So Jessica, what do you do on a Saturday afternoon?

Well, I like to sleep in, work out, make some cold-brewed iced coffee, clean, and more importantly, overcome culinary roadblocks like high-altitude baking… which I finally did today!

I’ve been fussing with baking since I moved to Boulder. Breads never come out right, my cupcakes always over or under rise, things take so long to finish, etc. Ive wanted to try making bagels from scratch for months but was too scared to bother to try with altitude shenanigans. So I did some research about high altitude baking, found a good recipe, adjusted where needed (less yeast, more salt, less sugar, more water, less heat, etc), and went for it.

And ohhh snap was it ever a SUCCESS! The high-altitude demon is defeated! And of course I took pictures along the way…

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Getting the board ready for kneading… cinnamon sugar mixing also…

Toppings mis en place…

Cinnamon sugar is messy… oooh iced coffe…

They’re really excited for bagels…

Post-rising, post-punch down and divided into 12 pieces. No, they don’t quite look like bagels yet…

Gettin there…

Smashy smash!

Now they look like bagels!

One more short rise before boiling…

Homemade steam facial…

It’s too hot in the hot tub! Boiling them is what gives them the chewy outer layer.

Yes, they look hideous here.

Pre-bake…

Hot n fresh from the oven!

Flavors in order, going from top left to the right and down:

Plain, sea salt, grated red onion, chopped garlic, plain, dill seed, grated red onion, chopped garlic, caraway seed (basically rye), poppy seed, sesame seed and cinnamon sugar.

I’m sorry there’s no smell-o-vision…

Slicey slice…

Toasty tasty.

Om nom nom… the half without accessories didn’t even last while I took the photo.

They’re seriously the best bagels I’ve ever had and they weren’t even that hard/ that much work – especially compared to the breads I usually make. Just one 40-minute rise, shaping them, boiling them and baking them. I used the Jo Goldenberg Parisian bagel recipe (you can use the original if you don’t live in the mountains like me) as my base since it didn’t have a 24 hour rest, and adjusted it for altitude.  I changed the ingredients and rising time, but other than that, it’s all Jo’s recipe, really.

Jessica’s Mile-High Bagels (har har)

Adapted from Jo Goldenberg’s recipe

Ingredients

• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 packages dry yeast
• 1 1/4 tablespoons kosher salt
• 1 3/4 cups hot water
• 3 quarts water (for boiling)
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 egg white beaten with a splash of water

Directions

1. Make the dough: In a mixing bowl (or the bowl of an electric mixer) measure 3 cups of the flour and stir in all the remaining dry ingredients. Pour in the hot water, and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon (or with the flat paddle attachment of the electric mixer at low speed) and beat for about 2 minutes.

Add the remaining half-cup of flour, a little at a time, stirring by hand. When the batter becomes thick and heavy, attach the mixer’s dough hook (if using) or lift the dough from the bowl and place it on a lightly floured work surface for kneading by hand.

2. Knead the dough: Knead the dough at medium low speed on the mixer – or by hand (using a push, turn and fold motion, energetically) for about 10 minutes – or until the dough is firm and solid when pinched with the fingers. Add flour as needed if the dough is sticky in your hands, or sticks to the sides of the mixing bowl (if using electric mixer).

3. First Rising: When dough is kneaded enough, place it in an oiled mixing bowl, cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap, and set aside at room temperature until it has doubled in volume – about 40 minutes.

4. Prepare water bath: Near the end of this rising time, bring the 3 quarts of water to the boil in a large saucepan. Add the sugar; then, reduce the heat and leave the water just barely moving – at a slow simmer.

5. Shape the bagels: When the dough has doubled in volume, turn it out onto a lightly floured work surface and punch it down with extended fingers to remove excess gas.

Divide the dough into 10 pieces (each will weigh about 3-4 ounces), I did it with a pizza cutter, thus the weird shape. Shape each piece into a ball. Allow the balls to stand and relax for a few minutes – then flatten each one with the palm of your hand.

With your thumb, press deep into the center of the bagel and tear the depression open with your fingers. Pull the hole open, pull it down over a finger and smooth the rough edges. It should look like a bagel! Form all of the bagels and place them on your work surface.

6. Second Rising: Cover the shaped bagels with wax paper or parchment paper. Leave them at room temperature just until the dough has risen slightly – about 10 minutes (this is called a “half proof”).  Don’t let them overproof here otherwise they won’t sink, then float, although supposedly it’s no big deal if they don’t.

7. Prepare the baking sheet: Preheat the oven to 375° F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

8. Water-bathing the bagels: Into the gently simmering water prepared earlier, slip one bagel at a time (use a large skimmer, and gently lower them into the water). Simmer only 2 or 3 bagels at a time – do not crowd the pan. The bagels will sink and then rise again after a few seconds. Simmer gently for one minute, turning each bagel over once during that time. Lift each bagel out of the water with the skimmer, drain briefly on a towel, then place each bagel on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat until all bagels are simmered, drained and on the baking sheet. (Fun note – the sugar that was added to the simmering water, the bagels will be shiny as they come from the water.)

9. Baking the bagels: If toppings are desired, now is the time to add them, by sprinkling the desired topping over the bagels. Brush each bagel lightly with the egg-white-water mixture first, then sprinkle the topping if desired – or leave unadorned, for water bagels. I did dill seeds, sesame, poppy, grated red onion, chopped garlic, cinnamon sugar, caraway and kosher salt.  And a couple plain.

Place the baking sheet on the middle rack of the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes. When the bagel tops are a light brown, turn them over to complete baking. This turning-over step will keep the bagels in a rounded shape, instead of their being flat on the bottom. When brown and shiny, remove the finished bagels from the oven.

Place the bagels on a metal rack to cool.  You can wrap and freeze them for up to a month.  To thaw, place in a low oven (about 180-200° F) for about 10 minutes and remove.

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