What fun it was teaching Julia to make bagels!

Although a rose by any other name might still be a rose, a homemade bagel is an entity all its own. Truly different than the rope-like dough used in commercial bagel joints, these specimens which are driven completely by hand, have an ethereal yet chewy interior with an outer crispness that justifiably sings its own praises.

It’s so interesting to me how I’m never “over it.” Never. Each time I see a gorgeous batch of bagels cooling on wire racks I’m lured by their aroma, awed by their beauty, filled with anticipation for their amazing taste and equally proud that I did it. Me, a little girl from Long Island who never saw fresh, homemade bread until I made it for my own children– And, if I can do it, so can you!

Ever since I made bagels on the PBS series called “Baking with Julia,” hosted by the wonderful Julia Child, I continually get requests for my recipe. So, I felt it was finally time I provided it in a way where I can also fully explain the process, in a detailed way, especially since I have also made a few updates to the procedure since the series was created.

Before we begin, just to get you in the mood, here’s what one of my bagels looks like after baking…

Just one beauty out of many...

Those few sporadic dark flecks are some stray toasted onions from some of the other bagels in the batch…

OK, OK!…Here’s how it happens…

First, let’s talk about the equipment you’ll need: Any time I mention a tool or piece of equipment that’s unfamiliar, check out the Kitchen Managment section, for clarification. Also, when you see an asterisk next to a tool, that means you will also see a photo. Also, if making yeast breads is new to you, click here to learn about how things work. You can also check out the previews of my Pizza video and/or my Country White Bread video to see if you’d like to watch them in their entirety. And, at the end of this blog, I’ve provided a link to the Great Recipes section of this site so you can print a formally written recipe.

Equipment:

Two 5-quart mixing bowls: one to make the dough and another one to rise the dough

A wooden surface, for kneading (if space is an issue, you can also use a silicone mat, which is nonstick and works perfectly for kneading)

* Pastry scraper (also called a “bench scraper”: a baker’s best friend when making yeast breads by hand. (Trust me, you DON”T want to see what happens when you try to make bread without it…)

A bench scraper; essential when making bread by hand.

Set of quarry tiles or large clay pizza stone or a shallow dark steel baking sheet: If not using quarry tiles or a pizza stone, I suggest a black steel pan which will draw in more heat, thus helping to create the crispest, most golden results. Also, if choosing between a light colored pizza stone and a terra-cotta one, choose the darker stone, for the reasons just mentioned. And pick the largest one you can find.

* Stainless steel skimmer or large slotted spoon: The former is better because the edges of a slotted spoon can make dents in the swollen bagels when being retrieved from their boiling water bath.)

A slotted utensil perfect for working with boiling bagel dough.

* Wooden baker’s peel: To transfer the boiled bagels to the hot stone (a substitute for a peel is a large, perfectly flat cookie sheet (not a baking sheet with sides) However, If not using a stone, you will not need a peel since the bagels will be baking on a baking sheet with shallow sides.

A wooden baker's peel.

* Cornmeal Sweeper, especially important if making successive batches of bagels using tiles or a stone

A cornmeal sweeper.

Now, let’s talk about the ingredients you’ll need to make 10 large bagels.

A bit about bagel texture…

Before you begin, know your choices. The chewiest bagels are made with just water, but the taste is a bit richer with milk; a combination of the two will also produce a fine bagel. Using liquid barley malt extract instead of sugar in the dough also gives bagels a unique hint of sweetness (yeast loves barley malt…) Look for it in gourmet or health food stores and refrigerate it, once opened. I also suggest going to your neighborhood pizza place and asking to purchase some of the flour used to make commercial pizza. It’s really strong and creates really glutenous, perky bagels. And for best results, I suggest baking directly on a large clay stone, but you can use a dark steel baking sheet instead.

Ingredients

• 3 to 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, for brushing
• 2 cups tepid water or any combination of slightly warmed milk and water to equal 2 cups, plus 1/4 cup tepid water, for the yeast
• 3 tablespoons solid vegetable shortening
• 1 package active dry yeast (2 3/4 teaspoons)
• 2 tablespoons sugar or 1 tablespoon sugar and 1 tablespoon liquid (not dry) barley malt extract, plus 1/4 cup sugar, for boiling bagels
• 1 tablespoon fine table-salt
• 1 to 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper, optional
• Up to 6 cups high-gluten flour, including flour for dusting (preferably a “super-gluten” flour which I purchase at my neighborhood pizza place. If unavailable, use a supermarket brand of strong (high-protein) bread flour)
• Cornmeal or a combination of cornmeal (preferably medium-ground), poppy and sesame seeds, for the baker’s peel
• Vegetable oil or spray, for baking sheet (if not using quarry tiles)
• Glaze: 2 egg whites, at room temperature, lightly beaten with 1 teaspoon water and strained
• 6 ice cubes and a small splash of water, for baking
• Optional Toppings
• Sesame seeds, poppy seeds, caraway seeds
• Kosher or sea salt or pretzel salt
• Minced onions sautéed in a little vegetable oil
• Dried garlic chips or dehydrated onions reconstituted in some hot water until softened

To set up: Brush the interior of a 5-quart mixing bowl with melted butter and set aside for rising the dough.

To assemble liquid mixture: If using milk, heat in a medium-sized saucepan over medium-low heat until just warm throughout. Pour the milk into a large mixing bowl and add the shortening and 1/2 cup lukewarm water. (If the milk became too hot, let it cool until just warm.) If not using milk, pour 2 cups lukewarm water into a mixing bowl and add shortening (no need to melt). Dissolve the yeast in 1/4 cup lukewarm water with a pinch of the sugar. When yeast is creamy and starts to bubble, add to mixing bowl with 2 tablespoons of the sugar or the barley malt extract, salt and black pepper, if using.

Here's the dry (granular) yeast just after being added to warm water with a pinch of sugar.

See how creamy the yeast looks once reconstituted?

To complete and knead dough: Briskly stir enough flour, a little at a time, to make dough that is not easily stirred in the bowl. Turn out dough onto a floured wooden board and knead in a brisk push, fold and turning motion, until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Add only as much additional flour as necessary to keep dough from sticking to your hands and work surface. As always, use a pastry scraper while kneading to scrape dough off the board cleanly as you continue to knead in a sufficient amount of flour.To rise the dough: Place the dough in the buttered rising bowl. Brush top of dough with more melted butter, cover with buttered plastic wrap and a clean kitchen towel. Let rise in a warm, draft-free spot for 1 hour (or up to 2 1/2 hours for an extremely light and flavorful bagel).

Cover the bowl first with greased plastic wrap and then a dry kitchen towel. Tag the bowl with the correct time to punch down the dough.

Uncover bowl and punch down dough with several swift swats with the back of your hand. Turn the dough over in the bowl.

The dough is now fully risen. It gets deflated, recovered in the same bowl and chilled.

Recover the deflated bowl of dough and refrigerate for 4 hours or, preferably, overnight.

To set up for shaping bagels: Position the rack to the lower third of the oven. If using a large pizza stone, place it on the oven rack and sprinkle a baker’s peel generously with cornmeal and, if desired, a combination of seeds (poppy, sesame and caraway). Otherwise, brush or spray a large dark steel shallow baking sheet with vegetable oil and sprinkle the interior as described above. Place an (empty) heat proof pan on the rack underneath the tiles or stone. Preheat oven to 500o F for at least 30 minutes before you plan to shape, boil and bake bagels. (If working with a double oven, preheat the second oven as well). Pour the prepared egg-white glaze through a small medium-mesh sieve into another bowl to remove excess coagulation. Set glaze next to your work surface. While oven preheats, bring one or two large pots of water to a rapid boil. Lay a clean kitchen towel on each of 2 shallow trays (for 10 bagels) or baking sheets and sprinkle towels lightly with flour.

To shape bagels: Remove the dough from the refrigerator. Punch the chilled dough down, with several swift blows, until totally deflated. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured board. Using the blade of a pastry scraper, divide the dough in half. I recommend baking only 5 bagels at a time (per oven) so each has enough space around it to bake properly. If not working with a double oven, place half of dough back in bowl, cover and refrigerate. Divide each half of dough into 5 equal pieces (10 in all). Work with 1 piece at a time, covering the remaining pieces with a towel. Shape one piece of dough into a very tight, round ball by drawing dough up and pinching it at the top. Keep pinching and pulling upward, always keeping ball on a lightly floured board to prevent sticking. The ball should be perfectly round with the exception of a little knot of pinched dough on top.

After pinching to create a taut ball, turn it over and flatten it, like this.

Turn the ball of dough (knot side down) and flatten gently.

Stick your finger straight down through the ball of dough...

Push your index finger through the center of dough (right where the knot was).

Stretch more than you think you should. Using a super-gluten flour helps you to stretch without tearing the dough.

Carefully yet assertively stretch the hole, while being careful not to tear the rim, until the hole measures about 2 to 2 1/2 inches in diameter (the hole will shrink after rising and baking).

An important shaping note: The secret to creating and keeping the correct bagel shape through rising, boiling and baking is to make the hole disproportionately large when shaping. Because the bands of elasticity are so strong, the shaped dough has a tendency to rise up, not out. This will cause the hole to disappear if too “appropriate” looking at the onset.

Shaped bagels rest on floured towels while you shape the rest...

Place shaped bagels on the prepared towel-lined trays spaced 2 inches apart. Cover bagels with another clean towel.

Bagels are in their boiling water bath...

To boil bagels: Add 1/4 cup sugar and the baking soda to the pot of boiling water. Bring 1 tray of risen bagels over to the stove and carefully lower 2 to 4 bagels into the water (one at a time). Bagels should be able to sit freely in the water without touching and will expand in the water. Once the bagels rise to the top of the pot, continue to boil for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes on each side, turning with a large round slotted skimmer or a large slotted spoon. After bagels have cooked on the second side, remove them with spatula (draining water) and drain on a kitchen towel (smoothest side up). Repeat with the remaining bagels.

Boiled bagels, glazed and covered in an assortment of yummy stuff...

To glaze and top bagels: Place bagels (again, smoothest side up) on the prepared baker’s peel or baking sheet. Using a pastry brush, paint boiled bagels with egg-white glaze. Don’t worry if the glazed bagels seem wrinkled; this will smooth in the oven. When all of the bagels have been boiled and positioned on the peel or baking sheet, brush tops and sides of bagels once more with glaze. Sprinkle the desired toppings on each bagel or just glaze and leave plain. (Try not to let the glaze fall into puddles around bagels or into hole as this makes bagel dough stick to the peel. (Having the egg whites at room temperature and straining, helps remove their clumsy gelatinous quality.)

To bake bagels (and to create an initial burst of steam inside the oven): Just before baking, place the ice cubes and a few tablespoons water into a cup and pour this into the pan that sits below the baker’s stone. If using tiles, place baker’s peel all the way to the back of the hot oven and with a swift jerk; remove the peel, leaving the bagels on the hot tiles (or place baking sheet on hot oven rack). Reduce oven temperature to 450o F and bake for 25 minutes; turn oven off and allow bagels to sit there for 5 minutes. Open oven and allow bagels to sit in oven for 5 minutes more. Remove bagels to wire racks when uniformly golden and crisp. Cool thoroughly before storing.

Oven Note: If working with a convection oven, bake the bagels at 450F for 20 minutes. Keep the rest of the instructions the same.)

To prepare the oven for remaining batch of bagels: Before reheating the oven to 500 F, sweep away any excess cornmeal and seeds from the tiles and onto a baking sheet to discard, using a cornmeal sweeper. (This is to prevent burning and smoking.) Preheat the oven, boil, and glaze, top and bake remaining bagels as described above.To store: Store cooled bagels to be served on the day of baking in a paper bag. Store the remaining bagels in a jumbo-sized, heavy-duty plastic bag, at room temperature. Bagels also freeze well in well-sealed freezer bags. To thaw, remove from the freezer the night before and allow bagels to thaw overnight in the sealed bag.

Here's a full batch of bagels cooling...Crisp on the outside and tender and chewy on the inside. So delish!

Now…About how to serve (as if you didn’t know…)

A sliced poppy bagel that's just waiting to be lavished with freshly made scallion cream cheese...

It's easy! Softened whipped cream cheese (a 12 ounce tub) is folded with lots of minced scallions (a generous 1/2 cup or more) and some freshly ground black pepper.

Scallion cream cheese will stay good for a week, if covered well and kept chilled. I usually pack the mixture into the original tub (for the cream cheese) and I attach a lable and date. If entertaining, I’ll transfer some to a decorative crock.

So, now I hope you feel ready (knowing) and able to make your own gorgeous batch of bagels. You can always revisit this page whenever you feel the need for detailed “bagel making” instruction. And, as always, I’m only an email away!

Oh, and here’s how to make Bagel Chips

Don’t throw away any bagels past their prime! Instead, slice, butter and bake them for a delicious cracker. Cut bagels into 1/4-inch slices; lightly spread them with butter (preferably clarified) or extra-virgin olive oil mixed with fresh or dried herbs of your choice, and sprinkle with coarse salt. Place on a wire rack set inside a shallow baking sheet. Bake in a preheated 375o F oven until crisp throughout and golden brown, 10 to 20 minutes. Cool on a wire rack and store in an airtight tin. (Those made with olive oil and dried herbs will be less perishable than those made with butter and fresh herbs.)

For your convenience, click here for a formally written and printable recipe.

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