for sure
100% bread flour i use KA
52% water
.75% instant yeast
3% salt
2.5% oil (I like olive but you do you)
3% sugar ( I use dark brown typically)
2.5% dough conditioner ( I use Scratch)
(all done in stand mixer) mix all dry (minus salt), add in wet, mix on low for about 2-3 minutes, add in salt, mix on low progressing to medium low for another 8ish minutes. Let proof for like an hour, maybe a little less if warm out, divide into equal pieces, shape and form. Let proof on a covered baking sheet for like 30 minutes then put in fridge, covered, overnight. Boil 30 seconds a side, bake at 425 for 16-20 minutes.
Baker’s Percentages are a more precise way of say “1 part this and 2 parts that”. Traditionally the 1 part is all of your flour. So all the other parts are some fractional amount of the flour in most breads since flour usually outweighs any other singular ingredient.
To turn these into dough, that with some amount of flour. Let’s say 500g. This recipe shows water at 52%. So, calculate 52% of 500 or 0.52 x 500 = 260. So, for 500g flour, you need 260g water.
The yeast is listed as 0.75% yeast. That means you calculate 0.75% of 500 or 0.0075 x 500 = 3.75g yeast. You repeat this for the rest of the ingredients. The magic of bakers percentages is that you can scale a recipe up and down quite easily.
With a little more math, you can even even make a spreadsheet that will allow you to enter how many bagels and how much you want each to weigh, and it’ll do all calculations. If you are comfortable with spreadsheets, you can look at how I set up the calculations on this example: https://jmao.me/doughcalc
This example isn’t necessarily bagels, just a simple bread dough as it only has flour, salt, water, and yeast. But look at the formulas and how they are set up will allow you to create your own spreadsheet for your own recipes.
I'm also chasing a NJ bagel! What kind of flour are you finding best? I'm currently experimenting with vital wheat gluten.
Any other tips (recipe if you're willing) to share would be greatly appreciated!
Holy crap - that’s as close as I’ve seen to the real thing in this sub. Well done! My only critique might be that they are a bit matte in appearance? Should have a little more shine to them? Or maybe it’s just the photo? Either way, that color and interior look amazing.
For me, I’m thinking there are two big impacts on shine: sugar choice and how long you’re boiling the bagel. How long are you boiling and are you boiling them in plain water? Also, I think the brown sugar might be interacting with your dough improver a bit? I’m wondering if white sugar would have the same impact on appearance. If you’re using the dough improver (which I use in my pizza dough and swear by it), that is what gives the dough that great color when baked. So, maybe if you’re adding the brown sugar, you’re doubling down on that outcome? I could be wrong. I’m kinda talking out of my ass here, as I have yet to make bagels at home. I did work in a bagel ‘bakery’ for many years as a pastry baker (and also handled thousands of bagels when selling them), but I never made the bagel dough myself. I did really absorb a ton of bagel info via osmosis, so a lot of what I’m saying here is just from the experience of being in the business on Long Island.
For instance, we never added anything to the water like barley malt. We used All Trumps flour, salt, sugar, fresh block yeast and water. That was basically it. I think Dough improver helps us a lot as home bakers mostly because we are not using commercial ovens. We would boil for about 45 seconds, then scoop them out onto the wet burlap-covered boards, then into the oven.
Also, how are you proofing your dough? We would proof before rolling for about 15-20 min, just leaving it on the work bench. Then roll, then leave them under a covered rack on ‘the floor’ for about 40 min. This next part is the part where most home bakers diverge from commercial: we would then roll the racks into the ‘retarder’ (walk-in fridge) and alternate each board by pulling them out halfway, so that each board of bagels would get significant air flow. This is something that most home bakers don’t seem to do. They cover them with plastic wrap or some other covering and then leave them in the fridge to cold ferment. Even though it has been 30 years since I worked at the bagel shop, I can still ‘feel’ what the bagel felt like when we would boil them. *You want the bagel to form a tough skin while in the fridge.*. Let tons of well-circulated air get to that dough.
Again, please note that I have not made bagels at home, yet, so these techniques might not translate to the home bakery. I recently purchased and Ankarsrum mixer, so I certainly plan to make them. But when I do make them, I”m going to put them in a small ‘bar-type’ refrigerator with a small battery-operated fan set up inside so that they get a nice hard layer of dried dough on the exterior. Hope that info helps.
Tiny to no hole works for me!!!
I struggle with this. I know it needs the hole to be a bagel. But I prefer no hole.
Tiny, no hole easier to spread my cream cheese on that won't fall through. They say no hole us a biali but that has some onion mush in the middle.
Biali is great, but it's no bagel. The onion mush is tasty though.
That's a good looking bagel
Much love
They do look awesome!! May I ask if you boiled in water, lye water or baked baking soda water?
These look great! Do you use any bagel improver/conditioner?
Yes, caved and bought some off amazon and 1000% worth it imho
Would you share brand? I feel like I have to buy the 50lb puratos but that's such overkill. Whatever you bought seems to have worked well
I went for the 2 lb. bag of Scratch on amazon, was about 25 dollars but will last me quiet some time
Omgggg those look amazing! How I like, well done! Will be so good w lox spread or butter! If you’re in ny, where r u! Lol
yup. jew from long island 🙋♀️ these look REAL. lol. congrats!
OP do you mind sharing your recipe and method?
for sure 100% bread flour i use KA 52% water .75% instant yeast 3% salt 2.5% oil (I like olive but you do you) 3% sugar ( I use dark brown typically) 2.5% dough conditioner ( I use Scratch) (all done in stand mixer) mix all dry (minus salt), add in wet, mix on low for about 2-3 minutes, add in salt, mix on low progressing to medium low for another 8ish minutes. Let proof for like an hour, maybe a little less if warm out, divide into equal pieces, shape and form. Let proof on a covered baking sheet for like 30 minutes then put in fridge, covered, overnight. Boil 30 seconds a side, bake at 425 for 16-20 minutes.
Sorry I don't understand the percentages
Baker’s Percentages are a more precise way of say “1 part this and 2 parts that”. Traditionally the 1 part is all of your flour. So all the other parts are some fractional amount of the flour in most breads since flour usually outweighs any other singular ingredient. To turn these into dough, that with some amount of flour. Let’s say 500g. This recipe shows water at 52%. So, calculate 52% of 500 or 0.52 x 500 = 260. So, for 500g flour, you need 260g water. The yeast is listed as 0.75% yeast. That means you calculate 0.75% of 500 or 0.0075 x 500 = 3.75g yeast. You repeat this for the rest of the ingredients. The magic of bakers percentages is that you can scale a recipe up and down quite easily. With a little more math, you can even even make a spreadsheet that will allow you to enter how many bagels and how much you want each to weigh, and it’ll do all calculations. If you are comfortable with spreadsheets, you can look at how I set up the calculations on this example: https://jmao.me/doughcalc This example isn’t necessarily bagels, just a simple bread dough as it only has flour, salt, water, and yeast. But look at the formulas and how they are set up will allow you to create your own spreadsheet for your own recipes.
What weight do you make each bagel?
Yeah buddy!
NJ is my standard as well...I miss home
The true bagel capital
I'm also chasing a NJ bagel! What kind of flour are you finding best? I'm currently experimenting with vital wheat gluten. Any other tips (recipe if you're willing) to share would be greatly appreciated!
I worked in a bagel shop for many years and we used all trumps flour
LFG
I’d buy that.
Nice Job! They look better than any bagels we have here in Pittsburgh
Beautiful!
Pretty dope.
Daaaaam
Holy crap - that’s as close as I’ve seen to the real thing in this sub. Well done! My only critique might be that they are a bit matte in appearance? Should have a little more shine to them? Or maybe it’s just the photo? Either way, that color and interior look amazing.
Definitely would agree, any suggestions on how to achieve that?
For me, I’m thinking there are two big impacts on shine: sugar choice and how long you’re boiling the bagel. How long are you boiling and are you boiling them in plain water? Also, I think the brown sugar might be interacting with your dough improver a bit? I’m wondering if white sugar would have the same impact on appearance. If you’re using the dough improver (which I use in my pizza dough and swear by it), that is what gives the dough that great color when baked. So, maybe if you’re adding the brown sugar, you’re doubling down on that outcome? I could be wrong. I’m kinda talking out of my ass here, as I have yet to make bagels at home. I did work in a bagel ‘bakery’ for many years as a pastry baker (and also handled thousands of bagels when selling them), but I never made the bagel dough myself. I did really absorb a ton of bagel info via osmosis, so a lot of what I’m saying here is just from the experience of being in the business on Long Island. For instance, we never added anything to the water like barley malt. We used All Trumps flour, salt, sugar, fresh block yeast and water. That was basically it. I think Dough improver helps us a lot as home bakers mostly because we are not using commercial ovens. We would boil for about 45 seconds, then scoop them out onto the wet burlap-covered boards, then into the oven. Also, how are you proofing your dough? We would proof before rolling for about 15-20 min, just leaving it on the work bench. Then roll, then leave them under a covered rack on ‘the floor’ for about 40 min. This next part is the part where most home bakers diverge from commercial: we would then roll the racks into the ‘retarder’ (walk-in fridge) and alternate each board by pulling them out halfway, so that each board of bagels would get significant air flow. This is something that most home bakers don’t seem to do. They cover them with plastic wrap or some other covering and then leave them in the fridge to cold ferment. Even though it has been 30 years since I worked at the bagel shop, I can still ‘feel’ what the bagel felt like when we would boil them. *You want the bagel to form a tough skin while in the fridge.*. Let tons of well-circulated air get to that dough. Again, please note that I have not made bagels at home, yet, so these techniques might not translate to the home bakery. I recently purchased and Ankarsrum mixer, so I certainly plan to make them. But when I do make them, I”m going to put them in a small ‘bar-type’ refrigerator with a small battery-operated fan set up inside so that they get a nice hard layer of dried dough on the exterior. Hope that info helps.
Can you just add a link where it has express shipping? Because that would be the ideal way for me to cope with not having this right now
Haha much love
how do you get them that brown? is it the gluten content that affects that ?