My love for New York runs deeps. One of the things I look forward to the most is getting to a deli and enjoying a bagel with lox and schmear. I try to smash one most mornings I'm over there. You can use whatever toppings or fillings you want but the method for the bagels remain the same. Recipe adapted from Peter Reinhart over at Epicurious.
Makes 6 bagels
Ingredients
DOUGH
1 tbsp barley malt syrup, honey, or rice syrup
1 tsp instant yeast
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 cup plus 2 tbsp lukewarm water
3 1/2 cups flour
POACHING LIQUID
2L water
1 1/2 tbsp barley malt syrup or honey
1 tbsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
SCHMEAR
250gr cream cheese
1 jalepeno, finely diced
1 tsp capers, finely diced
1/2 lemon, juiced
1/4 cup dill, finely chopped
TOPPINGS
1 tomato, slice
1 red onion, finely sliced
Smoked salmon
Capers
Method
NIGHT BEFORE
1. To make the dough, stir the malt syrup, yeast, and salt into the lukewarm water. Place the flour into a mixing bowl and pour in the malt syrup mixture. Use a large, sturdy spoon and stir for about 3 minutes, until well blended. The dough should form a stiff, coarse ball, and the flour should be fully hydrated; if it isn’t, stir in a little more water. Let the dough rest for 5 minutes.
2. Transfer to a very lightly floured work surface and knead by hand for about 3 minutes to smooth out the dough and develop the gluten. The dough should be stiff yet supple, with a satiny, barely tacky feel. If the dough seems too soft or overly tacky, mix or knead in a little more flour.
3. Place the dough in a clean, lightly oiled bowl, cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap, and let the dough rise at room temperature for 1 hour.
4. When you’re ready to shape the bagels, prepare a sheet pan by lining it with parchment paper or a silicone mat, then misting it with spray oil or lightly coating it with oil.
5. Divide the dough into 6 to 8 equal pieces. Form each piece into a loose ball by rolling it on a clean, dry work surface with a cupped hand. (Don’t use any flour on the work surface. If the dough slides around and won’t ball up, wipe the surface with a damp paper towel and try again; the slight bit of moisture will provide enough traction for the dough to form into a ball.) Poke a hole through the center of the ball to create a donut shape. Holding the dough with both thumbs in the hole, rotate the dough with your hands, gradually stretching it to create a hole about 2 inches in diameter.
6. Place each shaped bagel on the prepared sheet pan, then mist with spray oil or brush with a light coating of oil. Cover the entire pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight or for up to 2 days.
ON THE DAY
1. Remove the bagels from the refrigerator 60 to 90 minutes before you plan to bake them. Immediately check whether the bagels are ready for baking using the “float test”: Place one of the bagels in a small bowl of cold water. If it sinks and doesn’t float back to the surface, shake it off, return it to the pan, and wait for another 15 to 20 minutes, then test it again. When one bagel passes the float test, they’re all ready to be boiled. If they pass the float test before you are ready to boil and bake them, return them to the refrigerator so they don’t overproof.
2. About 30 minutes before baking, preheat the oven to 260°C.
3. To make the poaching liquid, fill a pot with 2 litres of water. Cover, bring to a boil, then lower the heat to maintain at a simmer. Stir in the malt syrup, baking soda, and salt.
4. Gently lower each bagel into the simmering poaching liquid, adding as many as will comfortably fit in the pot. They should all float to the surface within 15 seconds. After 1 minute, use a slotted spoon to turn each bagel over. Poach for another 30 to 60 seconds, then use the slotted spoon to transfer it back to the pan, domed side up. (It’s important that the parchment paper be lightly oiled, or the paper will glue itself to the dough as the bagels bake.)
5. Transfer the pan of bagels to the oven, then lower the oven heat to 232°C.
6. Bake for 8 minutes, then rotate the pan and check the underside of the bagels. If they’re getting too dark, place another pan under the baking sheet. Bake for another 8 to 12 minutes, until the bagels are a golden brown.
7. Cool on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes before slicing or serving.
8. While the bagels are cooling, combine all the ingredients for the schmear and mix well, seasoning with salt and pepper.
9. Load up you new beautiful bagel babies with plenty of schmear and all the toppings. Eat messily!
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