Better mornings, by hand

Lesson 2 of 4

Shape bagels that keep their height

Even tension, sufficient rest and controlled proofing help a bagel hold its shape.

Ingredients for this learning path

• Bread flour for bagels; all-purpose flour for muffins
• Ripe starter at the hydration in your chosen recipe
• Water or milk, as specified
• Salt, honey and butter where needed
• Cornmeal or semolina for English muffins

Equipment

• Scale and bench scraper
• Parchment squares
• Wide pot and slotted spoon
• Heavy griddle
• Instant-read thermometer

The lesson

1. Divide dough into equal weights. Round each portion tightly, cover and allow the gluten to relax before making a hole.
2. Press through the center, then stretch gently and evenly. Make the hole larger than your desired finished hole because proofing and baking will shrink it.
3. Proof on lightly oiled parchment squares until aerated but still resilient. Extremely puffy, fragile bagels may be overproofed and can collapse during boiling.
4. A flat underside is normal on a tray-baked bagel. Rotating a tray evens browning; flipping midway is a separate technique and will not fix weak dough.

The baker’s note

If your bagels flatten, review dough strength, proofing and handling before changing the oven.

Practice

Shape three bagels and compare their tension and hole size.

Technique lessons may require a separate complete formula. Read the full path before mixing.