Baron Bagels Recipes

BARON BAGELS

Steps:

• Put the yeast in the bowl of a standing mixer. Add 1 2/3 cups/ 365 grams lukewarm water and allow the yeast to activate, about 5 minutes. Add flour, 1 tablespoon/18 grams salt and malt powder and mix at low speed for 5 minutes using the dough hook. Cover the dough and allow to rise at room temperature for about 2 hours.
• Punch the dough down and shape into a rough rectangle about 1 to 1 1/2 inches thick, and about 2 times longer than it is wide. If you are having trouble forming the dough, stretch it, wait for the gluten to relax and re-form.
• Cut the dough into 10 pieces of about 3 ounces each. Roll each into an 8-inch-long snakelike shape, tapering the dough at each end. Circle the dough around your hand, pinching the ends together and rolling under your palm once or twice to seal. Put the bagels on a Silpat or other nonstick baking sheet on top of a jellyroll pan. Cover well with plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 10 hours, or up to 24 hours.
• Heat the oven to 425 degrees. If you have a baking stone or brick you use for baking, put it on a rack near the bottom of the oven; it will retain heat and produce a crisper bagel. Bring a large pot of water to boil, add the remaining salt and the baking soda into the boiling water and remove the bagels from the refrigerator.
• Carefully place just enough bagels into the pot to cover the surface of the water, making sure that there are no bagels resting on top of one another. Let them float on 1 side for 1 minute before flipping them to the other side for another minute or so. Remove the bagels and drain well on a cooling rack.
• Pour poppy or sesame seeds into a bowl wider than the bagels. Working very quickly, remove the bagels one by one and dip them into the topping. Place them back on the Silpat-covered baking sheet, topping side down.
• Bake on the second to highest shelf of the oven for 8 to 10 minutes. Then flip the bagels, rotate the pan and continue baking for about 8 minutes, or until they are golden brown.

REAL HOMEMADE BAGELS

Steps:

• Combine 1 1/4 cup water, flour, sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, vegetable oil, and yeast in the mixing bowl of a stand mixer. Mix on low speed using the dough hook until well-developed, about 8 minutes. To ensure the gluten has developed fully, cut off a walnut-sized piece of dough. Flour your fingers, and then stretch the dough: if it tears immediately, the dough needs more kneading. Fully developed dough should form a thin translucent "windowpane."
• Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl, cover it with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel, and let rise for 2 hours.
• Punch the dough down, place it on a lightly floured work surface, and use a knife or dough scraper to divide the dough into 6 pieces (or more, for smaller bagels). Roll each piece of dough into a sausage shape about 6 inches long. Join the ends to form a circle. Repeat with the remaining dough, and let the bagels rest for 15 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 475 degrees F (245 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Arrange small plates with poppy seeds, sesame seeds, and onion flakes next to the baking sheet.
• Bring 4 quarts water to a boil in a large pot. Add honey, if desired (see Editor's Note). Boil the bagels, three at a time, until they rise to the surface of the pot, about 1 minute per side. Remove the bagels with a slotted spoon and place them on the parchment-lined baking sheet.
• Dip the tops of the wet bagels into the toppings and arrange them, seeds up, on the baking sheet. Sprinkle with coarse salt, if desired. Bake in the preheated oven until the bagels begin to brown, 15 to 20 minutes.

BACON, EGG AND CHEESE BAGELS

Steps:

• Place two oven racks in the middle positions. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Arrange the bacon on 2 sheet trays. Using a pastry brush, brush both sides with the sambal. Bake, rotating the sheet trays and flipping the bacon, until golden brown and crispy, 25 to 35 minutes. Remove from the oven and place the bacon on a paper towel-lined plate or on a wire rack set over a baking sheet to cool and drain off excess oil.
• For the eggs: Brush the bottoms and sides of two 8-inch square baking pans with the melted butter. Set aside.
• Put the flour in a medium bowl and whisk in the milk a little at a time until smooth. Add the eggs, salt and pepper and whisk until smooth. Pour into the prepared baking pans and sprinkle the scallions over the top. Scatter the cream cheese evenly on top. Bake until the eggs are just set and the edges have just begun to pull away from the sides of the pans, 20 to 25 minutes. Finish with flakey salt. Cut each pan of eggs into 4 squares, for a total of 8.
• To assemble: Place each bagel cut-side up on a sheet of foil large enough to wrap the whole bagel. Add a slice of American cheese to each bottom half. Top each with a square of eggs. Top each with a slice of cheese and 3 slices of bacon. (Add ketchup and hot sauce too, if you like.) Wrap the bagels up in the foil. Slice and serve immediately with ketchup or hot sauce if you wish.
• In a large bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, salt and yeast . Add the water and 1 tablespoon of the barley malt and mix to form a stiff dough. Turn onto a floured surface and knead until smooth and slightly sticky. Transfer to an oiled bowl, then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
• Let the dough sit at room temperature for an hour, then turn it out onto a clean work surface. Divide it into 8 equal parts and stretch them into smooth balls, making sure to seal any dough seams well. Shape the bagels by sticking your thumb through the center of each ball and using your fingers to gently stretch a 2-inch hole. Cover the bagels with a towel and let rise for 15 minutes.
• Arrange the oven racks in the upper middle and lower middle positions. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add the baking soda and remaining tablespoon barley malt. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and grease them well. Lay out a clean kitchen towel near your pot of boiling water.
• Working with 3 bagels at a time, boil them for 1 minute on each side (use a timer for this). With a slotted spoon or spatula, transfer them briefly to the kitchen towel to catch any excess moisture, then transfer to the baking sheets.
• Brush the bagels with the egg white and sprinkle with the sesame seeds and salt. Bake the bagels for 10 minutes, then switch the positions and rotate the pans and bake until golden brown, 6 to 8 more minutes. Let cool slightly and enjoy!