DLB Bagels II
RECIPE
Servings 12 | Prep Time 30 minutes | Total Time 1 hour
INGREDIENTS
4 teaspoons active dry yeast (16 g)
3 tablespoons granulated sugar (38 g)
2 1/4 cups (515 g warm water), though you may need a teaspoon or so more. Use purified (not tap) water..
1 T kosher salt + 2 tsp (total weight: approximately 14 g)
972 g all purpose flour*
35 gm vital wheat gluten*
¾ tsp diastatic malt
You will also need:
A full size cookie sheet (or 2 half sheets) to accommodate the 12 bagels.
Large pot on stove to bring 8 cups of water, plus 1 T light molasses, to a boil.
DIRECTIONS
In the bowl of a standing electric mixer, combine the sugar and the active dry yeast ; add the 515 g of warm water; stir and let sit for 5-10 minutes, until bubbly.
In a different large bowl, weigh out the all-purpose flour and the vital wheat gluten, salt, and diastatic malt powder and whisk everything together.
Carefully add the entire flour/gluten/salt/diastatic powder mixture to the yeast & sugar mixture.
Using a dough hook, mix on low for approximately 7 minutes (scraping down once or twice), until you have a very firm smooth dough that is no longer sticking to the sides of the bowl. Depending on the moisture in the air, you most likely will need to add more water, but do so sparingly by adding only a teaspoon of water at a time or by wetting your hands just a little. This is not a wet dough, so be sure to add just enough water to make the dough smooth and elastic. Without adding additional flour, and If you can, knead this dough, by hand on a clean counter until you can form a large smooth ball.
Lightly grease a large bowl, into which you will place the bagel dough. Cover with plastic wrap (I use a disposable shower cap) and let rise for 50 minutes - 1 hour or until at least double the size.
Preheat your oven to 425ºF
Once the dough has doubled in size, deflate the dough and set aside for another 10 minutes, covered with a damp towel.
Fill a large pot with 8 cups of water, adding 1 T of light molasses; bring to boil;
Weight the “dough” and divide by 12 to determine the weight that each bagel should be. (If you prefer larger bagels, divide by 11)
Forming bagel dough balls one at a time, for 12 bagels, grab approximately 134 g - 138 g piece of dough, rolling it firmly into a ball, using a circle-like, pressing down, movement. Set each ball under the wet towel as you form the others.
With canola oil, lightly grease a full cookie sheet.
Use your finger to poke a hole in the center of each dough ball, stretching the hole approximately ⅓ the diameter of the bagel; as you form each bagel, place it on the prepared cookie sheet. Cover the formed bagels with a damp cloth.
Place a baking rack on another cookie tray near the boiling water mixture; (You will be using this to drain the boiled bagels before returning them to the cookie sheet for final baking);
Place shaped bagels, a few at a time, into the rapidly boiling water, let the bagels stay in the boiling water for approximately 2 minutes total, flipping them over in between. As you remove the bagels with a slotted spoon, gently place them on the draining rack for a few minutes. Use paper towel to remove excess moisture from each boiled bagel before returning it to the lightly greased cookie sheet.
Using the upper middle rack of the oven, bake the bagels for 20-25 minutes (depending on the size of the bagels), until golden brown. I generally bake 12 bagels for 22 minutes.
Cool on a wire rack.
*[NOTE: The All Purpose Flour and Vital Wheat Gluten combination can be replaced with 1000 grams of Bread Flour]
