In the words of Peter himself:

New York City isn’t the only place in the world to get decent authentic bagels. The truth is, you can make bagels that are just as good at home, no matter where you live. They’re one of the simplest breads to make, requiring only flour, water, salt, yeast and malt — and one secret ingredient: time (in the form of long, slow, cold fermentation). Any decent bagel shop knows this and uses an overnight method to stretch out the fermentation process, releasing all sorts of subtle flavors trapped in the flour. While bagel shops often use a type of high-protein flour, not available to home cooks to achieve that distinctively chewy texture, regular, unbleached bread flour can also do the trick. The real key is to use a much lower percentage of water than is used for baguettes and other European hearth breads, producing a stiff dough than can stand up to a dunking in boiling water before going into the oven. More than any ingredient or other aspect of the method, this boiling step is what defines the uniqueness of the bagel.

Now friends, after I read this, I immediately felt gypped because, What the heck! No one told me New York City had good, no great authentic bagels! I could have used that hint three months ago when I was there, in the heart of the Big Apple itself. Then I thought, hey, this Peter dude is promising just as good bagels at home, and well, you all know me, I’ll take just about any challenge*. Of course, I would be able to do a better comparison if I had known to eat a freakin’ bagel in New York, but sigh, all I had were these Peter bagels, which were surprisingly easy despite the four pages of instructions that went along.

Just like Peter said, the ingredients were simple and I dumped them into the mixer and turned it on just like I would with any bread. The rise time was quick as well, seeing as I have made buns that required 12 hours of rising, and well, I think 1 hour a bit more reasonable. Next up was the shaping which was easier and faster than kneading pasta dough for 15 minutes straight — talk about getting onset carpal tunnel. Then was the long part, waiting. I waited overnight like Peter said, and boiled and baked them up in less than 30 minutes. Even as slightly over baked as mine were (I seem to get a bit side tracked when things are in the oven, and may happen to forget that things are inside, baking…and baking…and baking…and wait…and burning until I remember) they were still better than the bag I bring home every Saturday. Chewy, with a very distinct bagel flavor, yet not nearly as heavy or bready as the bag of not-Peter-Reinhart-bagels. The husband scarfed down 6 of them today, and if I don’t hide a few, I might not be having breakfast tomorrow, so people, trust Peter, he is like, some sort of bagel genius.

*Just about any challenge excludes lobster murder. I just don’t have it in me…

P.S. My husband said I was a doofus for not knowing NY was known for bagels. SORRY! I was hung up on the cheesecake I didn’t get a chance to eat.

One Year Ago: Baked Chicken Meatballs and Barley Salad with Corn, Hericot Verts, and Goat Cheese

Peter Reinhart’s Bagels
Taken from Artisan Breads Every Day with a scary amount of directions, but in fact, the most thorough you will ever find for a single recipe.

Makes 6 to 8 regular bagels, 12 to 13 mini-bagels

Reinhart’s Notes: Bagels usually feature one other distinctive ingredient: barley malt. While this may seem like an exotic, hard to find product, it’s actually commonly available at most supermarkets. If you can’t find it, simply substitute an equal amount of honey. Your bagels might not have that malty flavor, but they’ll still be better than almost any bagel you can buy.

If you like bagels but do not want to set up the boiling operation just for six of them, feel free to double the size of the batch and bake enough to freeze for future use.

Variations: You can replace any amount of the bread flour with an equal amount of whole grain flour (by weight), such as wheat or rye. If you do so, increase the water in the dough by 1 tablespoon (0.5 oz/14 g) for every 2 ounces (56.6 g) of whole grain flour you substitute.

Top your bagels with any combination of the following garnishes: poppy seeds, sesame seeds, coarse salt, or rehydrated dried onions or garlic. (Soak dried onions or garlic in water to cover for at least 1 hour before applying.) The topping will stick even better if you first brush the top of each bagel with an egg white wash made by whisking 1 egg white with 1 tablespoon of water. If using coarse salt as a garnish, remember that a little goes a long way.

For raisin bagels, mix in 1 1/3 cups (8 oz/227 g) of raisins during the final 2 minutes of mixing and, if you like cinnamon, stir 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon into the flour before you start mixing. When the bagels come out of the oven, brush the tops with melted butter and dip the top into a bed of cinnamon sugar to give it a very tasty cinnamon crust.

Dough
1 tablespoon (0.75 oz/21 g) barley malt syrup, honey or rice syrup, or 1 teaspoon of diastatic malt powder.
1 teaspoon (0.11 oz/3 g) instant yeast
1 1/2 teaspoons (0.37 oz/10.5 g) salt, or 2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (9 oz/225 g) lukewarm water, about 95 Fahrenheit, 35 Celcius
3 1/2 cups (16 oz/454 g) unbleached bread flour

Poaching Liquid
2 to 3 quarts (64 to 96 oz/181 to 272 g) water
1 1/2 tablespoons (1 oz/28.5 g) barley malt syrup or honey
1 tablespoon (0.5 oz/14 g) baking soda
1 teaspoon (0.25 oz/7 g) salt, or 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

Day One:

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. If using a mixer, use the dough hook and mix on the lowest speed for 3 minutes. If mixing by hand, 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.

Resume mixing with the dough hook on the lowest speed for another 3 minutes or 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, barley tacky feel. If the dough seems too soft or overly tacky, mix or knead in a little more flour.

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.

Shaping 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. Divide the dough into 6 to 8 equal pieces (12 to 13 pieces for mini-bagels). (A typical bagel is about 4 ounces, or 113 grams before baking, buy you can make them smaller. If you make more than 6 bagels, you may need to prepare 2 sheet pans.) 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.) There are two methods to shape the balls into bagels.

The first method is to 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 (1-inch for mini-bagels).

The second method, preferred by professional bagel makers, is to use both hands (and a fair amount of pressure) to roll the ball into a rope about 8-inches (4 to 5-inches for mini-bagels) long on a clean, dry work surface. (Again, wipe the surface with a damp towel, if necessary, to create sufficient friction on the work surface.) Taper the rope slightly at each end and moisten the last inch or so of the ends. Place on end of the dough in the palm of your hand and wrap the rope around your hand to complete the circle (or mini-bagels, wrap around 3 fingers.), going between your thumb and forefinger and then all the way by closing your hand, then press the seam into the work surface, rolling it back and forth a few times to seal. Remove the dough from your hand, squeezing it to even out the thickness if need be and creating a hole of about 2-inches in diameter.

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. You can also proof the full piece of dough in the oiled bowl overnight and then shape the bagels on baking day, 60 to 90 minutes before boiling and baking them, or as soon as they pass the float test.

Day Two:

Float Test: Remove the bagels from the refrigerator 60 to 90 minutes before you plan to bake them, and if you plan to top them with dried onion or garlic, rehydrate those ingredients (see variation note above). 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 and 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. About 30 minutes before baking, preheat oven to 500-degrees and gather and prepare you garnishes.

Poaching: Fill a pot with 2 to 3 quarts of water, making sure the water is at least 4-inches deep. Cover and bring to a boil, then lower the heat to maintain at a simmer. Stir in the malt syrup or honey, baking soda, and salt.

Gently lower each bagel into the simmering 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 is important that the parchment paper be lightly oiled, or the paper will glue itself to the dough as the bagels bake.) Sprinkle on a generous amount of whatever toppings you like as soon as the bagels come out of the water (except for the cinnamon sugar).

Baking: Transfer the pan of bagels to the oven, then lower the heat to 450-degrees. Bake for 8 minutes then rotate the pan and check the underside of the bagels. If they’re getting too dark, place another sheet pan under the baking sheet to insulate it. bake for another 8 to 12 minutes, until the bagels are golden brown.

Cool on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes before slicing and serving.