Overnight Bagels
- 480 g water
- 20 g yeast
- 350 g flour
- Malt or molasses
- 500 g flour
- 1 tbs salt
- 1 egg white
- 1 tbs baking soda
- 50 g sugar
- Malt
- Everything Topping
- 2 tablespoons poppy seeds
- 2 tablespoons white sesame seeds
- 1 1/2 tablespoons dehydrated chopped onion
- 1 tablespoon dehydrated minced garlic
- 1/2 tablespoon flaked sea salt
Method
Combine the water, yeast and 350 g flour in a mixing bowl. Mix to form a thick batter. Cover the bowl and set aside for 30-60 minutes.
Add the barley malt syrup and salt. Add flour and mix to combine. Knead 5 minutes on medium/low speed. Form the dough into a smooth ball.
Put the dough into a lightly oiled bowl, turning once to coat the dough. Cover the bowl and set aside to rise for 1 hour or until doubled in size.
Line a half sheet pan with parchment paper then lightly sprinkle the paper with flour. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead briefly. Divide the dough into 12 even pieces. Use a cupped hand to roll each piece into a smooth ball.
To form a bagel, poke your finger all the way through the center of a ball to make a hole. Use two fingers to gently open up the hole. Continue gently stretching to form the bagel or twirl the dough around your fingers to widen the center hole.
Place the bagel on the prepared sheet pan and continue to form the remaining bagels. The dough will probably spring back a bit so you can go back and re-stretch the holes once you're done forming all the bagels. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature for 15 minutes then place the pan in the refrigerator overnight.
In the morning, take the pan out of the refrigerator and unwrap it. Preheat the oven to 250°. In a large pot, combine 2 liters of water with the sugar and baking soda and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat to keep the water at a rolling simmer. Set a cooling rack over a clean sheet pan and place it next to the stove. Lift a bagel off the sheet pan, holding it by the center hole so it stretches a bit as it goes into the water. Boil the bagels for 30 seconds on each side. Depending on the size of your pot, you can boil 3-4 bagels at a time. As you remove the boiled bagels from the water, set them on the cooling rack to drain.
Line two half-sheet pans with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Place 6 of the boiled bagels on each sheet pan. You could fit them all on one pan but they may rise enough to stick together as they bake. I like all the sides to be crusty so I leave plenty of room between them.
Brush the bagels with egg white. You can leave the bagels plain or add the topping of your choice. To make "everything" bagels combine a tablespoon each of the seeds & salt with a pinch each of garlic salt and onion powder. Adjust toppings to your taste.
Bake until golden brown, about 15-20 minutes.