Montreal Bagels
This Montreal Bagel Recipe works well in both a conventional oven or wood-burning oven. The proofing takes about 24-48 hours in the refrigerator. Even if gluten has become a dirty word for some in recent years, the high gluten, bread flour or 00 flour is essential for this recipe. If, like me, you cannot find it in your local grocery, follow the link in the notes below to purchase online.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups lukewarm water
- 2 pkgs dry quick-rising yeast
- 1 tsp sugar
- 2 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1 whole egg
- 1 egg yolk
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup honey, divided
- 5 cups double zero or high gluten flour plus more for dusting
- 3 cups sesame seeds for coating may vary, of course
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl or in the bowl of an electric mixer, blend together the water, yeast, and sugar. Stir in the whole egg, the yolk, oil and 1/2 cup honey, and mix until incorporated. Allow the mixture to rest for about 10 minutes while the yeast becomes foamy.
- Add the 5 cups high-gluten flour and the salt, and mix until the dough begins to get stiff. Use a rubber spatula to transfer to a lightly floured work surface (if using electric mixer, attach dough hook and add a little bit of flour until is can move around the bowl), and knead about 8-10 times to form a soft, supple dough. Add a bit more flour as needed to prevent dough from getting too sticky. It should feel like a powdered baby's bottom.
- When the dough is smooth and elastic, place it in a lightly oiled bowl, and cover the bowl with a sheet of plastic wrap. Let rest for about 20-30 minutes.
- After it has rested, take a piece of dough from the bowl and stretch it. If it stretches easily and does not break right away, it's ready to be rolled. If not, put it back in the bowl and let it rest until it passes this "window pane" test. You should almost be able to see light through the dough as you stretch it before it breaks.
- When ready, slice your dough into thick strips. Roll each strip into a long rope-like shape until it is about 3/4 inch thick.
- To shape your bagels, pick up a piece of the end of one of your dough ropes and, while holding it, rotate your hand around so that the dough wraps around your hand, creating a ring. Break off the dough where the end will overlap, then rotate your hand back to your board and roll the dough gently with your palm until the seams seal. Be sure not to flatten the ring or change the shape. It's important that it seals well at this point or it will unwrap when you boil them. Repeat with the remainder of your dough until all are shaped into rings.
- Place the rings onto very lightly floured baking sheets and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 24-48 hours. This step really is important, as it allows for slow fermentation, which develops the flavors of the bagels more fully and gives them more structure.
- Leave bagels in the refrigerator while you prepare the following: preheat oven to 450 degrees and fill a large dutch oven or pot halfway with water and bring to a boil. Have a bowl of sesame seeds close by. Remove the bagels from the refrigerator now, and using a large slotted spoon, add three or four bagels to the boiling water. As they rise to the surface, turn them over, and let them boil an additional minute before removing them and quickly dipping them in the bowl of the seeds. Leave some area on the sides without seeds so that you can see the browning while baking. Working in batches, get the bagels into the oven as quickly as you can after seeding them. Place them on an ungreased baking sheet or a pre-heated pizza stone.
- In a wood-burning oven, use a bagel board made specifically for wood-oven bagel making, (link to purchase below), or alternately, DIY by wrapping a 2x4 with burlap. Line the bagels on the wood and carefully watch and rotate the bagels to get an even bake. They take roughly 5-7 minutes to cook in the wood oven. In a conventional oven, put a baking sheet with water on the bottom rack to keep them moist and help create a crispy skin. Bake until medium brown, about 25 minutes.