Ingredients
Dough
- 2 3/4 cups (330g) Unbleached Bread Flour
- 1 cup (106g) Pumpernickel Flour (whole rye flour)
- 2 tablespoons (14g) Rye Bread Improver (or vital wheat gluten)
- 1 tablespoon (14g) non-diastatic malt powder or light brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon black cocoa, for dark pumpernickel color
- 2 teaspoons (12g) salt
- 1 1/4 cups (283g) water
- 2 teaspoons active dry yeast
Boiling Water
- 1 ½ gallons water
- 1 Tbsp barley syrup
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 2 tablespoons (28g) non-diastatic malt powder or light brown sugar
Accoutrements
- 1 pack smoked salmon
- Capers
- Dill
- Cream cheese
Directions
Bagels
- Weigh your flour; or measure it by gently spooning it into a cup, then sweeping off any excess. Combine the dough ingredients and mix and knead – by hand, mixer, or bread machine – until a stiff smooth dough forms.
- Once all dry ingredients have been added, let dough knead for 20 minutes. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let sit in fridge for 20 minutes.
- While the dough is sitting, grease a half size sheet pan, line with parchment paper, and grease top of paper as well. Cut the dough and form into balls that weigh 65 grams. For the balls, tuck the dough underneath themselves, making them smooth and round. Cover with a damp towel in between formations because the dough develops a skin very quickly. Cover the balls with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for another 20 minutes.
- Remove from fridge and gently make a hole in the middle and stretch out by circling the middle with two fingers. Once all are in bagel form, cover again with plastic wrap, and let sit out for 20 minutes before putting in the fridge overnight for at least 24 hours.
- Bring the water, malt powder, barley syrup, and sugar to a very gentle boil in a wide-rimmed pot. Preheat the oven to 425°F.
- Transfer bagels, four at a time, to the simmering water. Cook for 2 minutes on one side, flip over gently, and cook for another minute.
- Remove the bagels from the water and return to the baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining bagels.
- Bake the bagels for 25 minutes, until they're set and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of one registers at least 190°F.
- Remove the bagels from the oven, and cool on a rack.
Optional assembly
- Either chop up your smoked salmon and dill and stir it into the cream cheese or sprinkle dill and capers on top the cream cheese and slap some salmon on it!