Bagels 101: Step 2 and 3 The Shaping and Boiling

Bagels are an interesting bread, because the dough gets boiled before it gets baked. To prepare the water bath, add 2 tablespoons of non-diastatic malt and 1 tablespoon of sugar to 2 quarts of water. Preheat your oven to 425 F and bring the water bath to a gentle boil.

 

Shape your bagels by poking your finger through a ball, and twirling the dough around your finger. This is my favorite part of bagel making. If your ball was smooth and perfect, you will have a perfect bagel. If you ball had imperfections, your bagel might not be perfect either.

 

Transfer your bagels to the water bath. My pan accomodates four at a time. Boil them for a minute, flip them over, and boil them for another minute. After boiling, transfer the bagels to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

 

If you want to put toppings on, prepare a glaze by beating one egg white with a teaspoon of water. Glaze the bagels and sprinkle with seeds. Time to bake.

 

Today, we made 16 everything bagels, 8 poppyseed, and 8 plain.