I basically follow this recipe with a few exceptions.
Instead of malt syrup, I substitute molasses.
For a standard batch of 8-10 decent sized plain bagels, here's the ingredient list:
- 1 Tbsp active dry yeast
- 1 Tbsp white sugar
- 2 Tsp kosher salt
- 1 Tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 Tbsp dark molasses
- 1.5 cups warm water
- 4.5 cups bread flour
Mix things as they suggest and use a stand mixer if you have one. I use the dough hook on the "2" speed setting with our big KitchenAid mixer for maybe 5-10 minutes. The dough should be fairly smooth, sort of like modeling clay.
Add the yeast, sugar, salt, .5 cup of flour, and water to the stand mixer bowl. Mix it a little with a fork to combine. Let it sit for awhile until a foam forms on the surface, and it should smell a bit yeasty.
Add the oil, then molasses. Add the flour, then mix/knead using the dough hook as mentioned above.
At room temperature, let the dough rise a bit in the mixing bowl with a damp towel or some plastic wrap over it to trap the moisture. Letting the dough rise in a warm ~70º room helps. I'll often store the dough in a gallon ziploc bag in the fridge overnight. The results are about the same.
While the dough has risen to your liking, boil a big pot of water with the lid on and pre-heat the oven to 425º. You don't need a ton of water, just enough to prevent it burning off and so that the bagels float. I use maybe 3 or 4" of water in a pasta pot.
After rising for a bit, slice off strips of dough to roll into bagel shapes, wrapping the ends over your hand to form the bagel round. Here's a helpful video showing bagel rolling technique.
Boil for maybe 1 minute total, 30 seconds or so on each side. Boiling too long leads to translucent, too-chewy dough. Or, at least it has for me. Skim them out with a slotted spoon or similar.
Dry the bagels on a rack for a few minutes, then pop them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Make sure they're not super wet going on the paper.
When ready, place the tray on the middle rack for about 25 minutes. Check for desired brownness and rotate the tray 180º half way through the baking time if your oven heats unevenly. Either use a water spray bottle to mist the inside of the oven while cooking or leave a small pan of water to create steam in the oven to get a nice crust. This is optional, but give it a try.
That's about all there is to it. You should have fresh bagels on your hands in no time. The dough freezes fine, so you can pre-mix, thaw, and boil/bake whenever.
If I'm not in a hurry, I'll sometimes form the bagel rounds after letting the dough rise for a bit and place them on a baking sheet with a silpat mat, cover the sheet with plastic wrap, and either let it rest overnight on the cold back porch or on a shelf in the refrigerator.
- For toppings, keep a plate or tray with the toppings on it near the drying rack. When you take the boiled bagels out of the pot, pat them dry just a little, then plop the tops in the toppings so they get coated a bit. The bagels should be a little wet but not soaked. The toppings should stick.
- For cinnamon raisin bagels, add about 1 Tbsp of cinnamon and a good handful of raisins (or however much you want) to the dough before mixing.
- For "half wheat," I use 2.5 cups of regular bread flour and 2 cups of whole wheat. More whole wheat flour produces more dense bagels, so if you want more, be ready to compensate with possibly more rising time, a bit more water, or both.
- For pumpernickel bagels, this recipe works just fine. The dough will be much softer, possibly sticky, but will hold up when boiling. You should probably let the pumpernickel dough rise more before boiling, otherwise you'll get sort of flat, dense, and chewy bagels.
I have a KitchenAid 600 mixer with the burnished dough hook. The measurements above produce about as much dough as the mixer can comfortably handle without bogging down the motor. Experiment with larger quantities if you are feeling adventurous or have a bigger mixer. The little C shaped dough hook that comes with some mixers is lame and should be tossed. Get the hook pictured on that Amazon page for the mixer if you don't have one. Making bagels at least weekly for the past 5 or 6 years, my mixer has held up well. I've had to replace the orbital assembly, pack the housing with new grease, and replaced some internal gears, but the motor is still fine. This is yet another reason to get a KitchenAid if you don't have one: you can fix it yourself with readily available spare parts.