You will need: one package Bake Your Own Amazing Bagels frozen bagel dough, a bowl with a close-fitting lid or plastic wrap, cookie sheet, medium sized pot, slotted spoon or spatula, tea towel.
You might also use: kitchen scale, 2 tablespoons semolina flour or fine cornmeal, 2 tablespoons honey, 1 sheet baking parchment, ¼ cup poppy or sesame seeds, 1 teaspoon kosher salt,
Instructions
Thaw the dough: Keep your dough frozen until 8-12 hours before you wish to shape, boil, and bake your bagels. Remove your dough from its plastic bag and place it in a clean bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap or a close-fitting lid. Leave the dough at room temperature for 8 – 12 hours. (If you do this in the evening before going to bed, the dough will be ready to shape, boil, and bake in the morning. You can be eating fresh, hot bagels about one hour from rising.)
Prep dough for shaping: Eight to twelve hours later, your dough will be thawed and slightly puffy. Take it out of the bowl and place on a clean FLOUR FREE surface. Cut dough into six equal pieces. (Or weigh out six 2 ½ ounce blobs.) Cover dough blobs with a clean towel and let them rest for 10 minutes.
Preheat oven and water: Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 450 degrees F (with a pizza stone if you have one). Fill a medium pot with at least 4 inches of water and place over a low flame to heat. (I add 2 tablespoons of honey to the water to make Montreal-style bagels.)
Shape the bagels: After the dough has rested, shape each piece of dough by rolling it into a long rope using both hands. Overlap the ends of the dough rope an inch or two. Then, with your fingers inside the hole, roll the overlapped dough until the ends fuse and the bagel is roughly symmetrical. Place bagels on a parchment lined cookie sheet sprinkled with semolina flour (You can use cornmeal instead of semolina, or simply leave it out.) Cover the bagels with a towel and allow to rest for 30 minutes. This final rest is known as proofing.
Boil the bagels: When your bagels have proofed, bring the pot of water to a full boil. Gently drop bagels into rapidly boiling water, being careful not to splash yourself. Turn bagels over after approximately 10 seconds and boil on the other side for another 10 seconds. Remove bagels, drain them briefly on a clean towel before placing bagels 2 inches apart on a parchment lined and semolina sprinkled cookie sheet. (For seeded bagels see note below.) NB: One side of your bagels will be a little prettier than the other. I am always careful to put the pretty side up.
Bake the bagels: Slide the parchment and bagels onto the the pizza stone (or leave on the baking sheet if you are not using a pizza stone) and bake 16 - 18 minutes or until nicely browned. Rotate parchment or cookie sheet at about 8 minutes to ensure even browning. Remove bagels and cool on a wire rack.
For seeded bagels: Mix ¼ cup seeds of your choice (poppy, sesame, fennel, sunflower, or a combination) with 1 teaspoon Kosher salt. Spread seeds on a plate or pie pan. Press just boiled bagel, rounded side down, into the seeds before placing on the parchment. Bake as above.
You might also use: kitchen scale, 2 tablespoons semolina flour or fine cornmeal, 2 tablespoons honey, 1 sheet baking parchment, ¼ cup poppy or sesame seeds, 1 teaspoon kosher salt,
Instructions
Thaw the dough: Keep your dough frozen until 8-12 hours before you wish to shape, boil, and bake your bagels. Remove your dough from its plastic bag and place it in a clean bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap or a close-fitting lid. Leave the dough at room temperature for 8 – 12 hours. (If you do this in the evening before going to bed, the dough will be ready to shape, boil, and bake in the morning. You can be eating fresh, hot bagels about one hour from rising.)
Prep dough for shaping: Eight to twelve hours later, your dough will be thawed and slightly puffy. Take it out of the bowl and place on a clean FLOUR FREE surface. Cut dough into six equal pieces. (Or weigh out six 2 ½ ounce blobs.) Cover dough blobs with a clean towel and let them rest for 10 minutes.
Preheat oven and water: Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 450 degrees F (with a pizza stone if you have one). Fill a medium pot with at least 4 inches of water and place over a low flame to heat. (I add 2 tablespoons of honey to the water to make Montreal-style bagels.)
Shape the bagels: After the dough has rested, shape each piece of dough by rolling it into a long rope using both hands. Overlap the ends of the dough rope an inch or two. Then, with your fingers inside the hole, roll the overlapped dough until the ends fuse and the bagel is roughly symmetrical. Place bagels on a parchment lined cookie sheet sprinkled with semolina flour (You can use cornmeal instead of semolina, or simply leave it out.) Cover the bagels with a towel and allow to rest for 30 minutes. This final rest is known as proofing.
Boil the bagels: When your bagels have proofed, bring the pot of water to a full boil. Gently drop bagels into rapidly boiling water, being careful not to splash yourself. Turn bagels over after approximately 10 seconds and boil on the other side for another 10 seconds. Remove bagels, drain them briefly on a clean towel before placing bagels 2 inches apart on a parchment lined and semolina sprinkled cookie sheet. (For seeded bagels see note below.) NB: One side of your bagels will be a little prettier than the other. I am always careful to put the pretty side up.
Bake the bagels: Slide the parchment and bagels onto the the pizza stone (or leave on the baking sheet if you are not using a pizza stone) and bake 16 - 18 minutes or until nicely browned. Rotate parchment or cookie sheet at about 8 minutes to ensure even browning. Remove bagels and cool on a wire rack.
For seeded bagels: Mix ¼ cup seeds of your choice (poppy, sesame, fennel, sunflower, or a combination) with 1 teaspoon Kosher salt. Spread seeds on a plate or pie pan. Press just boiled bagel, rounded side down, into the seeds before placing on the parchment. Bake as above.
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