Bagels, American Style

How to prepare bagels, american style

1. In a cup, dissolve the yeast in warm water mixed with sugar. Let it sit in a warm place for about 10 minutes, just until you see foam on top, a sign that the yeast is active.
2. Mix the flour with the salt. Pour the yeast mixture and melted butter on top and knead until the dough comes together. Continue kneading by hand for another 10 minutes, or 5 minutes in a stand mixer, or one kneading cycle in a bread machine. You'll get an elastic dough that's not sticky at all.
3. Place the dough in a large bowl greased with oil and let it rise in a warm place (I put it in the oven at 30C) until it doubles in volume. It takes about 1 hour.
4. Turn the dough out onto the work surface and divide it into 8 equal pieces (about 100g/piece). I first divided it into 4, then each piece in half.
5. Form a ball from each piece. Slightly flatten each ball with your palm and make a hole in the middle with your finger. Widen the hole a bit to allow room for rising. Cover the formed bagels with plastic wrap and let them rise while you do the next step (at least 15 minutes).
6. In a pot, put 2 liters of water and bring to a boil. Add the baking soda (be careful, it foams! if the pot isn't big enough, add it slowly). Turn the heat to low.
8. Place the bagels in the gently simmering water, as many as will fit in the pot without crowding. Boil for 30 seconds, flip them with a spatula and let them boil for another 30 seconds.
9. Remove the bagels with a slotted spatula and place them directly on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Brush the bagels with olive oil. Sprinkle with za'atar or freshly ground pepper. Then sprinkle coarse salt on all the bagels.
10. Bake the bagels at 210C for 20-25 minutes, until they're nicely golden.
11. Remove them to a platter and let them cool completely. After cooling, the crust will become crispy. They're best on the day they were baked.

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