Bagels

If everything has gone to plan, I'm in Thailand currently. And I'm assuming that because Asian food is my default, I won't be missing American food too much. But if I am, I'm willing to bet that a bagel (or maybe a delicious slice of pizza) is at the forefront of my mind.

It's kind of idiotic for me to make bagels because I live in New Jersey and have access to bomb ass bagels. But, I was feeling bored so I decided to make some. Honestly, my biggest motivation is mostly so I could post the process to Instagram stories and impress dozens of followers, ha. But, it's not to say that a homemade bagel isn't delicious too.

I don't really have a go-to bagel. I enjoy plain with veggie cream cheese if I'm feeling simple, plain with cream cheese and jam if I have a sweet tooth, everything with cream cheese and lox if I'm feeling fancy, or if I'm really hungry I'll go for a bagel with taylor ham, egg, and cheese with pepper and ketchup. Great, now I'm craving a bagel.

Ingredients [yields 6 bagels]:
dough
2½ cups bread flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup warm water (110F or cooler)
2 teaspoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons instant yeast

boil
8 to 10 cups water
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking soda

+ beaten egg
+ toppings

Start by blooming the yeast in sugary water. Let it sit until it's nice and foamy so you know it's alive.

Combine flour and salt in a bowl and stir in the yeasty water and knead the dough until it's smooth and elastic. The goal is to really develop the gluten so if you have a stand mixer, I recommend using it, unless you're craving a workout.

Place the ball of dough in an oiled bowl and cover with cling film. Pop in the fridge and let it proof overnight.

In the morning, the dough should be doubled, almost tripled in size.

Punch the dough down and divide into 6 pieces. Shape the dough into balls and cover and set aside to rise at room temperature for thirty minutes.

Add sugar and baking soda to a pot of water and bring to a boil.

Shape the dough into bagels. Poke a hole in the center with your finger and then stretch until the dough is about an inch in diameter.

Boil the bagels in the sugary baking soda water for 1 to 2 minutes each side.

Place the boiled bagels on a sheet pan and if you're so inclined, brush the surface with a beaten egg and shake on whatever toppings you're into.

I used this Trader Joe's 'everything but the bagel' seasoning.

Bake the bagels in a 400F oven for 25 minutes or until lovely and golden.

If you did it right, the bagels will be intensely chewy with a crusty exterior and a pillowy and fluffy interior. I went for my lox bagel this time around, namely because I thought it would be the most photogenic but also I happened to be craving smoked fish.

Here's the recipe page: