Michael Zusman wrote:
>Boiling should not exceed 10 seconds per side. Count 10, then flip, count
>another 10 and remove from your kettle. All we are trying to do is
>gelatinize the proteins on the surface of the dough to aid crust
>formation. We are not "cooking" the bagel in the water. Again, we want
>dense, not puffy.
iagree with almost everything you said except for the boiling. i find that
boiling longer and 'cooking' the bagel before baking results in more
density. also, in a home oven, starting at 500F and bring the temperature
down to 450F right away makes a wonderful dark crust without burning. i
also like smaller bagels though my husband was very disappointed when i
made the 3 oz. ones the other week. with the 5 ounce ones in my book i can
only eat half at a sitting--or i should say i can only ALLOW myself to eat
half!
will certainly visit your bakery if i am lucky enough to get back to portland!
best,
rose (levy beranbaum)