Sourdough bread has always been a favorite of mine and several years ago I successfully got a starter going. This was not my first attempt but rather my first successful one – it took a couple of weeks for it to really spring to life. Once the starter is actually alive, you have to feed it and discard some on a regular basis. This led me to try making new and different things, some worked well and others not so much. Bagels have become one of the best items coming from the sourdough trials and errors and I love a good bagel.
Never having made bagels before, I came across pictures and descriptions on making bagels with sourdough and since I had a starter I gave it a shot. There were a few bricks in the beginning before I was able to tweak the recipe and method but eventually they came out good. Dangerously good as a matter of fact because when the baked goods comes out of the oven fresh it is very easy to have just a few too many samples.
The recipe took a little adjusting and came quick, the method has taken a bit more work. You make the dough in typical sourdough fashion: active starter, mix with water, add flour and hydrate then a series of turns and folds with time to rest between and finally a proof and rest in the refrigerator. More details are in the recipe below.
Once you remove the dough from the refrigerator the technical work starts. Weigh the dough to determine what size you want the bagels to be. I usually have 1400 grams of dough so 10 bagels will be 140 grams each. Adjust the size to your liking though you may need to adjust baking time.
Once dough is portioned, let it rest 10 minutes then make a ball out of each portion and roll it on the counter. Don’t sprinkle flour, you want to sort of drag it across the counter and create surface tension. Let the balls rest 10 minutes then make a hole in the center with a small knife and work the hole to about 1-2 inches. I make little balls out of foil and wrap them in parchment paper to keep the shape of the hole while they proof and boil. You can purchase gadgets for keeping the shape or roll your dough long and make it into a circle – I have not tried that yet.
Dip the bottom of the bagel in flour and place on a cookie sheet with parchment paper allowing for plenty of space between.To get a good proof I put a small cup of warm water in the center of the cookie sheet for humidity and enclose the sheet in a plastic bag then place it in a warm area to rise for about 2 hours. If too cold and they don’t rise they will not boil well and finish poorly and if you over proof them they will deflate when you handle them and boil resulting in poor result as well.
When the bagels have proofed nicely – about doubled in size, bring a large pot of water to boil with 1-2 Tbs sugar (this gives them a nice surface). Boil the bagels with plenty of space around, about 2-3 at a time. Cook for 1 minute then flip them for 1 more minute, pick them up with a slotted spoon quickly drain them off on a towel and place back ton the parchment paper. Remove the foil and parchment from the center, brush with milk and sprinkle with your favorite topping. I have tried dipping them in the topping but think the extra handling deflates them a little.
Bake in 425 degree preheated oven for 25 minutes and enjoy.
