Ingredients
for the dough
2 Tablespoons active dry yeast
1 ½ Cups lukewarm water
1 Tablespoon honey
4 Cups bread flour (You may need a
little more or less to make a dough that is stiff and elastic)
2 teaspoons salt
1 egg yoke *
for the boiling
2 ½ quarts water
in a large pot
1 Tablespoon honey
for the topping
1 egg
white mixed with one Tablespoon of water
couple
of Tablespoons of either (or all) sesame seeds, poppy seeds, coarse
salt, minced onions, or caraway seeds (optional)
To
make the dough
Combine
the first three ingredients and let set for 5 or 10 minutes until
yeast works
Add
the salt and egg yoke
Mix and knead in
the flour to make a dough that is stiff and elastic
(I use a stand
mixer with a dough hook. Anyone who is a serious bread maker should
have one. I recommend Kitchen Aid. I burned up a couple of other
brands before Kathleen bought me the Kitchen Aid. My first lasted 20
to 25 years.)
Turn the dough out
on a lightly floured surface a, knead it a few times by hand adding
flour if necessary so it is not sticky. Shape into a ball, put it in
an oiled bowl, turn once so the surface is coated lightly with oil.
Cover and let rise in a warm place for 1 ½ hours.
(If you have a warming oven it
probably has a proofing setting. I don't now so I turn the oven on
the the lowest setting for only 3 minutes and turn off.)
To
shape and boil the bagels (Time these steps carefully)
Combine
the water and honey and bring to a gentle boil
Punch
down the dough and knead a little on a lightly floured surface.
Divide the dough into 8 balls. Cover these with plastic wrap and let
them rise five minutes.
Turn
the oven to 425 and preheat. One shelf in the middle of the oven and
the other in the top third.
After
the five minute rise flatten the balls a little, stick your thumbs
through the middle and stretch to make a hole larger than you want
the bagel to have. The hole will shrink as the bagels rise and bake.
Let
the bagels rise for 12 minutes. You want them to look puffy but not
so much so that they fall again when you put them in the water.
Using
a wide spatula or skimmer gently drop the bagels into the simmering
water. You will probably need to turn the fire up to keep the water
boiling gently. After 30 seconds turn them over and boil the other
side for 30 seconds. Let them dry on a smooth dishtowel for a few
minutes and transfer them to two baking sheets sprinkled lightly with
cornmeal. (or use a parchment paper covered baking sheet.)
Brush
them with the egg white glaze and sprinkle them with the toppings of
your choice.
Bake them
25 or 30 minutes until dark brown and crispy.
Notes
*
In any recipe that calls for an egg white glaze I add the yoke to the
bead dough.
This recipe is based on one in GREAT BREADS by Martha Rose Shulman
but this is the way I make them.
If you are a fan of whole wheat you can use up to 2 ½ cups of whole
wheat flour in place of an equal amount of white.
I usually make a half a recipe because there are only two of us in
the house.
