52 Recipes in 52 Weeks #3 New York style bagels

One of my projects for 2024 is to try one new recipe each week for the year.  These will be chosen from all of the flagged pages in cookbooks that I have or from the file of 'need to try' recipes.  I will try new desserts, main dishes, side dishes and breads.

My history with bagels is pretty simple.  I never liked them until Bakin' Bagels opened up by our house in Florida in the 90's and I had my first taste of a NY style bagel.  It was true love at first bite, and I enjoyed them frequently until we moved in 2005 and I have only had one other bagel since.  I was excited when Panera opened here because I've heard a few people talk about their bagels.  I tried one and it wasn't for me.  I've wanted to try to make my own for a very long time and now I can say I have.

The recipe was in my need to try folder and I'm not sure when I put it there.  It is from the website Sophisticated Gourmet. https://www.sophisticatedgourmet.com/2009/10/new-york-style-bagel-recipe/

Ingredients

2 teaspoons yeast

4 1/2 teaspoons sugar

1 1/4 cup warm water

3 1/2 cups bread flour or high gluten flour

up to 1/2 cup flour for kneading

1 1/2 teaspoon salt

Instructions

In 1/2 cup warm water, pour in the sugar and yeast.  Let sit for 5 minutes, and then stir the yeast and sugar mixture until it all dissolves in the water.

Mix the flour and salt in a large bowl.  Make a well in the middle and pour in the yeast and sugar mixture.

Pour 1/3 cup of the warm water into the well.  Mix and stir in the rest of the water that is remaining.  You want a moist and firm dough after you have mixed it.

On a floured surface, knead the dough for about 10 minutes until it is smooth and elastic.  Try working in as much flour as possible to form a firm and still dough.

Lightly brush a large bowl with oil and turn the dough to coat.  Cover the bowl with a damp dish towel.  Let rise in a warm place for 1 hour, until the dough has doubled in size.  Punch the dough down and let it rest for another 10 minutes.

Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces. (next time I will use the scale to make sure they're equal size)  Shape each piece into a round.  Now take a dough ball and press it gently against the work surface, moving your hand and the ball in a circular motion pulling the dough into itself while reducing the pressure on top of the dough slightly until a perfect dough ball forms.

Coat a finger in flour, and gently press your finger into the center of each dough ball to form a ring.  Stretch the ring out and place on a parchment lined cooking sheet.

After shaping the bagels and placing them on the sheet, cover with a damp kitchen towel and allow to rest for 10 minutes.  Preheat oven to 425 F.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil.  Reduce the heat.  Use a spider or slotted spoon to lower the bagels into the water.  My pot took three at a time.  Let them boil for 2 minutes per side.

If you want to add toppings to your bagels, you can do that now they're out of the water.

Once all the bagels have boiled, transfer them to the lined baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes.

I topped a couple with poppy seeds, a couple with sesame seeds and one with a slice of gouda cheese.  The rest I left plain which is my favorite. (The last photo is of the one with cheese.  It was TBG's idea)

The outcome was AMAZING!  This is exactly the kind of bagel I love.  A slightly crisp exterior, soft inside but with a great chew.  The recipe was very easy to follow and absolutely yielded a delicious bagel.  I need to work on appearance a bit and make sure they're rolled out a bit better but the taste is spot on. This is being moved to my favorites since I know I will be making these again and again.

We both give this recipe a 10!