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overnight New York style bagels
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Overnight New York Style Bagels

These New York style bagels are perfectly chewy & are cold proved overnight for extra flavour. They make great sandwiches & are super easy to prepare!
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Proving Time1 day
Total Time1 day 40 minutes
Course: Baking, Bread, Lunch
Cuisine: American
Servings: 6 Bagels
Author: Ben Racey

Equipment

  • Stand Mixer
  • Digital Food Probe
  • Dough Scraper
  • Large Saucepan
  • Baking Tray

Ingredients

Dough

  • 500 g Strong White Bread Flour (See Notes)
  • 285 g Water (@38°c/100°f)
  • 2 g Dried Active Yeast
  • 10 g Fine Sea Salt
  • 20 g Malt Extract Syrup

To Boil

  • 2 Litres Water
  • 2 tbsp Malt Extract Syrup
  • 1 tsp Bicarbonate Of Soda

Toppings

  • Semolina
  • 6 tsp Seeds/Bagel Seasoning (See Notes)

Instructions

Overnight Bagel Dough

  • Add the water & dried active yeast to a jug, whisk to combine then leave for 5-10 minutes, to go frothy.
    The water needs to be at @38°c/100°f. You'll need a digital food probe to check this!
  • In the meantime, add the flour, sea salt & malt extract to the bowl of a stand mixer.
  • Once the yeast is activated, give it another whisk then pour into the flour. Mix on a medium-low speed until you get a smooth dough that passes the windowpane test. This will take 10-15 minutes.
  • Once the dough is ready, cover the bowl with a damp tea towel then leave to rest for 10 minutes.
  • Transfer the dough to an un floured work surface then divide into 6 equal pieces, each weighing around 130 grams. Shape into balls then cover with a damp tea towel & leave to bench rest for 5 minutes.
  • In the meantime, cut out 6 squares of baking parchment, grease with oil then place onto a baking tray.
  • Next, take a ball of dough & use your thumb & index finger to pinch/poke a hole in the middle. Gently widen the hole so that it's around an inch wide then place the bagel onto a square of baking parchment. Repeat with the remaining dough then loosely cover the tray with lightly oiled clingfilm.
  • Let the bagels sit at room temperature for 30 minutes then chill in the fridge for 18-24 hours.

Boiling & Baking

  • The next day, preheat an oven to 220°c/200°c fan (428°f/392°f).
  • Next, line a large baking tray with baking parchment then sprinkle a light layer of semolina on top. Get another baking tray & set a wire rack on top.
    The semolina tray is for baking the bagels & the wire rack is for draining them after boiling.
  • Next, add the water, malt extract & bicarbonate of soda into a large saucepan then set over a high heat & bring to the boil, stirring to melt the syrup.
  • Once the water is boiling, turn the heat down slightly to medium-high.
    The water needs to be at a constant boil when we add the bagels in. If any foam forms on the top of the water, give it a stir to dissolve it.
  • Carefully add 2 or 3 bagels into the boiling water (depending on the size of your pan) then boil for 1 minute on each side. Use a slotted spoon to lift the bagels out of the water & onto the wire rack. Leave to drain momentarily, top with your seeds of choice then set onto the semolina dusted baking tray.
    To add the bagels into the water, flip them off the baking parchment so that they go in top side down. This way, they'll be the right way up when we flip them over & take them out.
  • Repeat the boiling & topping process with the remaining bagels then bake for 14-16 minutes, turning the tray after 10. Once cooked, the bagels will be a deep golden brown. Don't worry if the crust seems too crisp, it will soften as it cools!
  • Let the bagels cool completely on the tray then serve.

Notes

1. To Cook On An Aga - Use the boiling plate to boil the bagels then bake them in the roasting oven, on the third from bottom set of runners.
2. Flour - For this recipe you'll need a strong white bread flour with a protein content of at least 14%. This is what gives the bagels their chewy texture. The higher the protein content the chewier the bagels will be!
3. Yeast - As these bagels are cold proved, it's best to use dried active yeast. This is available in most supermarkets & will need to be activated before being added to the dough.
4. Malt Extract - This is a vital ingredient when making authentic New York style bagels & is available in some supermarkets or online. However, honey can be used instead.
5. Semolina - Classic New York bagels have a thin layer of semolina on the bottom which helps stop them sticking to the baking paper. It also gives the bagels some extra texture. This is optional though!
6. Bagel Toppings - You can top your bagels with pretty much whatever seeds you like! I like to use poppy seeds, sesame seeds or everything bagel seasoning. Here's a recipe for a homemade everything bagel seasoning;
Simply combine: 2 tsp sesame seeds, 2 tsp poppy seeds, 1 tsp onion granules, 1 tsp garlic granules & ¼ tsp sea salt.
7. The Windowpane Test - The best way to assess the gluten development in your dough is by using the windowpane test. Here, you take a small piece of dough & stretch it between your fingers. If it stretches thin enough so that you are able to see through it, enough gluten has been developed. If it tears, more kneading is required.
8. Storage - Bagels are best served on the same day as they are made but will keep for a day or two when stored in an airtight container. If they start to go a bit stale, they're just as good toasted!