Hearth Bread Bagels Recipe

Ingredients

2 cups (16 ounces) lukewarm water
1 tablespoon malted barley extract
1 tablespoon or packet active dry yeast
5 to 6 cups (21 1/4 to 25 1/2 ounces) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1 tablespoon salt
1 egg, beaten with 2 teaspoons water
sesame seeds, poppy seeds or other topping

Preparation

Step 1

In a large bowl, dissolve the malted barley extract in the lukewarm water. Add the yeast and two cups of flour. Let work for about 10 minutes, or until the mixture is expanded and bubbly.

Add the salt, then an additional 3 cups of flour. When the dough begins to hold together and pull away from the sides of the bowl, it's ready to knead. Turn it out onto a kneading surface where you've sprinkled another 1/2 cup of flour.

Knead the dough for 3 to 4 minutes, then let the dough rest while you clean and grease your bowl. Knead an additional 3 to 4 minutes, adding flour only if necessary, until the dough is smooth, elastic and no longer sticky.

Form the dough into a ball and place in the greased bowl, turning to coat all sides. Cover the bowl with a damp towel or piece of plastic wrap and set it in a draft-free spot until it has doubled in bulk, 1 to 2 hours.

Shaping: After the first rising, gently punch down the dough and, on a well-floured surface with a well-floured rolling pin, roll it out to about 1/2-inch in thickness. There are several ways to form bagels. Experiment and pick whatever method suits your fancy.

--Cut strips about 3/4-inch wide by 6- or 7-inches long. Pinch the two ends together, moistening the ends with water to help them stick. Unless you seal them well, they tend to come apart as you cook them.

--Cut them out with large round cookie cutter and use a small cookie cutter to cut out the center.

--Take a piece of dough slightly larger than a golf ball, poke a hole through it with your finger, enlarge it a bit, and twirl the dough around your finger on your floured surface until the hole is an inch or so in diameter.

Boiling: Let the formed bagels rest for 15 minutes or longer, while you preheat your oven to 450°F.

After 10 minutes or so, begin heating a large saucepan containing about 3 inches of water. Add a tablespoon of malt extract if you want a shiny shell, or add a tablespoon of salt if you want a slightly salty surface.

Just before the bagels are ready to cook -- they should have risen somewhat -- bring the water to a full boil and then turn it down so it's still bubbling gently, but not rolling. This keeps the action of the boil from deflating the bagel dough.

Carefully slip 2 or 3 bagels into the water, making sure you give them enough room to expand. Keep the water at a simmer.

After 1 minute, flip them over gently and continue cooking them 3 more minutes. While the bagels are simmering, grease a baking sheet.

Baking: At the end of 3 minutes, lift the bagels carefully out of the water with a slotted spatula or spoon, and place them on the greased cookie sheet very gently, to keep them from deflating. Repeat with remaining bagels.

Slide bagels into the oven and bake them for 10 minutes. At this point you can safely brush them with the egg wash and sprinkle sesame or poppy seeds on them.

Bake the bagels 8 to 10 minutes more (18 to 20 minutes altogether), turning them over 4 to 5 minutes before they're done. Cool them on a wire rack.

Variations

Egg Bagels: To make a classic bagel, make up a batch of Hearth Bread dough, replacing the 2 cups water with 2 extra-large eggs (equals 1/2 cup liquid) and 1 1/2 cups water in which you've boiled potatoes.

Any-Bread-Dough Bagels: Use any yeasted bread dough flavored any way you want for a whole variety of bagels. Sprinkle on chopped onion or garlic, or caraway or dill seeds, or whatever you want to bring out or add to the flavor of the dough.

"Bagins": These are just bagels with the holes left in. This English muffin/bagel hybrid was devised to maximize the surface that cream cheese or other yummy things can be spread on.