Bagels Redux

I was nearing the end of my last batch of bagels, so this weekend I decided to make some more. I am determined to become a bagel-making queen! Again I used Rose Levy Beranbaum's recipe from The Bread Bible, but I did a few things differently this time.

• I made 12 bagels from the recipe instead of 10. This worked very well and I was very happy with the size this batch came out as
• I reduced the black pepper to 1/2 tsp instead of a full tsp. The last batch was too peppery. I might forgo the pepper altogether next time
• I used a whole egg for egg wash instead of just the whites. Not a big change, but it worked just as well
• most notably, I boiled the bagels for a longer time than I did previously. This, I think, was key in making them nice and chewy
• I baked them at a higher temperature for a shorter period of time
• I did half with sesame seed topping and half with coarse salt

I still need a lot of practice portioning and shaping the bagels. One of the reasons I decided to go with 12 bagels over 10 is that it was easier for me to eyeball the portions, but even with this change I had different-sized bagels. What I might do next time is weigh the dough out before portioning and divide the weight by 12 so I'll get the most consistent size. Shaping is still an issue, though it was better this time than it was before. Rolling ropes of dough, or making holes in dough like this, is not one of my fortés.


So, things are coming along. These should last me over 2 weeks, so I'll make more then.