# I made bagels today **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 19, 2013, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-made-bagels-today/658733 "2013-05-19T16:25:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2013, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-made-bagels-today/658733/1 "2013-05-19T16:25:55Z")
Actually over the past two days. They came out perfectly and are about as close to a NYC bagel as I’m gonna get, I think. The diastatic malt makes a big difference in the consistency, and allowing the dough to retard in the fridge overnight helps a lot as well. This morning, I took them out of the fridge, boiled them for a minute on each side, egg wash, toppings, then baked at 500F. Fucking yum. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2013, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-made-bagels-today/658733/2 "2013-05-19T16:35:38Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > The diastatic malt makes a big difference in the consistency, and allowing the dough to retard in the fridge overnight helps a lot as well. I will try that next time. I’ve just used honey, and been less than satisfied. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2013, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-made-bagels-today/658733/3 "2013-05-19T16:54:29Z")
> [@Larry\_Mudd](#): > > I will try that next time. I’ve just used honey, and been less than satisfied. I’ve seen honey suggested as an alternative to the malt, but it would seem that it would contribute a flavor unbagellike. This recipe called for a teaspoon (or maybe it was a tablespoon) of malt (or malt syrup), but I’ve seen some that call for much more. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2013, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-made-bagels-today/658733/4 "2013-05-19T17:18:07Z")
Recipe [here](http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2007/09/bronx-worthy-bagels/), by the way. ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2013, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-made-bagels-today/658733/5 "2013-05-19T17:22:07Z")
The one thing I’m not seeing in that recipe is potato starch. Traditionally in the form of “potato water” - water in which potatoes have been boiled. In my own experience, it adds another, needed, layer to the chewiness. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2013, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-made-bagels-today/658733/6 "2013-05-19T17:48:02Z")
> [@Hello\_Again](#): > > The one thing I’m not seeing in that recipe is potato starch. Traditionally in the form of “potato water” - water in which potatoes have been boiled. > > In my own experience, it adds another, needed, layer to the chewiness. This one calls for adding baking soda to the water. Also, if you boil them for more than the one minute on each side, they become chewier. I’m not sure how potato water would cause that effect. ---
**Author:** ![the\_O](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@the\_O](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_O)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2013, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-made-bagels-today/658733/7 "2013-05-20T02:12:13Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > This one calls for adding baking soda to the water. Doesn’t that make them a pretzel? ---
**Author:** ![JKilez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e5b9ba/32.png) [@JKilez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKilez)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2013, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-made-bagels-today/658733/8 "2013-05-20T03:22:39Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > I’ve seen honey suggested as an alternative to the malt, but it would seem that it would contribute a flavor unbagellike. This recipe called for a teaspoon (or maybe it was a tablespoon) of malt (or malt syrup), but I’ve seen some that call for much more. While barley malt is the key to capturing the true bagel-y flavor of bagels, I have found that blackstrap molasses comes close (or at least closer than honey, karo or sugar). ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2013, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-made-bagels-today/658733/9 "2013-05-20T15:29:14Z")
> [@the\_O](#): > > Doesn’t that make them a pretzel? The consistency of a bagel is similar to that of a soft pretzel, IMO. ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2013, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-made-bagels-today/658733/10 "2013-05-20T16:15:50Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > This one calls for adding baking soda to the water. Also, if you boil them for more than the one minute on each side, they become chewier. I’m not sure how potato water would cause that effect. It adds.. Differently textured starch? To be clear “potato water” is an ingredient in the mix, not something to do with the boiling stage. All I’m telling you is what my cookbook from the 50s told me to do, and its the only recipe I’ve found acceptable after trying 4 or 5 allegedly “awesome” bagel recipes. Bagels are pretty terrible healthwise, so I wont eat them unless they are _perfect_. I’m so picky about bagels, there’s only a handful of places in NYC I’ll even buy them, and I live in Queens. The surface bubbling and shiny, crispy looking crust seen in your recipes puctures concern me. the outer part of a bagel should be only slightly tougher than the interior. But if you’re happy that’s all that matters. Just sharing my insanely picky experience. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2013, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-made-bagels-today/658733/11 "2013-05-20T16:23:57Z")
> [@the\_O](#): > > Doesn’t that make them a pretzel? Pretzels are made in a solution of lye, but baking soda is a common substitute. But I believe bagels are also sometimes made in a lye or baking soda bath, and I agree that bagels are somewhat pretzel-like. Plus there’s different kinds of bagels, like Montreal-style bagels (my favorite), which are boiled in water (often sweetened with a little bit of honey) and baked in a wood-fired oven (this is one of the most important parts.) There’s many different ways to make a bagel. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2013, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-made-bagels-today/658733/12 "2013-05-20T16:53:02Z")
> [@Hello\_Again](#): > > It adds.. Differently textured starch? To be clear “potato water” is an ingredient in the mix, not something to do with the boiling stage. > > All I’m telling you is what my cookbook from the 50s told me to do, and its the only recipe I’ve found acceptable after trying 4 or 5 allegedly “awesome” bagel recipes. Bagels are pretty terrible healthwise, so I wont eat them unless they are _perfect_. I’m so picky about bagels, there’s only a handful of places in NYC I’ll even buy them, and I live in Queens. The surface bubbling and shiny, crispy looking crust seen in your recipes puctures concern me. the outer part of a bagel should be only slightly tougher than the interior. > > But if you’re happy that’s all that matters. Just sharing my insanely picky experience. Ah, I stand corrected and may have to try the potato water thing. The texture is just as you described: crisp and chewy surface, not so much in the interior. I wouldn’t go too much by the photos. I think you’re seeing normal deformities from shaping the dough rather than bubbling. At least that’s how mine came out. They really are excellent. ---
**Author:** ![That\_Don\_Guy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/that_don_guy/32/538_2.png) [@That\_Don\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/That_Don_Guy)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2013, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-made-bagels-today/658733/13 "2013-05-20T17:28:41Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > The diastatic malt makes a big difference in the consistency How do you keep diastatic malt from hardening into a solid block? I have to break it apart with a hammer (and I wonder what my townhouse neighbors think when I do it).