Bagels

[KyleW]

I have taken my second run at bagels in as many days. Izzy's from Breads from La Brea. They are very similar to Reinhart's. Rather than a sponge, they use refreshed starter. Izzy uses malt syrup in the water, while Reinhart uses baking soda. Izzy boils his bagels for 20 seconds, Reinhart for a minute. They are pretty close. Izzy may have a slight edge in flavor, but the are similarly chewy. Reinhart's may have a slight edge in the shine department. 2 questions: How can I get better shine and How can I get the toppings to stick better?

[chiffonade]

Not long ago, I got on a mission to make better bagels. I've used a recipe from Bernard Clayton's Book of Breads and one from Baking with Julia. The BWJ definitely wins, as the bagels came out looking the most like the bagels I remember from Brooklyn, NY.

* They were shiny
* They were sufficiently browned on the outside
* They were chewy

The huge wagon-wheel sized bagel is actually not the real New York bagel - but with the mentality that more for your money is better than less, like everything else related to portions, they grew over the years. Mine were made smaller so I wasn't consuming a million calories before actually putting any spreads on!

The boiling stage makes a real bagel. There are differing opinions as to how long they should be boiled. Some say as long as a few minutes, others, just a few-second dip.

My dad used to make bagel pizzas out of plain bagels he got from the bagel shop. He'd ask for the ones with no hole, actually considered a mistake in the bagel-baking world. A bagel store is the only place to get a real bagel - unless your local deli buys them from a bagel store and re-sells them. It's just too specialized a baking method to be done with regular ovens.

[KyleW]

I agree and disagree. I agree with you observations on size. We seems to thinlt that bigger is always better. I find that most VW Bug sized bagels have no flavor at all. The same is true scones. Yet the look good sitting in the display.

I disagree that great bagels can't be made at home. I think the secret lies in the contents of the boiling water and how long the bagels boil, rather than the oven. I came pretty close and it was my first shot. I also have an oven that barely qualifies as a home oven