| ** Dough ** | |
| 826g Unbleached bread flour | |
| 17g Fine Salt | |
| 3g Instant Yeast | |
| 538g Warm Water (45C) | |
| Semolina Flour - For Dusting | |
| ** Water Bath ** | |
| 1816g Water | |
| 42g Honey | |
| 18g Fine Salt |
| 1. | ** Make the Dough ** |
| 2. | In a stand mixer bowl, combine the flour, salt, yeast, and water. Using the dough hook attachment, mix on medium-low speed until no dry patches of flour remain. |
| 3. | Increase the speed to medium and mix until the dough is elastic and pulling away from the sides of the bowl, about 5 minutes. The exterior of the dough may not be completely smooth; that’s OK. Cover and let rise until puffy and doubled in size, 1½ to 2 hours. |
| 4. | ** Dividing and Shaping Dough ** |
| 5. | Lightly flour a work surface, then use a plastic bowl scraper to ease the dough out of the bowl onto the work surface. Divide the dough into 12 equal portions (each about 115 grams). Gently press out the bubbles from each piece. Preshape each piece of dough into a round, place on a lightly floured surface seam side down, then cover and let rest for 15 minutes. |
| 6. | Line two baking sheets with parchment paper, spray with pan spray, and lightly dust with semolina or cornmeal. Working with one piece of dough at a time, use your pointer finger to poke a hole into the center of the round. Gently expand the hole to 2 to 3 inches in diameter by twirling the dough in a circular motion around both of your index fingers. The bagel should be 1 to 1¼ inches thick around the entire ring. Evenly space 6 shaped bagels on each lined baking sheet. |
| 7. | At this point, if you are not cooking the bagels right away, cover the bagels lightly with greased plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight, 12 to 16 hours. |
| 8. | ** Boil and Bake ** |
| 9. | Arrange racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat the oven to 250°C. Cover the bagels and let them rest while you prepare the water bath. |
| 10. | In a shallow, wide, 6-quart pot, combine the water, honey, and salt and bring to a simmer over medium heat. If coating bagels with seeds, spread the seeds on a rimmed baking sheet or piece of parchment paper. |
| 11. | To transfer the bagels to the water bath, use one hand to hold down the parchment paper and the other hand to support the bagel as you lift it up and off the parchment to avoid pulling or stretching the bagel. Gently lower the bagel into the hot water. Repeat with 2 more bagels. Boil the bagels for 1 minute. Using a slotted spoon, tongs, or chopsticks, carefully flip each bagel and continue boiling for 1 more minute. |
| 12. | Remove the bagels from the water and return them to the parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing evenly. Repeat until all the bagels have been boiled, letting the water return to a simmer between batches. Let the bagels cool slightly before dipping the tops in seeds, if using. The tops of the bagels should still be tacky from the water bath. If they have dried, lightly brush the tops with water before dredging in seeds. Place the bagels seed side up on the baking sheets |
| 13. | Bake the bagels until the outer crust is firm and deep golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes, switching racks and rotating the pans front to back halfway through. |
| 14. | Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool. Store completely cooled bagels in an airtight container up to 3 days or freeze for longer storage. |
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