Sourdough Bagels

I’m baking Bagels, the first ones I bake and eat. Peter ate store bought bagels a long time ago and didn’t like them. I promised him he would love the ones I bake for him.

I’m baking Bagels for Peter and they better be good!

I’m sure I can bake the best bagels he ever ate because I use a recipe from Susan of Wild Yeast. I baked the bagels the next morning for breakfast with friends and we all loved them!

Specifics
Name                                       Sourdough Bagels

Adapted from                          Susan of Wild Yeast  
Yields                                      12 Bagels
Dough temp.                            26°C (80 F)
Autolyse                                  0 minutes
Mixing                                     10 medium speed
Fermentation                          0 minutes
Shape                                      Bagel
Proof at roomtemp.                 2-4 hours roomtemp. And 4-8 hours refrigerator
Boil                                         5 minutes
Bake 230°C                              20 minutes

This is what I used:
Bakers formula                      %          grams
Flour                                        100       566

Water                                      56        320
Salt                                          2          11.5    

396 grams high-gluten flour, or 384 g flour plus 12 g vital wheat gluten
150 grams cold water
32 grams nonfat milk powder
19 grams non-diastatic malt powder (I used honey)
11.5 grams (scant 2 teaspoons) salt
340 grams active 100%-hydration sourdough starter

Boiling: 1 tablespoon baking soda
topping: sesame black and white and coarse salt

This is what I did:
Combine the starter, water, flour, malt, milk powder and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix on low speed to combine.

Mix on medium-low speed for another two or three minutes. And continue mixing until the dough is very smooth and strong, almost rubbery. How long this takes will depend upon your mixer.

Turn the dough out onto an un-floured counter and work a few turns by hand. Form the dough into a smooth ball; the surface should feel satiny and tight.

Cover the dough loosely with plastic wrap or a towel and let it rest for 10 minutes.

Shaping: Divide the dough into 12 pieces of about 85 grams each. Form each piece into a light ball, cover, and let rest for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and dust it generously with semolina.

To shape each bagel, roll the dough into a cylinder about 8 inches long without tapering the ends. Wrap the cylinder around your hand, with the ends overlapping by about two inches in your palm. Roll your palm on the (still unfloured) counter to smash the ends together. (Note: if the dough is a little dry, give it a quick spritz of water with a fine spray bottle before shaping. This helps it roll more easily, and the ends stick to each other.)

Proofing: Place the bagels on the prepared cookie sheets, and slip into a large food-grade plastic bag or cover with plastic wrap. Proof for 3 – 4 hours at room temperature, until the bagels look and feel a bit puffy. Then refrigerate them for 4 – 8 hours.

Pre-heating: Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 220 C (425 F) and put a large pot of water on to boil.

Boiling: When the water is almost boiling, place a cooling rack on the counter with a dishtowel underneath it. Remove the bagels from the refrigerator, brush the semolina off their bottoms, and place them on the cooling rack.

When the water has reached a rolling boil, add the baking soda. Drop the bagels, three or four at a time, into the vigorously boiling water for 20 seconds. They may or may not float right away, but they should float by the time the 20 seconds are up. If they float right away so the tops are not submerged initially, flip them over about halfway through the boil.

Remove the bagels from the water to the cooling rack with a slotted spatula. Let them drain for about 30 seconds before replacing them back onto the semolina-dusted, parchment-lined cookie sheet.

Baking: Turn the oven down to 200 C (400 F) once the bagels are in. Bake until golden brown, about 20 – 24 minutes. About halfway through baking, open the oven door briefly to vent any steam.

Cooling: place the bagels on a wire rack.

I send this to Susan’s YeastSpotting