Bagels

These were delicious and well worth the little time I put into these bagels. They were better than the ones you buy at the grocery store and rank up there with Einsteins bagels. Given the price of Einsteins bagels these days I think I'll make own. You can play with the recipe and add whatever flavorings you want but I did plain and onion/garlic topped. The kids and my husband ate these quickly so I'm not sure how long they would last.

Bagels
King Arthur's Bakers Companion

Dough
1 tablespoon instant yeast
4 cups (17 ounces) unbleached bread flour
2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon non-diastatic malt powder, brown sugar, or barley malt syrup
1 1/2 cups (12 ounces) lukewarm water

Water Bath
2 quarts (64 ounces) water
2 tablespoons (1 ounce) non-diastatic malt powder, brown sugar, or barley malt syrup
1 tablespoon granulated sugar

Combine all the dough ingredients in a mixing bowl and knead vigorously by machine on medium low speed for 10 minutes. The dough will be quite stiff; it will "thwap" the sides of the bowl and hold its shape (without spreading at all) when you stop the mixer. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl and set it aside to rise until noticeably puffy though not necessarily doubled in bulk, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Transfer the dough to a work surface and divide it into eight pieces, I made by bagels smaller and did 16 pieces. Working with one piece at a time, roll it into a smooth, round ball. Cover the balls with plastic wrap and let them rest for 30 minutes. They'll puff up very slightly.

While the dough is resting, prepare the water bath by heating the water, malt powder, and sugar to a very gentle boil in a large, wide diameter pan. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Use your index finger to poke a hole through the center of each ball, then twirl the dough on your finger to stretch the hole until it's about 2 inches in diameter (the entire bagel will be 4 inches across if using 8 pieces). Place each bagel on a lightly greased baking sheet and repeat with remaining pieces of dough.

Transfer the bagels, four at a time if possible, to the simmering water. Increase the heat under the pan to bring the water back up to a gently simmering boil, if necessary. Cook the bagels for two minutes, gently flip them over, and cook 1 minute more. Use skimmer or strainer, remove the bagels from the water and back on the baking sheet. Repeat with remaining bagels.

Bake the bagels for 20 to 25 minutes, until they're as deep a brown as you like, turning them over after about 15 minutes, which will help them remain tall and round. Remove the bagels from the oven and cool completely on a wire rack.

If adding toppings to the bagels, bake bagels 20 to 22 minutes (or until they are almost as brown as you like) and remove the pan from the oven, keeping the oven turned on. Working with one bagel at a time, glaze (1 egg white beaten until frothy with 1 tablespoon water) and sprinkle with your desired toppings. Return the bagels to the oven for no more than 2 minutes.