[net.cooks] A BAGEL recipe, wherein the secret of proper bagel hole making is revealed

lsk@otuxa.UUCP (05/27/83)

Relay-Version:version B 2.10 5/3/83; site harpo.UUCP
Message-ID:<229@otuxa.UUCP>
Date:Fri, 27-May-83 07:34:11 EDT


What luck, you bagel lovers, yesterday's Chicago Tribune food section
had a whole page on bagels. Here is the 'egg bagel' recipe. There are
two more but you're going to have to find your own Trib for those!

Egg bagels
12 bagels
preparation time: 35 minutes
Rising time: 1 1/4 hours
Cooking time: 25 minutes

4	cups bread flour
  3/4	cup warm water (105 to 115 degrees)
2 1/2   teaspoons, 1/4 ounce, or 1 envelope dry yeast
2	teaspoons sugar
  1/4	cup vegetable oil
2	eggs
l 3/4	teaspoons salt

For boiling and for glaze:

1 1/2	tablespoons sugar
1	egg, beaten with a pinch of salt

1. Sift flour into large bowl. Make a well in the center. Pout in 1/4
cup of the warm water. Sprinkle the yeast on top and add 1 teaspoon sugar.
Leave for 10 minutes until the yeast is foamy. Add remaining teaspoon
sugar, oil, eggs, remaining 1/2 cup water and the salt.

2. Mix with a wooden spoon until the ingredients begin to come
together to a dough. When mixing with a spoon becomes difficult, mix
in the remaining flour by hand.

3. Knead dough vigorously on a work surface until very smooth and
no longer sticky, about 10 minutes.
Put dough in a clean oiled bowl, cover with a damp cloth. Let rise in
a warm place about 1 hour or until light but not doubled in volume.
The dough can be made 1 day ahead; it should be left to rise 1/4 hour
then should be punched down and refrigerated overnight.
Be sure it is covered with a damp cloth so it
doesn't dry out; let it come to room temperature before continuing.

4. Knead dough again lightly. Roll it to a thick log. Cut into 12
pieces with a floured knife. To shape the bagels, roll each piece
of dough to a very smooth ball by holding it under your
cupped palm on an unfloured surface, and rolling it over and over
on the surface, pressing quite hard. The more the dough is rolled,
the more even in shape the final bagel will be. Flatten the ball
slightly.

5. Make a hole by flouring your index finger and pushing it through the
center of the round of dough. Twirl the round of dough around your
finger to stretch the hole, then insert 2 fingers and continue twirling.
Gently pull the edges to even out the shape of the bagel. Cover and let rise
on floured board 15 minutes.

6. Heat oven to 400 degrees. To boil the bagels, heat 2 quarts watrer and
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar to a boil in large saucepan. Add 3 or 4 bagels;
boil 1 minute. Turn them over; boil 1 minute.
If the holes begin to close, force them open with the handle of a wooden
spoon. With a slotted spoon, transfer the bagels to a cloth
or to paper towels. Repeat with the remaining bagels.

7. Put the bagels on 2 lightly floured or greased baking sheets.
Brush with beaten egg. Bake at 400 degrees 20 minutes, or until
browned.
If both baking sheets don't fit on the center oven rack, bake
them one above the other and switch their positions after 10 minutes.
If not serving them right away, cool on wire rack; wrap well. They
keep 2 days at room temperature. They can also be frozen and
reheated before serving.

-larry s. kaufman