Peter Reinhart's Bagels

Hey, so, I kind of need you to do me a favor. It's no big deal, really. Just a little favor. Leetle.

What are you doing Sunday morning? Want to come over for breakfast? Please?

See, the thing is, I just figured out how to make bagels. I spent my whole life convinced that they were complicated and difficult to make at home, that there was no point in even trying, that bagels were just one of those things best left to the experts. My whole life! And now I'm trying to make up for lost time. Thirty-three years' worth, to be exact.

Because - because! - it turns out that making bagels is about as difficult as tying a shoelace. Or washing your hair. Or licking a stamp. I'm only exaggerating a tiny bit, I promise.

All you really need is Peter Reinhart's recipe. Oh, sure, it says you have to use fancy bread flour, but I made this with the plain, old all-purpose in my pantry, and the bagels were perfection: chewy on the inside, crisp on the outside. It also asks for barley malt syrup, but I was far too lazy to go out hunting for that when I had honey in the pantry (which Baker Reinhart says is an acceptable replacement) and the bagels were delicious as can be. You can even do it all by hand, needing no stand-mixer or food processor or anything of the like.

Easy. So easy! I can't get over it.

Here's what happens. You make a stiff little dough just by mixing together the flour, water, yeast, honey and salt. It'll look a little coarse when you get it all together, kind of like this:

You let that sit for a few minutes, just to relax. Then comes the fun part: kneading! Don't worry, it's just for a little bit, two, three minutes, tops. A few slip slap, slip slaps and you've got this:

I don't know about you, but to me a gorgeous ball of bread dough, luminous and glowing in the late-winter light, is a thing of beauty. I could sit and gaze at it for hours, so full of promise and possibility. And the way it feels! Satiny smooth, like the underside of my grandma's arms. Some people have Apple products, others have automated vehicles; me, I've got dough to moon over.

Once you've finished gazing at your ball of dough adoringly, you pop it in an oiled bowl and refrigerate it for a while. For example, if you wanted fresh bagels for Sunday morning breakfast, you could make the dough on Saturday around lunchtime, pop it in the fridge until just before bedtime and then shape the bagels and refrigerate them before going to sleep.

Let's say you're doing it that way and it's now Saturday evening and the dough's been in the fridge since lunch. You take the dough out of the fridge and gently remove the now-puffed dough from the bowl. Divide it into six or eight pieces. (I made eight bagels out of this batch and I loved the modest size of them, but my mother complained that her bagel wasn't big enough. So if you like puffier bagels, just make six.) This next bit is really the most complicated part of the whole deal:

Take each piece of dough and roll it out into a snake. Form the snake into a ring, pressing and working the ends of the dough into each other so that the ring doesn't come apart. This takes more pressure than I expected and I kept thinking, as I squeeeezed, that I was hurting the bagel dough or something like that. (Maybe I should spend less time gazing lovingly at dough balls and more time telling myself that anthropomorphizing dough isn't the best use of my critical faculties.) You'll get the hang of it. Luckily, bread dough is pretty forgiving. Plop your pretty little rings on an oiled piece of parchment paper, cover them with plastic wrap, stick them in the fridge and go do something fun with the rest of your evening.

The next morning, get up a little earlier than everyone else. Take the dough out of the fridge and let it warm up to room temperature. The best part is right around the corner, I'm so excited for you! Boil some water and add baking soda and salt to the water. Then gently slide the bagels, all puffed and wondrous under your fingertips, into the water (just a few at a time, unless you're working with a cauldron). In the water, the bagels expand a little and develop a bit of a skin. You turn them around, letting the other side have a go as well, and then you take them out and put them back on the baking sheet.

I happen to think poppy seeds were put on this earth to be paired with bagels, but you can do whatever you like with the bagels at this point. Sesame seeds, poppy seeds, nothing at all, this is up to you. (Only the cinnamon sugar route should be done after baking - check the original recipe for more on this.)

Just looking at these photographs is flooding me with warm, fuzzy feelings. I want to hug Peter Reinhart! I want to festoon myself with bagels! And I want to have you all over for Sunday breakfast so I can make a triple batch of these again!

Once the boiled bagels are adorned with their cap of seeds, slide the baking sheet into a hot oven and get the breakfast table ready. Lox! Cream cheese! Butter! I hope you are prepared. Rouse those sleepy heads who have no idea just how good they've got it, or not yet, in any case.

Because just about 15 minutes later, you're going to have a tray of gorgeously brown and crisp-skinned bagels in your kitchen, making your house smell like H&H (I used to live across the street from their 80th Street outpost - I know that smell like I know my own mother's). It will seem barbaric, completely inhumane, but you have to force yourself to wait about thirty minutes before slicing open a bagel and eating it for breakfast. Busy yourself with other things, like buying stock in a flour company.

Excruciatingly, the minutes will somehow tick by and then, finally, you can throw yourself at your table and have yourself a bagel so good you will not believe your mouth. They're chewy in all the right places, their crust is speckled with the tinest, prettiest blisters, they have little pockets just waiting to be filled with a smear of cream cheese. And you made them. From scratch. Unbelievable.

I swear to all that is holey (har) that these bagels are so good you won't even need H&H anymore. No, not even you, New Yorkers! I know you might not believe me. But that's what brings me around to my original question. What are you doing on Sunday morning?

Bagels
Makes 6 to 8 bagels

3 1/2 cups (1 pound) unbleached flour (bread or all-purpose)
3 teaspoons salt, divided
3/4 teaspoon instant yeast
1 tablespoon honey or barley malt syrup, if you've got it
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon baking soda
Poppy or sesame seeds

1. By hand, mix the flour, 2 teaspoons salt, the yeast, honey and the water until the ingredients form a stiff, coarse ball of dough (about 3 minutes). If necessary, add a little more water. Let the dough rest 5 minutes.

2. Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface until the dough feels stiff yet supple, with a satiny, slightly tacky feel, 2 to 3 minutes. If the dough seems too soft or too tacky, sprinkle over just enough flour as needed.

3. Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and place it in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour and up to several hours. Keep in mind that the bagels must be shaped before proofing overnight.

4. When ready to shape the bagels, line a baking sheet with lightly greased parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.

5. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and divide it into 6 to 8 equal pieces. Form each piece into a loose, round ball by rolling it on a clean, dry work surface with a cupped hand; do not use any flour on the surface. If the dough slides around and won't ball up, wipe the work surface with a damp paper towel and try again - the slight amount of moisture will provide enough "bite" for the dough to form a ball. When each piece has been formed into a ball, you are ready to shape the bagels.

6. Using your hands and a fair amount of pressure, roll each dough ball into a "rope" 8 to 10 inches long. (Moisten the work surface with a damp paper towel, if necessary, to get the necessary bite or friction). Slightly taper the rope at the ends so that they are thinner than the middle. Place one end of the dough between your thumb and forefinger and wrap it around your hand until the ends overlap in your palm; they should overlap by about 2 inches. Squeeze the overlapping ends together and then press the joined ends into the work surface, rolling them back and forth a few times until they are completely sealed.

7. Remove the dough from your hand and squeeze as necessary to even out the thickness so that there is a 2-inch hole in the center. Place the bagel on the prepared sheet pan. Repeat with the other pieces. Lightly wipe the bagels with oil, cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator overnight.

8. Remove the bagels from the refrigerator 90 minutes before you plan to bake them. Fill a large stockpot with 3 quarts of water (be sure the water is at least 4 inches deep), cover with a lid, and slowly bring the water to a boil. When it comes to a boil, add the remaining teaspoon of salt and 1 teaspoon of baking soda, reduce the heat and simmer with the lid on.

9. Thirty minutes before baking, heat the oven to 500 degrees.

10. Test the bagels by placing one in a bowl of cold water. If it sinks and doesn't float to the surface, return it to the sheet, wait 15 minutes and then test it again. When one bagel passes the float test, they are ready for the pot.

11. Gently lift each bagel and drop it into the simmering water. Add as many as will comfortably fit in the pot. After 1 minute, use a slotted spoon to flip each bagel over. Poach for an extra 30 seconds. Using the slotted spoon, remove each bagel and return it to the lined baking sheet. Continue until all the bagels have been poached. Generously sprinkle each bagel with a topping.

12. Place the baking sheet in the oven and reduce the heat to 450 degrees. Bake for 8 minutes and then rotate the sheet (if using two sheets, also switch their positions). Check the underside of the bagels. If they are getting too dark, place another sheet under the baking sheet. Bake until the bagels are golden brown, an additional 8 to 12 minutes. Remove from the oven and transfer the bagels to a rack for at least 30 minutes before serving.  

Comments

[Jess]

Okay, this is happening.

[Elle]

could you work the same recipe for a wholegrain bagel do you think?

[Colin]

Good post...I've wanted to make bagels for sometime, they don't exist in Chile really despite a very bread friendly culture. The whole idea of boiling in salt water always discouraged me..I'll have to give it a shot.

[Stoich91]

Yum. Redonkulous amounts of delish. Yes, please. Sunday sounds great. What planet/country/universe do I need to travel to so I can taste these wonders?

[ABinNYC]

I have never felt the urge to bake bagels. Why when there are a million shops in NYC? HOWEVER. I need to now. Thanks for the inspiration!

[Andrea]

Thank you for posting. I am a displaced NYer living Midwest where finding bagels is...a challenge. I would have missed this otherwise. Mille grazie!

[Rebecca]

Luisa, I just adore your writing, and I adore you! I haven't had a chance to congratulate you on your happiness and upcoming marraige. Can I wish you a Mazal Tov? Might as well hear good wishes in as many languages as possible :)I hope your future together will be filled with joy, friendship, love and contentment for many years to come.

I love what you wrote about how some people have apple products, but for you it is watching a ball of dough. That sentiment really speaks to me. Those are the things that do it for me as well.

Thank you for all of your sharing, writing, your soul and sensitivity.

Rebecca

[Lynda]

They look delicious and easy! thanks for sharing.

[Michelle]

Got it! Even I could make these beauties! Your photos are swooning me.

[Saladeater.wordpress.com]

This is so inspiring! I can't wait to make them!

[sam]

When it comes to bread, and all other things yeast I'll do everything Peter Reinhart says, some people you don't question. I made his whole wheat bagels before with a biga etc, it wasn;t that difficult just some planning and they tasted fabulous, not even slightly bitter what tends to happen when you use 100% ww (for the one who asked I just googled whole wheat bagels and his recipe came up), like I said just do as he says. And I to love yeast dough, I always give it a gentle stroke and smell it after Ive kneaded it, ok tmi ;)

[Elle]

thanks Sam!

[Caroline]

I'm a huge H&H fan. I live in Chicago though. I think you've inspired me.

[molly]

This post makes me laugh because I made bagels for the first time when I lived in Berlin. Why? BECAUSE THERE ARE NO GOOD BAGEL SHOPS IN BERLIN! I was pleasantly surprised at the process.

(Love reading both your blogs, mostly because I miss Berlin a bit from time to time and your writing is great.)

[Jessica]

what timing! we just made bagels in pastry school the other night. for forming them we were taught to flour our finger, poke it in the center of the ball and then swing it around and around our finger until the hole was stretched out to our liking. then you dont have to worry about the ends coming apart in the poach.

[CityLifeEats]

Wow- these look wonderful - I remember H&H well from when I lived in NYC (I only realized I was completely gluten-intolerant after leaving NYC) - so nice you recreated it in your own kitchen :)

[CityLifeEats]

Ps I left NYC in late 2008, and was wholly unprepared (it happened more quickly than any of us expected). Reading your late 2009 posts helped me process my departure so much - I swear it took me over 2 years to stop missing NYC every single day, but your posts helped a lot :)

[noëlle {simmer down!}]

By the looks of your photo, you achieved the perfect texture... look at those little browned bubbles on the surface!

[meyerboy]

Would these react better being cooked on parchment and a pizza stone??? Or would that overcook the bottom?
I live around the corner from the 80th st H&H, and I'm still making these!!

[GeekKnitter]

I'm on my way!

[Suzy]

Wow, wow, wow. They look Amaaaaazing! So glad you finally posted this!

[merle]

oh
my
gosh.

Sunday at MY house.

[Jacqui]

I made bagels from scratch once and they were divine! Oh, why have I not made them since, thank you for the reminder!

[Teryll Sacks]

I'm pinching myself, it's hard to believe I can make these from scratch! I don't know why I hadn't given it a thought before. Guess I know what I'm doing this weekend! Cheers!

[Bori]

I'm hungry... I am making these, well, not now, but on Saturday. Can't wait, wow, they look home-made in a very good way :-) Thanks!

[elizabeth / sophisticated pie]

my man likes to make these exact bagels. they are so, so good aren't they?!?

[Sasa]

This is the first thing I blogged and I remember mooning over their cuteness, so plush and fat, somehow. Made me feel pretty clever ^_^

[Jesse]

these sounds perfect, now that i can make bread, i feel confident to try these bagels.

[Bettina]

This recipe sounds amazing, and it's definitely getting made at my house. I love bagels, and I haven't found a place around here that sells good ones. And like you, I was under the impression that they were impossible to make at home.

Also, let me just say how much I love your writing. Every time I read one of your posts it makes me want to eat my laptop just because of all those scrumptious words and the love for food you make appear on its screen.

[3cleversisters]

I love how your poppyseed encrusted bagels are almost glowing blue--lovely photo.

I am a tremendous Peter Reinhart fan. I had so much fun making these a while back. The idea of boiling the rounds before baking them off was the most fun part of the process for me.

[Liz U.]

I fell in love with Peter Reinhart's bagels (ha, that sounds funny...) just after I began my maters program. I forced myself to forget about them so that I could successfully finish said masters program instead of spending my days making bagels and pretzels (which are just as easy and also AMAZING!). I am now less then a week away from graduation and ready to start back with the bagels! Thanks for the reminder of how amazing they really are.

[Daphne]

Better than HH? I know what we are doing Sunday morning. Thank you for sharing this!

[Linda]

Just made Peter Reinhart's bagels too, but used whole grains-millet,amaranth,cracked wheat, and flaxseeds-and whole wheat-white flour. Was afraid they would be too dense, but they came out really well.

[kickpleat]

YES!! One of the things I've always wanted to try are bagels. I'll be making these soon because they look lovely (almost as lovely as the Montreal bagels I love so much). And yes, I'll be over this Saturday :)

[Francesca]

Yip yip yip. I am making these! One question - how long do they keep for?

[Adrienne]

YES! Peter is a genius. I made these a while back, maybe a year ago? But I really ought to do it again.

[Elizabeth Wheeler]

You are so brave! You have conquered! Now we will all follow!

[Rocky Mountain Woman]

You are my hero!

I've never tried them and always wanted to...

I have no excuse now, unless you really mean that about coming to breakfast?

[Sues]

These look just delightful!! I would SO be over for breakfast if I lived a little closer... Do you suppose they ship well??

[Kirsten]

I'm seriously inspired. Ever since leaving New York, I've been missing good bagels like crazy, but had no idea that they could be so easy to make! Will definitely be trying my hand at these very soon.

[Claire]

I have offloaded the kids for the weekend (yay) and have friends coming over for brunch... menu solved! Your timing is perfect. Thank you ;-)

[Kim]

Definitly, on sunday morning, I will be paoching bagels and then, cooking these and then, eating one or two of these... I'm so excited!

[Jessie]

I coincidentally made bagels this weekend (and blogged about it as well) and came across your post today- couldn't agree more when I found that delicious bagels are a snap to make! I used Nigella's recipe, but am going to check out this Peter Reinhart recipe you've suggested....because you really can't go wrong with him. Thanks for sharing!

[Katie@Cozydelicious]

I have always wanted to make bagels but figured they would never be as good as the ones at the bagel shop.... but you're making me rethink that assumption! I may just have to try bagel-making myself. Or I could just hop a plane and come to your place for breakfast this weekend...

[Chihiro]

I live in New York and love love love the bagels at Absolut, probably because I live like 5 minutes away but I will keep this in mind for when I'm in Japan, the home of the most offensive "bagels" (white chocolate?) on the planet. They look amazing!

[Bec]

Thankyou for the breakfast invitation!
(How long will it take to get from Brisbane to Berlin?).
I'm there!!

[Charlotte]

Yum. I tried making bagels a couple of years ago and while good - they weren't up to my memories of St Viateur Bagels I used to get in Montreal. I'll give these a go as they look so doable and delicious.

[Audrey Hindes DiPalma]

I made bagels from Peter Reinhart's recipe for my husband's birthday and I can absolutely affirm that they are completely amazing.

[Shoshana]

Oh, yum - the bagels look gorgeous! Here in Melbourne (Aust.) we have one good bagel shop which is unfortunately on the other side of the city... an attempt might just be necessary.

[jill]

this might be an extraordinarily stupid question, but when I make the dough, should I use warm water, to activate the yeast, or simply cool water from my tap?