Making Bagels

I have made Bagels many, many times, using a recipe from King Arthur Flour, pretty much to the letter.  I use a third less sugar than they call for, but that is the only adjustment I have made.  Lately I've had the urge to make them again - mostly because I got some of the non-diastatic malt powder that the recipe calls for.  (The reason for that was due to trying to make Malted Fudge Sauce, meaning I needed a source for malted milk powder, meaning I had to pad my order from KAF in order to justify the $13 shipping for a pound of malt...you gotta spend money to save money!  Anyway, the bagels are coming out better than the fudge sauce...)

The thing that differs bagel making from bread, in my limited experience, is the water bath.  After you shape the bagels, you boil them in a bath of malted, sugared water for 30 seconds on each side.  I don't know what the science is behind this, but the results are a chewy one. 

So far my biggest problem is shaping them...they are definitely not pretty enough for prime time.  But I think I know what the solution is, so next time they will be perfect, and ready to be on the BT lunch menu!

Meanwhile, everyone in the kitchen - including drivers, delivery people and guests - is getting a bagel this morning, complete with herb cream cheese.