Cornmealbagels Recipes

CORNMEAL BAGELS

Steps:

• Whisk together 1 cup bread flour, cornmeal, yeast, 2 tablespoons sugar, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer.
• Heat water to warm (120° to 130°F) and add it and the oil to flour mixture. Stir to combine. Add egg and stir to combine.
• Blend on medium speed using the flat beater for 3 minutes. Switch flat beater to dough hook and turn mixer to the manufacturer's recommended speed when using a dough hook.
• Whisk together remaining flours and gradually add enough to make a soft dough and the dough "cleans" the sides of the bowl. Knead with dough hook for 4 minutes.
• Hand knead dough a few times until smooth. Place in a greased bowl, turning to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.
• Heat oven to 375°F. Line rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Bring a large pot of water 3-inches deep to a low boil (or fast simmer) and add 1 tablespoon of sugar for every quart of water.
• Punch down dough and divide it into 12 equal pieces.
• Shape each piece into a smooth ball. Use a finger to punch a hole in the center. Gently pull dough to make a 1- to 2-inch hole.
• Place a few bagels at a time in the boiling water (bottom side up works best). Turn bagels over after 45 seconds. Boil for another 45 seconds then remove bagels from water using a slotted spoon and place them on a wire rack to drain for a few minutes.
• Place drained bagels on baking sheets.
• If you want to top the bagels with seeds, brush tops with beaten egg white and sprinkle the seeds on top.
• Bake bagels until golden brown, about 20 to 25 minutes. Rotate sheets half way through baking for even browning.
• Transfer bagels to a wire rack to cool completely.

HOMEMADE BAGELS

Steps:

• Make the dough: Stir together 1/2 cup warm water and 1 tablespoon malt syrup in a small bowl; sprinkle the yeast on top. Let soften a minute, then stir. Set aside until foamy or bubbly, about 5 minutes.
• Whisk the flour and salt in a large bowl; make a well in the center. Pour in the yeast mixture and 2/3 cup warm water and stir with a wooden spoon to make a shaggy dough. Not all the flour will be mixed in.
• Knead the dough in the bowl to mix in more of the flour, and work the dough into a rough ball in the bowl.
• Knead the dough: Turn out the dough onto a clean surface and begin kneading. As you knead, the dough will become tacky and stick to your fingers, then it should lose its stickiness and form a somewhat smooth ball (this should take 3 to 4 minutes). If the dough is still sticky, lightly dust with flour.
• Once the dough starts to smooth out, continue kneading until it's very satiny and pillowy feeling (this should take 5 to 10 minutes). Rip off a small piece of dough and gently stretch the 4 corners. If it can stretch very thin without tearing, it's ready. If it tears, knead another 2 minutes and test again.
• Transfer the dough to a clean bowl lightly misted with cooking spray, cover tightly with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature until doubled in size, about 1 hour. You don't want the dough to over-proof or form bubbles on the surface. Keep an eye on it; the dough can proof quickly in a warm spot.
• Divide the dough: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and mist with cooking spray. Turn out the dough onto a clean surface and press to flatten and deflate the dough, making sure to press out any large air bubbles. Divide into 6 pieces, 3 1/2 to 3 3/4 ounces each.
• Pull the corners of each piece together into the center of the dough, turn over so the seam is on the bottom and roll the dough against the counter into a tight ball with a smooth surface. Do not use any flour or the dough will not stick to itself properly.
• Form the bagels: Form the bagels one at a time: First stick your thumb through the middle of a dough ball, then insert your index finger and gently start to stretch the hole.
• Roll the bagel in a circle around your index fingers to stretch the hole until 1 1/2 to 2 inches wide. If the hole pulls back together, let rest 1 to 2 minutes, then reshape.
• Transfer the bagel to the baking sheet and repeat with the remaining dough balls. Cover the baking sheet with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight. The bagels will puff slightly.
• Cook the bagels: About 30 minutes before boiling, preheat the oven to 450˚ F and remove the bagels from the refrigerator. Bring 2 quarts of water to a boil in a wide pot. Stir in the remaining 3 tablespoons malt syrup. Gently add 2 or 3 bagels, rounded-side down, and boil for 2 minutes, flipping halfway through.
• Remove the bagels with a slotted spoon and put back on the baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining bagels. It's OK if they deflate a bit as they cool but they should mostly keep their shape. (If they do deflate and wrinkle, they'll still be good - just a little flat.)
• Line a separate baking sheet with parchment paper and dust with cornmeal. Brush the tops and sides of the bagels with the egg white and sprinkle with toppings. Place rounded-side up on the cornmeal-dusted baking sheet, about 1 inch apart.
• Bake on the middle oven rack until the bagels are golden brown and crisp, rotating the pan halfway through, 18 to 20 minutes. Let cool at least 15 minutes. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.

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.

CORNMEAL BAGELS

Steps:

• In large mixer bowl, combine 1 cup flour, cornmeal, yeast, 2 tablespoons sugar and salt: mix well.
• Add very warm water (120-130°) and oil to flour mixture.
• Add egg.
• Blend at low speed until moistened: beat 3 minutes at medium speed.
• By hand, gradually stir in enough remaining flour to make a soft dough.
• Knead on floured surface until smooth and elastic, 3 to 5 minutes.
• Place in greased bowl, turning to grease top.
• Cover and let rise in warm place until doubled, about 1 hour (30 minutes for quick rise yeast).
• Punch down dough.
• Divide into 4 parts.
• Divide each part into 3 pieces.
• On lightly floured surface, shape each piece into a smooth ball.
• Punch a hole in the center with a finder.
• Pull dough gently to make a 1 to 2-inch hole.
• Heat 2 quarts of water and 2 tablespoons sugar to boiling.
• Place a few bagels at a time in boiling water.
• Simmer 3 minutes, turning once. Remove with slotted spoon.
• Place on greased cookie sheet.
• Brush tops with 1 egg white, slightly beaten: sprinkle with poppy or sesame seeds.
• Preheat oven to 375°F degrees.
• Bake at 375° for 20 to 25 minutes until golden brown.
• Remove from cookie sheets: cool.