It’s time for the perfect transition to fall: Tips and tricks for the best bagels

It’s the beginning of September and though it’s still hot as mid-summer in Sacramento, I find myself with mixed emotions. I love summer, with the heat and sunshine, and all the activities that go along with them. I don’t think I turned my oven on all summer. Why would you? Summer is the time to grill and cook outside.

But last week I woke up, corralled the dogs (this took some time and there were a few headbutts to my groin, as one of them is a bit much) and brought them outside. I was immediately hit with a cool breeze, which brought a surprising shiver and a flood of mental images. We’re talking sweaters, heartier dishes and red wine. Braised meats and roasted vegetables. Food and drink that is too heavy for the heat of summer. And those are also things I love. I was overwhelmed with the possibilities. I had forgotten all about fall and the deliciousness ahead. Maybe I can say goodbye to summer.

Okay, so I need to pump the brakes a little. It’s still summer. But as sunset gets earlier and earlier, I want to incorporate some of the possibilities that open into my cooking. We should think about food that will benefit from the plethora and freshness of summer. But it should also satisfy the itch for fall food. It’s time to fire up that oven, because I landed on bagels.

Bagels are one of my favorite foods. To be honest, I love bread of all kinds, especially if it is toasted. There is, however, something extra special about a bagel. The crunch of the toasted edges and the chewiness of the warm center is magical, and the perfect platform to enjoy a multitude of other flavors.

You can be a traditionalist and go with cream cheese, lox and red onion. Or use some of the peppers from the garden and do a jalapeno cream cheese and top with pickled jalapeno. Or if you are feeling extra adventurous, you can go off the deep end and top it with peanut butter, Sriracha, garlic and cilantro. (We call this “The Father-in-Law Special.” Thanks, Tom.) There is no end to the amount of deliciousness.

My go-to bagel recipe is a hybrid sourdough. My sourdough starter hadn’t seen the light of day all summer but is somehow still alive. (Sorry buddy, I promise to take better care of you during the bread months.) It’s a hybrid because I break from tradition and make an additional starter with my sourdough 12 hours before I make my bagels. It’s weird but it adds a lot of flavor. If you don’t have a sourdough starter you can opt to use dry yeast instead and they still come out great.

Bagels

Yield: 9 to 10 bagels

Ingredients

Starter

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup water, room temp

3 tablespoons sourdough starter (or 1 tablespoon instant dry yeast)

2 tablespoons honey

Dough

Premade starter

400 grams water, room temperature

900 grams high-gluten flour (King Arthur Sir Lancelot is my go-to)

14 grams salt

Egg wash

1 egg white

¼ cup water

Instructions:

▪ In a bowl, mix all your starter ingredients together, cover with plastic wrap, and leave at room temperature for 12 hours. (I make this in the evening and then make bagels the next morning.)

▪ In a mixer with the dough hook attachment, add the premade starter, water, high-gluten flour and salt. Mix at medium speed until the dough comes together and passes the windowpane test. (This should take 10-15 minutes and depending on the ambient humidity, you may need to add a little more high-gluten flour).

▪ Proof the dough in the mixing bowl covered with plastic wrap for 1 hour at 90 degrees Fahrenheit. (I use my oven with the light turned on.)

▪ Punch the dough down and repeat the step before.

▪ Portion the dough into 170-gram balls, cover with plastic wrap and let the dough bench rest for 20 minutes.

▪ While the dough rests, bring a wide-mouth pan full of water to a simmer (180 to 200 degrees Fahrenheit) on the stovetop, preheat your oven to 425 degrees and whisk together your egg wash.

▪ Shape. There are a lot of ways to do this. I like to roll the dough out into a 10-inch strand, then loop the ends together in an overhand knot, press the knot together and place them seam-side down. This gives the bagels a bit of a rustic look, which I like but some people might want to shape them into perfect loops. Hit up YouTube for other shaping options.

▪ Simmer the shaped bagels. To do this, I place the bagels into simmering water (only do as many as will fit into the pan without touching) let sit for 30 seconds, flip (a slotted spoon or spatula works great for this), let sit for another 30 seconds and then remove to a parchment-lined sheet pan.

▪ Repeat until all bagels are simmered.

▪ Egg wash the bagels and top with whatever you would like. I did Iclandic lava salt on some and Furikake (Japanese rice seasoning, comes in different flavors) on others. I left some plain, for good measure.

▪ Bake until golden brown and internal temperature hits 200 degrees Fahrenheit.

Enjoy! I love toasted bagels, but these are great fresh out of the oven. No toasting required until they cool down.