Boiled New York Style Bagels

I was recently reminiscing about the trip that my husband and I took to New York City almost 2 years ago for our third anniversary. It was the first visit for both of us and we were able to take in the Staten Island Ferry and the statue of Liberty, the former World Trade Centre Site and a Broadway show (love, love, love Mary Poppins!) With all the amazing experiences, one of the most memorable was picking up fresh New York Bagels with homemade Cream Cheese. It was amazing standing outside the shop in the morning, watching the steam coming out of buildings and grates, looking at Broadway show signs across the street.

I vowed when I came home that I would never partake in another mediocre bagel again. Well, I did but I couldn't forget the chewiness of the bagels from New York. While perusing blogs I found someone (sorry, I can't remember who) talking about boiled bagels and that this step was what gave bagels their chewiness. They're right! I found the following recipe on allrecipes.com for boiled bagels, tried it and loved it! They are best the day they are made but are totally worth the effort, and would be good for sandwiches the next day.

New York Style Boiled Bagels
4.25 cups all-purpose flour
2 (0.25oz.) packages of dry active yeast (I used quick-rise)
1.5 cups warm water (approx. 45 degrees C)
3 tablespoons white sugar
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon white sugar

Directions:
1. In a large bowl, combine 1.5 cups flour and yeast. Mix water, 3 tbsp sugar, and salt together and add to dry ingredients. (I added the sugar to the warm water and then added the yeast and allowed it to develop. Then I added it to the flour and salt) Beat with a mixer for half a minute at low speed, scraping the sides of the bowl. Beat at a higher speed for 3 minutes. Then mix by hand, adding enough flour to make a moderately stiff dough. (It will be a bit hard to mix)

2. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic (8-10 minutes). Cover. let rest for 15 minutes.

3. Cut into 12 portions, form into smooth balls. Poke a small hole in the centre of each ball with your finger, enlarging gently while making a uniform ring shape. Cover, let rise 20-30 minutes (It won't seem like much but they will rise a bit)

4. Meanwhile, start a gallon of water boiling in a large pot. Put 1 tablespoon of sugar in it (I added 2 tbsp of molasses, which worked well) Mix in and reduce to simmering. (Prepare the baking sheet with a silpat or parchment paper and sprinkle with cornmeal.)

5. After letting them rise, add 4 or 5 bagels to the water and cook 7 minutes. (Boil 2-3 minutes per side, and this will cause the bagels to rise further) Drain them and place on the baking sheet. Bake at 375 degrees F for 30-35 minutes.

*Note: for a glossier top, broil the bagels on an ungreased baking sheet for 1-1.5 minutes on one or both sides before boiling. If you broil the bagels before boiling you will only need to bake them for 25 minutes. (I debated whether or not I would take the extra time to do this step. I did, and it was well worth it for the final result of a crispy outside and a soft chewy inside)

The recipe recommends heavily greasing the baking sheet but I used a Silpat and sprinkled cornmeal on top, and that worked very well. My hubby loves sesame seed bagels so I sprinkled sesame seeds on top before baking but they could definitely be converted to your flavor favorite. Enjoy!