Right now I'm enjoying a chewy, golden bagel covered in cream cheese, smoked salmon and sliced tomato, and drizzled with lemon juice and olive oil, and I made it. I'm feeling irrationally proud of myself.
I didn't believe that the bagels would work out. First, I couldn't find high gluten flour and had to substitute King Arthur organic bread flour. Then, I couldn't locate malt powder and had to substitute raw honey. And the final straw was when the super stiff dough so overwhelmed the tenacity of my little Kitchen Aid that the poor machine sputtered to what may be it's final finish.
Then, it was difficult to shape an attractive bagel. Like Glenna, I resorted to poking holes in my bread balls, because the traditional method yielded lopsided loops. The poke-method bagels did turn out a bit prettier, although several still puffed up asymmetrically. I guess practice is key to shaping any kind of loaf. It was fun though, making rows of bagels, and I loved seeing them lined up neatly in my fridge, awaiting the boiling and baking.
But I forgot to mention that I had to wait several hours for my test bagel to pass the float test. My dough was that stiff (or our apartment's that cold)! Did anyone else encounter this issue?
Once I boiled the bagels, I covered them in a mixture of nigella seeds and red sea salt. The resulting taste is salty, tart and nutty: yum. I experimented with different boiling times, and found I like my bagels boiled for about 2 minutes per side and then baked for about 12 minutes to achieve a really chewy, golden brown crust. The insides are porcelain white and soft, and just as good as any professional bagel I've eaten.
The bagels are yummy, but what's even more satisfying than the eating is the pleasure of mixing and shaping and creating something beautiful out of flour and water. And I love seeing all of your pictures. Mine will come soon...
--Rhi
I didn't believe that the bagels would work out. First, I couldn't find high gluten flour and had to substitute King Arthur organic bread flour. Then, I couldn't locate malt powder and had to substitute raw honey. And the final straw was when the super stiff dough so overwhelmed the tenacity of my little Kitchen Aid that the poor machine sputtered to what may be it's final finish.
Then, it was difficult to shape an attractive bagel. Like Glenna, I resorted to poking holes in my bread balls, because the traditional method yielded lopsided loops. The poke-method bagels did turn out a bit prettier, although several still puffed up asymmetrically. I guess practice is key to shaping any kind of loaf. It was fun though, making rows of bagels, and I loved seeing them lined up neatly in my fridge, awaiting the boiling and baking.
But I forgot to mention that I had to wait several hours for my test bagel to pass the float test. My dough was that stiff (or our apartment's that cold)! Did anyone else encounter this issue?
Once I boiled the bagels, I covered them in a mixture of nigella seeds and red sea salt. The resulting taste is salty, tart and nutty: yum. I experimented with different boiling times, and found I like my bagels boiled for about 2 minutes per side and then baked for about 12 minutes to achieve a really chewy, golden brown crust. The insides are porcelain white and soft, and just as good as any professional bagel I've eaten.
The bagels are yummy, but what's even more satisfying than the eating is the pleasure of mixing and shaping and creating something beautiful out of flour and water. And I love seeing all of your pictures. Mine will come soon...
--Rhi
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