Been on a “go-back-and-try-it-again” trip lately. Ah, well, bread is a constant progression, and trials and tests. Besides, sometimes you just got to eat a bagel. Keep reading if you agree.
Last weekend, I made three kinds of bagels, pre-ferment, yeasted, and sourdough, with all purpose and bread flour. Odd textural differences; chewyness and retarding in sourdough, whereas a more custardy and lighter crumb in a pre-ferment. The straight dough to processing can make for a different bagel, yeasty, sweet, but a shorter shelf life.
It’s said that a bagel should have a high gluten flour, but I like a mix of bread and all purpose, less work on my jaw. And the New York and Montreal styles are still a squabble of terroir of public opinion on their own. My jury is still out. I like them both, but really, where do you get bagels in New York anymore?
Hey Jeremy,
Grant from the Sourdough Companion told me to check out your site, as I’m testing out bagel recipes for launching an artisan bagel initiative here in Sydney, Australia. Great to be connected!
Your bagels look terrific. I was curious about your plain bagels – do you brush them with egg? They look nicely browned, whereas my plains look pretty pallid (I’m happy with my seeded versions, though).
I’m also still trying to get my bagels to stay puffed up. They flatten out pretty quickly after they’re removed from the oven. I think it’s a matter of how much baking soda I’m putting in my water, or it might be an overproofing issue. Let me know if you’ve had any similar experiences.
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Hey Michael, I don’t egg wash them, as the soda in the boiling water make the bagel shine when they bake. You can make the bagels and retard them if the weather is too hot,which I am assuming is the case in Oz now?! Trick is the final proof, boil a short 30 seconds and then bake, poof!