Homemade Bagels May 31, 2009

A long time ago, my friend Robin issued me a baking challenge – Bagels.

Now, I love bagels, and have been intrigued for a while about the process of making bagels.  There’s something about the texture (which is always even better when the outside is crispy from being toasted. I was a little worried about the actual process of making bagels, since it requires both boiling and baking. When I made soft pretzels (which has a similar process), they turned out OK but fell apart. Part of what makes bagels so great is the shape, so I kept my fingers crossed. At the end of the day, these were PERFECT, and I look forward to making bagels again.

This recipe is from the Williams-Sonoma Essentials of Baking cookbook, and was really easy to follow. The recipe makes a dozen large (4 to 4 1/2 in. diameter) bagels, but if you like a smaller bagel, it could make 16-20 depending on the size of the bagels.

A couple of quick notes on this recipe:

1. I didn’t have any russet potatoes, so I used three medium sized red-skin potatoes, peeled and cubed. You’re trying to get as much starch out of the potatoes as possible and in to the water.

2. It’s really important that you bring the eggs to room temperature. It enables them to whip up fluffier and helps the texture of the bagel. You can either let them sit out for 30 minutes OR put uncracked eggs in a bowl of warm water for exactly two minutes. I went with the slow method.