are in the oven. I use this
>method for bread and rolls when I want the crisp crust. It should work
>with bagels.
(My apologies if this has already been suggested) Bagel shop bagels in NY are
usually frozen and then boiled (still frozen) for about a minute before
baking. I expect that this serves two purposes. First the outside dough gets
wet, leading to the effect described above, but more so. Second, the heat must
kill some of the yeast on the outside of the dough, resulting in a thick crust
of dough that doesn't rise in the oven.
Now, a request from this perpetual lurker: In the Boston area, Iggy's is a
well known artisanal bread bakery. One of the Iggy's products carried in the
Bread & Circus grocery chain (B&C is owned by Whole Foods) are these dense
pecan-raisin rolls.
These awesome rolls are about two inches in diameter and have a very dense
consistency and a thick, chewy crust. This is not some fluffy raisin bread
(though there's certainly nothing wrong with raisin bread - it's just not my
goal). Two of these things are a good part of a meal. Does anyone have any
experience with anything of the sort?
-steve