recipes

Bagels

Basic recipe that worked:

Mix, cold ferment overnight, shape, proof 1-2 hr, boil 1 min per side, egg wash, coat with toppings, bake 450°F for 20 min

Crumb too plain? Try longer ferment or molasses instead of brown sugar for better flavor and color.
The yeast dying is a real risk - check it’s alive before committing to the batch. Dead yeast = dense bagels that don’t float in the water.
Everything seasoning shaker works well.
Egg wash gives better crust than going without - thinner crust without it, and more burst spots.
Boiling in a shallow pan risks sticking to the bottom and to parchment.
The nonstick foil worked, but buttered foil burned more. Parchment can stick too - better parchment helps.
Starter (instead of commercial yeast) gives good sour flavor; results varied - Lauren liked it less sour, I liked it more.
Proofing more after shaping gives better air bubbles in the crumb.
Top oven + higher rack helps even the bake - less bottom burning.
Using a spatula to transfer shaped bagels to the pot (instead of picking up by hand) keeps them from deflating.
Wiping flour off the surface after shaping helped with the boiling.

Many recipes call for barley malt powder (or malt syrup) in the dough and/or boiling water for better flavor and color. Most of these attempts were made while traveling without access to specialty ingredients, so this is worth trying at home.

Didn’t use enough cinnamon sugar - they came out underseasoned.
Suspect the starter wasn’t active enough (bagels didn’t float). Bottoms overcooked from trying to keep them off the pot bottom.