From: M18611@MBVM.Mitre.Org (Kathy Wilk)
Subject: Re: receipe for bagels?
Organization: The MITRE Corporation, Bedford MA 01730
Date: Tue, 14 Apr 1992 18:05:04 GMT

  Mimi Sheraton has a recipe for bagels in her book, 'My Mother's Kitchen'.
  However, recently there was a post in this newsgroup about making bagels.
The poster's father had just shown her how to make bagels by boiling dough
after the second-rising and then baking.  I started making bagels after I
read that and it has been fun!  I have produced some bagels that are like
hockey pucks and some that have been pretty good.  They have been eaten
by my family of toddlers and husband with no complaints (even the hockey-
puck-like bagels).
  And I don't use a recipe.
  Two cubes of fresh yeast (or envelopes of dry yeast) in a bowl of warm
water with a few tablespoons of sugar and some warm (a little hot, not
lukewarm) water.  The amount of yeast is not critical, it seems.  The amount
of water determines how much dough I will be able to make.  I put some flour
in with the stuff after it has dissolved, mix it all around to make a thick
soupy gook, and then put it in the cold oven with a pan of hot water next to
it (helps warm up the oven enough for yeast to rise).  I forget about it for
awhile (30 minutes or so) and then look at it; it should be nice and bubbly.
This first sponge-type step just gives me confidence in the yeast (that I
haven't killed it) so I can go ahead with the rest.  The flour can be white
or whole wheat or whatever.
  Then I start putting flour in the goop.  Enough so I can see dough.  Enough
so I can put my hands in the dough and actually move it around.  Start knead-
ing and if it is too sticky, add a little more flour.  Throw in some salt -
more salt rather than less.  The salt should probably be added at the first
yeast-sugar-water stage but I get a better idea of how much dough I'm going
to have when I start kneading and the salt seems to go in OK then, too.  If
I don't put enough salt in, the bagel tastes flat.  I have yet to oversalt
but that would be something to watch out for.  I throw chopped onions in,
onion powder, dill, some dry low-fat (instant) milk, instant potatoes, dry
(low cal) Butter Buds - lots of stuff.  I vary the ingredients, guessing
what will taste good together.  Last batch was whole-wheat dill.
  I mix the whole thing in a huge metal bowl (useful kitchen item!) and when
the stuff has been kneaded enough so that it is elastic (when you give it
a gentle pat, it feels like a baby's bottom), I put the thing back in the
oven (not even covered) and forget about it again for about an hour and a
half.  The dough is in a ball.
  So far, this is just making bread.
  Get a big pan of salted water boiling.  Take out the dough, which is almost
twice it's pre-rising size.  Flatten out on a slab (I use part of a marble
tombstone) with a rolling pin.  Cut the bagels like you would doughnuts.
I think Mimi Sheraton says to roll them into cylinders and then form into a
bagel.  Mine come apart during the boil if I do that (there is probably a
technique).
  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
  Let the cut bagels lie for awhile, to rise.  They should be soft when you
pick them up to put them in the water, not leaden and dense.  Then put in the
boiling water, boil on one side for 2 or 3 minutes.  Turn over and boil on
the other side for same amount of time.  Like big dumplings.
  Have a cake rack over your now-empty dough bowl.  Take the wet hot bagels
out of the water and let them drip dry a bit.  This is because they can other-
wise be really sticky when you put them on a lightly-oiled cookie sheet.
  Put the bagel on the lightly-oiled cookie sheet and then into the oven.
You could brush with egg white first but I think this is really tricky.
It's a nice way to get sesame seeds to stick but what happens is:
  after 10 minutes, check on the bagels.  They can really stick to the
  hot pan in the oven so at this point, I turn them over with a spatula
  (or my fingers) just to check them out.  Maybe at this point, you could
  brush with egg white.
Take them out.  They don't taste very much better hot so I wait until they
are cool and split them.  They are gone within a few hours.
  This way of making bagels is probably heresy to a good baker, especially
a good Jewish baker (Butter Buds???!)  But they are as good as the bagels
I buy in the supermarket, and probably cheaper.  And low in fat.
                                         Good Luck!
 
                        K. Wilk
                        M18611@MBVM.MITRE.ORG
 
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