I made my second attempt with bagels this weekend, doughnuts too but that'll come later. I finally managed to get the bagels right, although it took at least an hour longer to be ready to boil than it should have.
The recipe I followed is by Peter Reinhart as dictated by The Wednesday Chef, one of my new obsessions.
Makes 8 bagels
3 1/2 c plain flour
2 tsp salt
3/4 tsp instant yeast
1 tbsp honey
1 c +2 tbsp water
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt (yes I put this again but it's used separately from the other salt and I didn't want to confuse anyone)
Poppy seeds
Mix flour, salt (the 2 tsp), yeast, honey and water by hand until they form a ball of dough. Add more water if needed than let the dough rest for 5 minutes.
After 5 minutes turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead for 2-3 minutes until stiff but a bit sticky, not too sticky though. If it is too sticky or soft add a bit more flour. Place the dough in a greased bowl (Crisco is the best), cover with plastic wrap and put in refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
Line 2 baking sheets with lightly greased baking paper. Remove dough from fridge and separate into 8 equal pieces. Roll each piece into loose balls by rolling on a dry, unfloured surface. If the dough wont sticky to roll into a ball lightly wet the spaces (I couldn't really wrap my head around this but it completely works). Once all the balls are rolled out begin rolling them out into snakes 10 inches long, making sure they are narrower at the ends. Take the snake and wrap it around your hand so the two ends are in your palm overlapping. Squeeze the ends together and roll them back and forth until they are sealed. Place the bagel onto the lined baking sheet.
Cover bagels with plastic wrap and put in the fridge overnight.
90 minutes before you're going to cook the bagels take them out of the fridge (I had to do about 2.5 hours). While the bagels are coming to room temperature fill a large pot with water, at least 4 inches deep. Cover the pot with water to bring it to a boil. Heat the oven to 450 F. When the water is boiling add 1 tsp salt and the baking soda then reduce the heat to simmer with the lid on.
To see if the bagels are ready place one in a bowl of cold water. If the bagel sinks without floating within 10 seconds take it out and put it back on the tray. Wait 15-20 minutes and try with another bagel. Once the bagel floats gentle lift a few and put them in the pot. After boiling for 1 minute flip the bagels over and boil for another minuet.
Use tongs of a slotted spoon to remove the bagels once boiled and place back on the tray. Once the tray is full sprinkle the bagels with poppy seeds and put into the oven. Bake for 8 minutes, rotate the baking tray and bake another 8-10 minutes. Once golden brown remove from the oven and let the bagels cool for 30 minutes before eating.
Eat and enjoy.
