Metric Bagels When I Go Back Home Food

REAL HOMEMADE BAGELS

Steps:

• Combine 1 1/4 cup water, flour, sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, vegetable oil, and yeast in the mixing bowl of a stand mixer. Mix on low speed using the dough hook until well-developed, about 8 minutes. To ensure the gluten has developed fully, cut off a walnut-sized piece of dough. Flour your fingers, and then stretch the dough: if it tears immediately, the dough needs more kneading. Fully developed dough should form a thin translucent "windowpane."
• Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl, cover it with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel, and let rise for 2 hours.
• Punch the dough down, place it on a lightly floured work surface, and use a knife or dough scraper to divide the dough into 6 pieces (or more, for smaller bagels). Roll each piece of dough into a sausage shape about 6 inches long. Join the ends to form a circle. Repeat with the remaining dough, and let the bagels rest for 15 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 475 degrees F (245 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Arrange small plates with poppy seeds, sesame seeds, and onion flakes next to the baking sheet.
• Bring 4 quarts water to a boil in a large pot. Add honey, if desired (see Editor's Note). Boil the bagels, three at a time, until they rise to the surface of the pot, about 1 minute per side. Remove the bagels with a slotted spoon and place them on the parchment-lined baking sheet.
• Dip the tops of the wet bagels into the toppings and arrange them, seeds up, on the baking sheet. Sprinkle with coarse salt, if desired. Bake in the preheated oven until the bagels begin to brown, 15 to 20 minutes.

NEW YORK CHEWY BAGELS FOOD PROCESSOR MIXING METHOD

Steps:

• Combine the water, malt syrup and yeast in a small bowl. Stir to dissolve the yeast.
• Place the flour and salt in a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Using an instant-read thermometer, adjust the water temperature so that the combined temperature of the flour and the water is the base temperature for your food processor, between 130°F and 150°F. (We have found that 145°F works well for most machines.) With the machine running, pour all the water through the feed tube. Process for a total of 45 seconds.
• Scrape the dough onto a lightly floured work surface. It will be relatively firm. Knead it by hand a few times then form it into a tight ball. Place it in a bowl, cover and let rest for 30 to 45 minutes.
• With a dough scraper or kitchen knife, divide the dough into six or seven equal pieces. To form the bagels, take each piece of dough and roll it into a ball. Flatten the ball of dough, then fold it in half. Seal the edges of the dough with your fingertips. Then fold the dough again to form a tight cylinder.
• Roll the dough into a tube about 9 inches long. Wrap this piece of dough around the palm of your hand overlapping the dough by about 3 inches. Pinch together the dough where it overlaps to form a smooth ring. The hole in a bagel formed this way will be the right proportion once the dough is proofed, boiled, then baked. Transfer the formed pieces of dough to the baking sheet spacing them 2 inches apart.
• Sprinkle the top of each piece with flour then cover the sheet loosely with plastic wrap. (Or place the entire baking sheet into a food grade plastic trash bag.) The flour will keep the plastic wrap from sticking to the dough as it ferments. Place the formed pieces of dough in the refrigerator for 12 to 16 hours, preferably overnight.
• One hour before baking, put the oven rack on the second shelf from the bottom of the oven and place the baking stone on the rack. Preheat the oven to 450°F.
• Take the formed dough from the refrigerator. Remove the plastic wrap and let the pieces proof at room temperature, 70°F to 72°F, for 30 to 35 minutes. (The dough should reach an internal temperature of 58°F to 60°F.)
• While the formed dough is proofing, bring a large, 4-quart pot of water to boil. Add the baking soda and malt syrup. Sprinkle a baking sheet with rice flour or fine cornmeal. Sprinkle some sesame seeds, poppy seeds, caraway seeds and other garnishes into individual plates.
• Test to see that the dough has proofed. Insert an instant-read thermometer into the center of one of the formed piece of dough to check the internal temperature. It should measure between 55°F and 60°F.
• Set a colander in the sink. Drop one formed piece of dough in the boiling water. If it floats this means the dough is proofed and ready to be boiled and baked. Add two or three more formed pieces of the dough into the boiling water. Boil them for 30 seconds. Use a slotted spoon to turn them over and boil for another 30 seconds. Transfer the boiled dough from the boiling water to drain in the colander. Boil the remaining pieces of dough, in the same manner, then drain them in the colander.
• Quickly dip each boiled piece of dough into one of the seeds or garnishes, if using. Dip the other side too if you like. (Or, while the boiled pieces of dough are still moist, sprinkle then with the seeds and garnishes.)
• Transfer the coated dough to the baking sheet spaced two inches apart.
• Place the baking sheet of dough into the oven. Reduce the heat to 425°F and cook the bagels for about 10 minutes. Open the oven and rotate the tray of bagels so that they brown evenly. Continue baking for 10 to 15 minutes until the bagels are uniformly browned.
• Remove the baking sheet from the oven and transfer the bagels to a wire rack to cool. Serve the bagels warm from the oven or let them cool completely before storing. Store the bagels in a pager bag for up to 24 hours. For longer storage, put the bagels in a plastic bag and store in the freezer.

HOMEMADE BAGELS

Steps:

• Tip the yeast and 1 tbsp sugar into a large bowl, and pour over 100ml warm water. Leave for 10 mins until the mixture becomes frothy.
• Pour 200ml warm water into the bowl, then stir in the salt and half the flour. Keep adding the remaining flour (you may not have to use it all) and mixing with your hands until you have a soft, but not sticky dough. Then knead for 10 mins until the dough feels smooth and elastic. Shape into a ball and put in a clean, lightly oiled bowl. Cover loosely with cling film and leave in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1hr.
• Heat oven to 220C/fan 200C/gas 7. On a lightly floured surface, divide the dough into 10 pieces, each about 85g. Shape each piece into a flattish ball, then take a wooden spoon and use the handle to make a hole in the middle of each ball. Slip the spoon into the hole, then twirl the bagel around the spoon to make a hole about 3cm wide. Cover the bagel loosely with cling film while you shape the remaining dough.
• Meanwhile, bring a large pan of water to the boil and tip in the remaining sugar. Slip the bagels into the boiling water - no more than four at a time. Cook for 1-2 mins, turning over in the water until the bagels have puffed slightly and a skin has formed. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain away any excess water. Sprinkle over your choice of topping and place on a baking tray lined with parchment. Bake in the oven for 25 mins until browned and crisp - the bases should sound hollow when tapped. Leave to cool on a wire rack, then serve with your favourite filling.

BAGELS I

Steps:

• Mix together the unsifted flour, 3 tablespoons sugar, 1-1/2 teaspoons salt, yeast, water, and butter in the bread machine on the manual setting.
• OR, mix 1-1/2 cup flour, 3 tablespoons sugar, 1-1/2 teaspoons salt, and yeast. Heat water and butter to 120-130 degrees F. Add water to dry ingredients; beat 2 minutes at medium speed on mixer. Add 1/2 cup flour, beat at high speed 2 minutes. Stir in more flour to make a stiff dough. Knead 8-10 minutes. Cover and let rise. Punch down. Cover; let rest 15 minutes.
• Remove from bread machine.
• Divide dough into 12 pieces; shape 3 pieces into smooth balls. Poke a 1 inch hole in each. Drop bagels into a large skillet with 1 inch water (simmering) with 1 tablespoon sugar and 2 teaspoons salt in the water. Cook on medium low heat for 3 minutes, turn and cook 2 minutes; turn again, cook 1 minute more. Drain on towels. Repeat for rest of dough. Place on greased cookie sheet.
• Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 20-25 minutes. Remove from sheets and cool. If desired, before baking, mix 1 egg white and 1 tablespoon water, brush on bagels, and sprinkle with sesame, poppy, or caraway seeds.

BOILED BAGELS

Steps:

• In large bowl, combine 1 1/2 cups flour and yeast. Mix water, 3 tablespoons sugar and salt together, and add to the dry ingredients. Beat with a mixer for half a minute at a low speed, scraping the sides of the bowl clean. Beat at a higher speed for 3 minutes. Then, by hand, mix in enough flour to make a moderately stiff dough.
• Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic (8-10 minutes). Cover, let rest for 15 minutes.
• Cut into 12 portions, shape into smooth balls. Poke a hole in the center with your finger, and gently enlarge the hole while working the bagel into a uniform shape. Cover, let rise 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, start a gallon of water boiling. Put 1 tablespoon of sugar in it, mix it around a bit. Reduce to simmering.
• When the bagels are ready, put 4 or 5 bagels into the water, and cook 7 minutes, turning once. Drain them. Place on a greased baking sheet, and bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 30 to 35 minutes. Remove from oven, eat hot or cold.
• Broiling option: For a glossier surface, place raised bagels on an ungreased baking sheet prior to boiling them. Broil them five inches from heat for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes on each side. Then put them into the hot water to be boiled as above. Note: do not bake broiled bagels as long as non-broiled ones, 25 minutes should be long enough.