Palm Springs Bagel Recipes

23 BAGEL SANDWICHES WE LOVE

Steps:

• Select your favorite recipe.
• Organize all the required ingredients.
• Prep a bagel sandwich in 30 minutes or less!

BAGELS FROM SCRATCH

Steps:

• Combine the flour and water with 20 grams (1 tablespoon) of the malt syrup, 25 grams (1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon) of the salt, and all of the yeast in the 6-quart bowl of a heavy-duty stand mixer and mix with the hook attachment on the stir setting until the mixture forms a shaggy dough. Increase the speed to low and knead until the dough is no longer sticky and springs back when pressed with a finger, about 10 minutes. It may still be slightly tacky, which is okay. If the dough gets stuck on the hook at any time during the mixing, stop the machine and pull the dough off the hook, pushing it to the side of the bowl so that it can continue kneading.
• Move the dough to the counter and shape into a ball. Place in a tall 2- to 4-quart transparent container, pressing down the top to flatten the dough. Mark the dough height on the outside of the bowl with tape or a rubber band. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and leave to rise at room temperature until the dough is about 1 1/2 times its original size, 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Meanwhile, line two half sheet pans with parchment paper and have standing by.
• When the dough has increased to 1 1/2 times its original size, punch the dough down and transfer to a cutting board. Cut into 12 (4-ounce) pieces and cover with a clean kitchen towel. Working with one piece at a time, roll each into a 16- to 18-inch-long snake, making sure to pop any large air bubbles, and then wrap around the palm of your hand twice to form a tight circle. With the seam side down and the snake still around your hand, roll your hand across the counter to seal the ends together. (Sometimes my wood board gets so dry, the dough just slides. If that happens, moisten the surface lightly with water. A spritz bottle is perfect for this.) Continue rolling on the counter to seal the seam all the way around the bagel. Transfer to the prepared pans and repeat with the remaining dough, evenly spacing 6 bagels on each tray. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate, preferably in the coldest part of your fridge, for 18 to 24 hours. (Tip: I place metal ramekins, the kind you might serve melted butter in, in the corners of the first pan so that I can stack the second pan on top of it without crushing the bagels below. This will save a lot of refrigerator space.)
• When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 450 degrees F and place a rack in the center position. You'll be boiling, then baking the bagels, so you'll need to set up a work area around your cooktop. You'll need to drain the bagels as they come out of the water (a wire rack over a pan or even a kitchen towel will suffice) and you'll need a fresh piece of parchment to put them on for baking.
• Remove one pan of bagels from the refrigerator and set by the cooktop until they soften and register between 60 and 65 degrees F, about 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, bring a gallon of water to a boil over high heat in a wide pot, along with the remaining 80 grams (1/4 cup) of malt syrup and 50 grams (3 tablespoons) of salt. Once the water boils, reduce the heat to a gentle, not rolling, boil. At this point, remove the second pan of bagels from the fridge so they can warm up while you cook the first batch.
• Check the temperature of the first pan of bagels. If they're at 60 degrees F, carefully place three into the boiling water, making sure they don't overlap. (Use your fingers for this.) Boil for 1 minute, flipping if they rise to the surface in 30 seconds or less. (Don't worry if the bagels don't fully rise to the surface.) Remove the bagels with a slotted spoon and set them on the rack to drain and cool. Repeat with the other three bagels. As they drain, replace the parchment on their original pan (trust me, they'll stick if you use the old paper again) and then move the bagels back to it.
• Bake for 10 minutes, then rotate the pan and continue baking until the sides of the bagels are golden brown and the bottoms are firm, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and transfer the bagels to a cooling rack.
• Repeat the same steps with the second pan of bagels.
• Let all of the bagels cool at least 10 minutes before serving. If you're not planning to eat all of them in one sitting, slice the cooled bagels, then wrap in plastic wrap, transfer to a gallon-size zip-top freezer bag, and freeze until ready to eat. To reheat, wrap frozen bagels in a paper towel and microwave on high to thaw, 30 seconds to 1 minute, then toast if desired.

PALM SPRINGS BAGEL

Steps:

• Slice bagel in half and toast it, meanwhile you can slice up your tomato and avocado.
• Spread each side of bagel with 1 Tbsp of cream cheese (or more if you like).
• Top cream cheese with 1-2 tomato slices, then cover with avocado slices.
• Finally sprinkle with with lemon pepper to your taste. I would estimate about 1/4 tsp per bagel--but I like a lot! Enjoy!
• **Side note: you can use lime pepper seasoning instead of lemon, and you can get creative with your bagel flavors.

HOMEMADE BAGELS

Steps:

• For the dough: Pour 1/2 cup warm water into a mixing bowl. Mix in the barley malt syrup, yeast packet and sugar until dissolved, then allow the yeast to foam, 10 minutes.
• To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, add the bread flour and salt and mix to combine. When the yeast mixture is ready, pour into the flour along with an additional 1 3/4 cups warm water. Mix until a soft dough forms. Your dough should clean the bowl and begin to climb the hook. Mix for about 5 minutes more on medium speed.
• After 5 minutes of mixing, pour the dough onto a clean surface and continue kneading by hand for an additional 15 minutes, until the dough is stiff, slightly tacky and very smooth. Put the dough in a clean bowl and cover with a damp towel. Let rise until doubled in size, 1 to 1 1/2 hours (see Cook's Note).
• Pre-shape the dough: Fold the dough down, deflating it, then turn out onto a clean work surface. Cut the dough into 12 equal pieces, about 4 ounces each. Form each piece of dough into a tight ball, rounding it in a circular motion until smooth. Place on a parchment-lined sheet tray lightly sprayed with cooking spray and repeat with the remaining dough, 6 to a tray. Cover with a damp towel and allow to rest for 10 to 15 minutes.
• Shape and proof: Roll out each ball into a rope roughly 9 to 10 inches. Pick up the rope and wrap it around your fingers where they meet your palm, overlapping the ends and forming a ring of even thickness. Seal the seam by rolling on your palm, then reshape if necessary into an even ring. Place back on the parchment and repeat with the remaining dough. Cover tightly with plastic wrap, then place the damp towel over the sheet tray. Refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight.
• Set up your grill for indirect heat. If using a charcoal grill, build the coals on one side only. If using a gas grill, heat one side only. Your grill should be at 450 degrees F.
• Finishing and baking: Allow the chill to come off of the bagels for at least 1 hour before baking. The bagels are ready to finish when the dough floats in room temperature water. Fill a bowl with room temperature water, pick up a bagel and drop it into the bowl. If it floats, the bagels are ready to proceed with the rest of the finishing and baking process. If the dough sinks, allow the dough to set out at room temperature for another 30 minutes and test again.
• For the bagels: Fill a pot halfway with water and bring to a boil on the direct heat side of the grill. Whisk in the barley malt syrup and baking soda. The water should look like brewed black tea. Drop as many bagels as will comfortably fit, about 4, into the pot and boil for 1 minute, flipping halfway through. Remove to a draining rack and continue with the remaining bagels. Pour your desired toppings onto plates and dip the tops of each bagel into the topping, pressing gently.
• Put the bagels on a cast-iron pan, place on the offset heat part of the grill, close the grill and bake until the bagels are deep golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool before serving.
• Oven method: Bake on a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet at 450 degrees F for 40 to 45 minutes.

MONTREAL BAGELS

Steps:

• In a large mixing bowl or in the bowl of an electric mixer that has a dough hook, blend together the water, yeast, sugar and salt. Stir in the whole egg, the yolk, oil and 1/2 cup honey, and mix well.
• Add the 5 cups flour, and mix until the dough is too stiff to mix by hand. Transfer to a lightly floured work surface (if using electric mixer, attach dough hook), and knead to form a soft, supple dough. Add a bit more flour as needed to prevent dough from getting too sticky.
• When the dough is smooth and elastic, place it in a lightly oiled bowl, and cover with a sheet of plastic wrap or with a plastic bag. (See note.)
• Let the dough rest about 20 minutes. Punch it down, and divide into 18 equal portions. Pour the water into a Dutch oven, along with the remaining 1/3 cup honey or malt syrup, and heat to boiling. Cover, reduce the heat, and allow to simmer while preparing the bagels.
• Shape the dough portions into bagels or doughnutlike rings by elongating each portion into an 8- to 10-inch coil that is 3/4 inch thick. Fold the ends over each other, pressing with the palm of one hand and rolling back and forth gently to seal. This locks the ends together and must be done properly or the bagels will open while being boiled. Let the bagels rest 15 minutes on a towel-lined baking sheet.
• Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Bring the water back to a boil and remove the lid. Have bowls of poppy seeds and sesame seeds nearby.
• When the water is boiling, use a slotted spoon, and add three bagels to the water. As they rise to the surface, turn them over, and let them boil an additional minute before removing them and quickly dipping them in either bowl of the seeds. Continue boiling the bagels in batches of three until all have been boiled and seeded.
• Arrange the boiled bagels on a baking sheet, and bake on the lowest rack of oven until they are medium brown, approximately 25 minutes. Remove from the oven. Once cooled, the bagels can be placed in a plastic bag, sealed and frozen.