Hybrid sourdough bagels
When I'm in the mood nothing beats a fresh chewy bagel and for me this can be one of the most satisfying breakfast or lunch breads. I know some people aren't so into bagels, but I just think that (maybe) they've never had a great boiled bagel that came out of the oven a few minutes ago.
So, I bake a lot of bagels and thought it might be good to write a bit about my preferred recipe here. First a disclaimer - it isn't really mine - it is mostly Jeffrey Hamelman's "Bagels with Pâte Fermentée" [1] recipe!
Where I make it differently is that I think using a regular hydration (100%) unsalted sourdough starter plus a little wholemeal flour brings with it a lovely flavour and freshness, and that this makes for a great replacement for the pâte fermentée from the original recipe.
Dough then becomes:
690g bread flour
76g wholemeal flour
200g levain (100% hydration, made with bread flour, usually from overnight ferment)
397g water at around 30°C
18g salt
1 3/4 teaspoons instant yeast
1 1/4 teaspoons diastatic malt powder
Also, instead of sprinkling the baking sheet with semolina or cornmeal as Jeffrey does, what works well for me is a quick spritz of water and a sprinkling of brown rice flour which makes it easier to pick up the bagels for the boil. I've also figured out that I like bagels with a slightly shorter bake - so about 15 minutes at 230°C for the nice chew and softness.
This hybrid version, and Jeffrey's original pâte fermentée, are such lovely go-to recipes for bagels.