NEW YORK STYLE BAGELS
New York Style Bagels, where do I even begin? Bagels, much like croissants, are the epitome of the best breakfast ever. They are quick and easy to bring on the road in the morning, toast it, put some cream cheese, or make it a little more gourmet with meat, egg and cheese, peanut butter and jelly etc. Make these ahead of time and you have extras to last you the week. Arguably, there is nothing better. There are so many people in the world that aren’t “breakfast people”, like myself, where a continental breakfast and a large spread of options every morning just isn’t for me; unless of course, I am on vacation, out to brunch/breakfast with friends or family or really in the mood on a gloomy Sunday morning. There are those exceptions though that everyone, and I mean EVERYONE, loves… Bagels.
How could one possibly not enjoy a bagel? That is a question I definitely need answers to because let me tell you, I am always up for a freshly baked bagel, toasted (unless fresh out of the oven) with schmear, or a nice bacon egg and cheese. That first time you break it open, after assembling and cutting in half is the most satisfying thing to smell and look at. And nothing beats that first fresh bite. I am not quite sure if there was ever a time I didn’t finish a bagel I either ordered from bagel shop or made fresh at home and I most certainly never turn down bagels when an option.
These are baked goods that everyone choices from offices provide for morning meetings, to just a quick stop on the way to the office, a good weekend breakfast with some coffee, or just a great cheat meal to treat yourself on those days you just feel like having one.
HOW TO MAKE:
If you are not using active dry yeast you can skip the blooming process and just add all the ingredients to a mixer and start the kneading. If you are using active dry yeast I would definitely bloom it in water. Technically speaking, if you work with yeast a lot like I do, active dry yeast doesn’t need to always bloom ahead of time because yeast is always “alive”; but, if you do not work with it often and you have packets sitting around you will want to check and make sure it is alive by blooming it in water. If it does not bloom well and form foamy bubbles this means your yeast is no longer good and “alive”. Since I work with it often most of the time my yeast is alive because my yeast isn’t sitting in the cabinet for years. So if in doubt, always let your yeast bloom to check if it is still active and alive.
Let the dough rise until double in size
Now it is time to form the bagels. To prevent from having excess scraps that will end up going to waste, we do not roll out the dough like you would with donuts. This causes so many scraps that will be tough to re-roll and we would hate to waste any dough that could potentially be more bagels. Therefore, using a knife or dough scraper, cut the dough, once turned out from the mixing bowl, into 6-10 pieces. If you want them all equal you can measure them on a scale by weighing the whole dough and dividing that by the number of bagels you need. That will give you what each dough ball should weigh. These slices will most likely be in a pie shape (cutting the larger dough into smaller pieces like a pie/pizza is easiest) you will need to fold all the edges into the center and pinch together until a ball is formed. Once all the edges are pinched towards the middle flip the dough over so that the seam side is down against the table and roll in circular motions with the palm of your hand. Taking your index finger and thumb you will pinch those fingers together with the dough in between until your fingers meet at the center inside. This creates the hole of the bagel. Make the hole larger by spinning it on one or both index fingers. Cover baking sheet and let rise for a second time.
During this second rise, get all your toppings together, boil the water and preheat the oven to 375 Degrees F.
Boiling the bagels give it that chewy outside crust that bagels are known to have. Without this step they will turn out to be just like a regular piece of bread with a harder crispy crust. The boiling process is necessary for these especially if you are trying to achieve that New York Style Bagel. This technique is unique to those perfectly chewy outside soft inside texture of a NY style bagel and trust me if you have been to NY and haven’t had their bagels, they are the absolute best! I live in California and the only places that I have found to be extremely good are the bagel shop owners that have moved here from NY and started a bagel shop.
From here, add in the baking soda is essential This will help expand them and give them more volume. Sometimes when placing them in the water they tend to be sort of small still and not the normal size of a bagel. You may notice, once they have been boiling for 4-5 mins total with the baking soda, they come out larger and thicker. Much like putting baking soda in baked goods like cookies and brownies etc., it’s a rising agent and essentially helps them reach that stage.
When it comes to adding the toppings of choice to each bagel, an egg wash is not necessary but can definitely be used. I typically just add the toppings right when it comes out of the water boil bath because they do tend to be sticky at this point.
BAKE AND ENJOY!
NEW YORK STYLE BAGELS
4
servings30
minutes40
minutes300
kcalIngredients
500 grams bread flour
2 ¼ teaspoons active dry years (1 packet)
1 Tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1 ¼ cup water (100 - 110 degrees F)
Bagel Toppings of choice - Asiago cheese, garlic, everything, onion, pesto, sesame seeds, poppy seeds etc.
1 Tablespoon baking soda (for boiling water when boiling bagels first before baking)
Directions
If using active dry yeast, you will need to let the yeast bloom in the warm water for about 10 mins. Boil your water until it reaches between 100 - 110 degrees F. Add in the sugar and the yeast and let rest for 10 mins in a warm area.
To a separate bowl, add the bread flour and salt. Once the the yeast is done blooming add the flour and yeast mixture to the bowl of a stand mixture and mix on medium speed for about 10 mins until the dough is smooth and completely combined. It will not be sticky.
Put the dough in a bowl, cover it and let rise for about 45 mins - 1 hour.
Once it has double in size, lightly flour a work surface and turn out the dough. To help preserve the dough, cup it into 6 - 10 dough balls (depending on how big you want your bagels to be.
Carefully roll each dough into a ball pinching all the edges to the center to help form it perfectly and then rolling with the palm of your hand against the work surface in circular motions. This will help seal the edges you just pinched together.
Take the dough balls one at a time; in the center of the dough pinch your index finger and thumb together until they form a whole and your fingers are touching.
Flour both of your index fingers well, insert your fingers from both sides of the dough and spin them like a wheel is turning until the center of the dough ball has become large. Remember: These are going to go for a second rise so make sure to make the hole in the center somewhat large.
Add to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, place each bagel, giving about 2 inches inbetween each one. Let rise for another 30 mins or so until the dough has risen and your bagels have almost doubled.
Towards the end of their second rise, preheat the oven to 375 Degrees F and add water to a deep saucepan and bring the water to a simmer. Once simmering, add the baking soda.
Place 3-4 bagels at a time (or however many can fit comfortably with room to move around, do not overboard them). Let them boil for about 2 mins on each side.
Using an all purpose strainer carefully take them out and place them spread out on the lined baking sheet. You can either do an egg wash or just sprinkle the toppings on right away once out of the water.
Bake for about 25-30 mins or until golden brown.
