satiny smooth goodness flecked with fleur de sel
before rise ... plumper after 12hr rise in fridge
even plumper after boil ... golden & plump after 12min in oven
So this time I measured, as an experiment, potentially adding several more ounces of flour than intended by the recipe. My dough was so big and stiff, it was jumping out of my KitchenAid and I had to result to hand kneading. I was physically unable to add the final 3/4 cup flour and I couldn't knead nearly as long as I should have. The dough should be stiff, but it also must be kneaded good and long to develop the gluten despite that stiffness. So maybe with my poor kneading, the gluten didn't form properly, resulting in floppy, flat blobs. However, they were chewy and kinda tasty so I did eat three before throwing away the rest (I just couldn't stand looking at their sorry shapes anymore).
sad, lumpy, flat bagel wannabes
my new secret weapon
Now that I've made the perfect bagel, I finally know what the dough should feel and look like - super stiff, super smooth, not one bit of sticky. With this knowledge, I'm confident I can try other bagel recipes (with sponges and other techniques to develop flavor) and adjust the flour properly (as all good bakers can) instead of strictly adhering to the recipe's measurements.
- Shorter boil (30sec total) is better. The longer the boil, the thicker the crust, preventing it from plumping in oven.
- Rolled rope shaping is better than hole punching - ensures super smoothness
- You must create a big hole during shaping, at least 2.5in for normal sized bagel. Any smaller and it will completely disappear.
Unsolved mysteries:
- I'm still not sure what to add to the boiling water. I'm kinda sold on baking soda, though the Cook's recipe adds nothing and other swear by barley malt syrup.
- Must find barley malt syrup. All recipes include this in the dough for "traditional" flavor. I don't know where to get it in Zurich.