NY Bagels

By Filip

Total time
1 hr 30 min
Yield
8 servings
Three everything bagels piled on a striped linen cloth
Eight shaped bagels on a cornmeal-dusted tray under plastic wrap, ready to proof
Fresh-baked everything and plain bagels cooling on a wire rack

A simple one-day recipe (well, plus an overnight cold proof). Eight chewy, well-blistered bagels at about 128g each. The cold rest in the fridge is where the flavor and crust come from — don't skip it.

  • Dough

  • 600 gBread flour
  • 360 mlWater (32°C)
  • 3 gDry yeast
  • 18 gBarley malt syrup (or 13g sugar)
  • 16 gFine sea salt
  • Polenta / cornmeal, for the tray

  • Boiling water

  • 2.8 LWater, for boiling
  • 23 gBarley malt syrup, for boiling water
  • Pinch of salt, for boiling water

  • Everything topping

  • 27 gSesame seeds
  • 20 gPoppy seeds
  • 9 gOnion flakes
  • 4 gDried garlic
  • 12 gFlake salt

Preparation

  1. 01

    Dissolve the yeast and malt syrup in the warm water. Mix with flour and salt. Knead 10 min, then let the dough rest 5 min — this gives the gluten a chance to relax. Then knead another 5–10 min until it passes the windowpane test.

  2. 02

    Rest covered 30–45 min at room temperature.

  3. 03

    Divide into 8 pieces (~128g). Shape into bagels.

  4. 04

    Place on a cornmeal-dusted tray. Cover with oiled plastic wrap and leave at room temperature until they look visibly puffier — they shouldn't be fully proofed, but they should have some life in them. Then refrigerate overnight.

  5. 05

    The next day, check they've proofed enough with a water test: drop one in a bowl of cold water — it should float freely. If it sinks straight to the bottom, leave them at room temperature a little longer and try again. Once they pass, bring the boiling water with malt syrup and a pinch of salt to a boil. Boil each bagel upside down first — the flat bottom from proofing faces up in the bath, which evens out the shape. 30 sec/side, then top immediately while wet.

  6. 06

    Bake at 230°C for 15–18 min until golden brown. Cool on a rack.

  7. 07

    For everything topping: combine sesame seeds, poppy seeds, onion flakes, dried garlic and flake salt.