If you were born, raised, or spent any significant time in New York you start to wonder why it's impossible to find certain food items in other parts of the country. Specifically, I'm talking about bagels and pizza. Sure, there are products sold as bagels and pizza but they're not the same thing. My mother, a Bronx native, claims it's the water. After all, its not as if there aren't Jews in LA or Italians in Boston who have the desire to make these delectable treats. But for whatever reason, they're not the same.
Personally, I find the absence of quality bagels across the country a greater concern. There seems to have been a greater proliferation of passable pizza over the years. However, once you leave the New York metropolitan area, it's all rolls with holes, not a bagel in sight. And if you're going to eat a bagel in New York it's not complete without cream cheese and lox. This is my ode to that glorious combo.
Making the salmon is easy, almost too easy. Sometimes lox is cold smoked. But I wasn't going to go through the trouble of buying oak chips and smoking fish on my roof in the middle of winter. So, I used a very basic curing recipe and honestly, you cannot tell the difference. Per one pound of salmon fillet you need:
3 Tablespoons salt
1 Tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons cracked black pepper
1 bunch of fresh dill
In a bowl mix the salt, sugar and pepper. Place a large piece of saran wrap on a cutting board and put the salmon on top. Completely cover the salmon with the salt mixture and place the dill on top. Wrap the whole thing tightly in plastic wrap and then double wrap it. Keep in the fridge for three days in an open tupperware. That's it. It's awesome.
Now, bagels are not difficult to make, they just require a lot of steps. However, no one step is particularly challenging even for the amateur bagel maker, like myself. Here goes:
1 (1/4-ounce) packet active dry yeast + 1 teaspoon (3 1/4 teaspoons total)
4 cups bread flour
4 tablespoons malt syrup
1 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt
4 teaspoons granulated sugar
I want to comment on two things before I move forward. First bread flour is preferred over all purpose flour because it has a higher gluten content which you need in order to achieve chewiness in the bagel. Also, you may be asking, "What is malt syrup?" Malt syrup is an earthy less sweet than honey syrup derived from barley and corn. You can find it in most organic or health food stores. Many people replace malt syrup with brown sugar, but the syrup is what gives bagels that certain bagely 'je ne se quois'.
Place 1 1/2 cups of the tepid water in a bowl and dissolve the yeast completely; set aside. Combine flour, half of the malt syrup, salt, and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment. Add yeast mixture, scraping any undissolved yeast out of the bowl with a spatula.
Mix on low until most of the loose flour has been worked into the dough and the dough looks shredded, about 2 minutes. Increase the speed to medium low and continue mixing until the dough is stiff, smooth, and elastic, about 8 to 9 minutes more. (If the dough gets stuck on the hook or splits into 2 pieces, stop the machine, scrape off the hook, and mash the dough back into the bottom of the bowl.) The dough should be dry, not tacky or sticky, and somewhat stiff.
Shape the dough into a ball, place it in a large oiled bowl, and turn it to coat in oil. Cover the bowl with a damp towel and let the dough rise in a warm place, until it is noticeably puffy and springs back when you poke it, about 20 minutes. (The dough will not double in size.)
Meanwhile, heat the oven to 425°F and arrange the rack in the middle. Fill a large, wide, shallow pan (about 3 to 6 quarts) with water, bring to a boil over high heat, add the rest of the malt syrup, then reduce heat to medium low and let simmer. Cover until you’re ready to boil the bagels. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper greased with oil or cooking spray. Place a metal rack inside of a second baking sheet and set aside.
Turn the risen dough out onto a dry surface. Divide the dough into 6 equal pieces, about 6 ounces each. (While you work, keep the dough you’re not handling covered with a damp towel to prevent drying.) Roll each piece into a 9-inch-long rope, lightly moisten the ends with water, overlap the ends by about 1 inch, and press to join so you’ve created a bagel. As necessary, widen the hole in the middle so it is approximately the size of a quarter. Cover the shaped bagels with a damp towel and let rest 10 minutes.
After resting, stretch the dough to retain the quarter-size hole (the dough will have risen a bit) and boil the bagels 3 or 4 at a time, making sure they have room to bob around. Cook for about 30 seconds on each side until the bagels have a shriveled look, then remove to the baking sheet with the rack in it. Adjust heat as necessary so the water stays at a simmer.
Whisk together the remaining 1 tablespoon water and the egg white until evenly combined. Brush the egg wash all over the bagels, then sprinkle as desired with poppy seeds, sesame seeds, or coarse salt. Arrange the bagels on the baking sheet lined with parchment paper about 1 inch apart and bake. Rotate the pan after 15 minutes and bake until the bagels are a deep caramel color and have formed a crust on the bottom and top, about 10 minutes more. Remove from the oven and let cool on a rack for at least 30 minutes so the interiors finish cooking and the crusts form a chewy exterior.
This recipe is adapted from one I found on chow.com. Their process was dead on but I made some tweaks that really pushed this bagel to mimic something you'd find in New York. Enjoy.
