Bagels are ubiquitous in delis and market these days, but it isn’t too difficult to make your own. Bagels originate from the Jewish communities of Poland, where the first record of a bagel was in 1610 in community ordinances in Krakow, mentioning that they were given as a gift to women in childbirth. Although they began as a specialty item, they soon became a staple of Polish cuisine.
Polish immigrants brought the bagel to New York City, and although many cities have bakeries and delis making bagels according to the traditional recipe, New York City is believed by many to be home to the best bagels in the country.
Recipe Servings: 16
Prep Time
30 minutes
+ 1 hour resting
+ 1 hour resting
Cook Time
16 minutes
Total Time
1 hour 46 minutes
Vegetarian
Vegan
Gluten Free
Dairy Free
Kosher
Halal
Ingredients
- 2 cups water
- 3 Tbsp yeast
- 1 Tbsp salt
- 2 Tbsp malt powder
- 6½–7 cups high gluten flour, divided
- Cornmeal, as needed for dusting
- Sesame or poppy seeds, as needed for topping (optional)
Directions
- Combine water, sugar, and yeast in an electric mixer with a dough hook. Mix on a low speed until yeast dissolves.
- Add the salt, malt powder, and 2 cups of the flour. Mix well.
- A little bit at a time, add the rest of the flour to make a firm, smooth, dough. Let it rest for 10 minutes, covered with a dish towel.
- On a lightly floured surface, shape the dough into an oblong shape. Cut it in half, and then cut each half in half. Cut each of these pieces into four parts to yield 16 lumps of dough.
- Roll each piece until it forms a fat cigar about 7 inches long. Wrap the ends to meet, overlapping about 1½ inches.
- Place bagels on a baking sheet lightly dusted with cornmeal. Cover with a dish towel and let rest for 60 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 450°F and cover two baking sheets with parchment.
- Boil 4 quarts of water in a large pot. Slide four bagels into the boiling water and let cook for 30 seconds, stirring once.
- Transfer the bagels to a cooling rack using a slotted spoon.
- Sprinkle bagels with seeds, if using.
- Repeat with the rest of the dough.
- Transfer the bagels to the baking sheets and bake for 8 minutes.
- Turn the trays 180° and bake for another 8 minutes. Let cool.
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