Jewish Style Water Bagels+

Yield: 6 large bagels
Time:

• Sponge: 2.5+ hours
• Dough: 1 hour + Overnight for slow rise
• Baking: 13-25 mins at 450 F (230 C), convection

Ingredients

Sponge

• 2 cups (260 g) high-gluten bread flour (King Arthur brand)
  OR 2 cups (260 g) bread flour + 2 tbsp  vital wheat gluten
• 1/2 tsp dry yeast
• 1 1/2 cup (360 ml) water at 110F (43C)  *1

Dough

• 1 1/2 cups (195 g) bread flour
• 1/4 tsp dry yeast
• 1/2 tbsp barley malt syrup *2
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1 1/2 tsp (9 g) of salt

Boiling, Topping and Baking

• 1 tbsp barley malt syrup *2
• 1 tbsp baking soda
• Cornmeal or semolina flour
• Poppy seeds and/or sesame seeds, or kosher salt (optional)

Directions

Make the sponge:

1. In the Kitchen Aid mixer metal bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water and let stand for 5 minutes.
2. Mix in flour. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until it doubles in volume, at least two hours.

Make the dough: 

1. Mix in malt syrup, honey and salt to the sponge, and sift in bread flour. Mix mostly (?).
2. Knead with Kitchen Aid for 3 minutes at Speed 0, then for 3 minutes at Speed 2. Or knead for 10 minutes by hand, until the dough become satin and smooth but not sticky, with no dry flour remaining. *3
3. Divide the dough into 6 pieces. Cover them with a damp paper towel and let them rest for 15 minutes. 
4. Place a piece of greased parchment paper on a baking sheet. 
5. Shape the ball by either "Rope-and-loop" or "Stretch-and-poke" method, and place them on the baking sheet. *4
6. Spray the bagels with a light cooking oil spray and lay a sheet of plastic wrap over them. Let sit for 10 minutes at room temperature.
7. Place the baking sheet in the refrigerator to let rest overnight (up to 36 hours). 

Boiling and Baking:

1. Fill a pot with water and stir in malt syrup and baking soda. Bring to a boil.
2. Preheat the Breville Smart Oven to 450 F (230 C), convection mode.
3. Place a piece of greased parchment paper on a baking sheet, and sprinkle some cornmeal or semolina flour on the parchment paper. 
4. Take the bagels out of the refrigerator. 
5. Gently place 2 - 3 bagels in the boiling water. 
6. Boil bagels for 45 seconds then flip them over and boil for an additional 30 seconds. *5 
7. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain bagels. Place them on the baking sheet and sprinkle them with toppings (optional). 
8. Bake for 13 minutes. Once they’re done, place them on cooling racks and let them sit for 15 minutes.  They should only be slightly golden brown.

Note

Based on recipe How to Make a Traditional Jewish Style Deli Water Bagel
Referred: 10 Tips for Making Schmear-Worthy Homemade Bagels, How to Make Bagels at Home


*1 It may taste better when using colder water, although it will take longer rise.
*2 Substitute 1 part barley malt syrup to 2 parts non-diastatic malt powder if desired.
*3 Make flavored bagels by adding something like cinnamons-raisins into the dough, one web site recommends to do so after proofing - not sure if it is the time here or not because of that.
*4

• Stretch-and-poke: You shape the dough portion into a rough bagel shape, stretch it out, and poke a hole in it with your finger
• Rope-and-loop: You form a snake shape, loop it around your hand, and roll it on the counter to seal it together

*5 "The longer you boil bagels, the tougher and more chewy the crust will become. 45 seconds to 1 minute per side seems to be ideal. If you desire a chewier bagel, you can boil these up to 2 minutes per side. The consistency and flavor will be fine, but there's a small trade-off - your bagels won't rise to a nice rounded height quite as much - they'll tend to be a little flatter when finished."