Homemade New York Bagels

As a baker, taking on difficult or very specific recipes is always an enjoyable feat, attempting to impress seasoned experts with recipes they may miss from their homeland or childhood. Now, we all know how specific New Yorkers can be about their bagels (unless you've never met one) - so I felt it necessary to attempt to bake NY bagels here in Edinburgh. I've noticed that there really isn't anywhere in the city to get a good one, so for those that have a similar problem, here's a tried and tested recipe that makes some of the best bagels you'll ever try.

Now don't they look wholesome and delicious? That's because they are. A fantastically chewy exterior surrounds a fluffy interior, with plenty of malty flavours coming through. Here's a recipe for the standard bagel - but it can easily be changed or added to to make your favourite flavoured bagel.

Ingredients 
The following recipe is for 4 bagels.

• 2 x cups strong white bread flour
• 3/4 of a cup of warm water
• 7g packet of fast action yeast
• 1 x tablespoon of honey
• 2 x teaspoons of caster sugar
• pinch of salt
• drop of rapeseed oil

Method

1. Put your measured out water in a small bowl and empty the packet of yeast on top. Allow the yeasted water to sit for 5 minutes before use. Meanwhile, empty your measured out flour into a large bowl, adding the honey, sugar and salt and mixing well. After five minutes, stir the yeasted water, making sure all the yeast has dissolved into it and add to the flour mixture and mix well with a wooden spoon.
2. Once it becomes difficult to mix, get in there with your hands. Once every loose bit of flour has been picked up, turn out onto a floured surface and knead for 10 minutes. The dough should be smooth, but relatively dense and stiff - this gives the bagels their unique texture. Once kneaded, oil a medium sized bowl, pop the dough in and cover with cling film. Leave in a relatively warm place for 20 minutes (no need for it to double in size). 
3. While you wait, get a large pan of water and pop it on the hob on a relatively low heat, making sure you have a gentle, rolling simmer. Turn the risen dough onto a clean surface and knock back. Divide into four equal sized pieces and roll each one into a ball. With a floured finger, poke a hole right in the middle of one of the balls, and slowly start rotating your finger, allowing the hole to expand. Once you can, fit another finger on your opposite hand into the hole and use a small amount of force to expand the hole. Don't make it too big - maybe give it a diameter of about 3 inches. Repeat with each ball. Cover loosely with cling film and allow to sit for 10 minutes. Pop your oven on to 220C (no fan) and allow to pre-heat. 
4. Prepare a baking tray with greaseproof paper lightly brushed with rapeseed oil. Pop one bagel at a time in the simmering water, allowing them to boil for 30 seconds on each side (if you prefer a more chewy skin, leave them in for double the time). Lift the bagels out of the water with a sieved spoon, allowing the excess water to drain from them and then carefully placing them on the baking tray equidistantly, leaving room for expansion. 
5. Bake for 18-20 minutes in the middle of the oven until golden brown and allow to cool on a wire rack. Or, if you're hungry, slice one open immediately and spread a good amount of butter on it - unbeatable. If you're more patient, these bagels will keep for three or four days in an air-tight container, and are especially good toasted. 

The bagels should have a relatively tight crumb, but still be quite fluffy. They should also have that amazingly distinct chewiness to them - making them great for sandwiches. If you fancy more exciting bagels, just adjust the recipe with the added ingredients. If you want cinnamon and raisin, for example, simply add those ingredients and a drop more water to make sure the dough isn't too dry. Follow the same protocol for most of those classic bagel combinations. Try this recipe - these bagels are genuinely amazing and are better than any you'd get in the supermarket, at least.