Servings: 24x 125g bagels

55% Hydration Dough 55% Hydration Dough
1070 grams warm water 1070 grams warm water
1930 grams bread flour 1930 grams bread flour
10 grams diastatic malt powder 10 grams diastatic malt powder
5 grams active dry yeast 5 grams active dry yeast
5 grams brown sugar (yeast food) 5 grams brown sugar (yeast food)
40 grams Salt 40 grams Salt

Mix Warm Water (90 to 100 degrees), active dry yeast and brown sugar and allow to bloom for 5 to 10 minutes.
Mix your bread flour, malt powder, salt and slowly incorporate into your water/yeast mixture until fully incorporated.
It’s going to be VERY crumbly/dry at first but knead it for 10 to 12 minutes to hydrate your dough and create a strong gluten structure.
Result should be a relative smooth dough ball that passes the window-pane test.
Place into oiled bowl, cover and allow to rise until 50 to 75% risen.
Remove your dough ball and cut out into 24 to 125 gram pieces (bigger or smaller per your preference)
Knock out the air in each piece by flattening it out then shaping into tight balls. Allow to rest 5 to 10 minutes
Final Shaping. Press a hole through the center and using 2 fingers on each side of the hole spread it out to 2” width while making a symmetrical ring of your dough. (The dough will shrink back and the hole will be smaller then what it appears at first)
Cover these on a floured sheet pan and allow to proof for 30 to 45 minutes or until puffy but not huge.
Get a pot of water boiling with 2 tablespoons of baking soda and 2 tablespoons of honey/molasses or if you’re fancy Barley Malt Syrup. Will add sweetness/color and baking soda will add crispness to the skin once baked. Similar to roasted potatoes.
The boiling will gelatinize the outside and allow for faster/more even browning. Chewy outside instead of crunchy like most other types of bread like baguettes
Boil for 45 seconds- 1 minute each side then allow to cool.
Bring oven to 475 degrees then bake your bagels for 19 to 20 minutes. If you want to season- do so after your bagels come out of the water bath. Big flakes preferably. Small particles will burn.
Allow to cool a bit then dig in!
If using a preferment, I do 400 grams of each for a 800 gram poolish out of the total.