everything bagels

with all the fixings

MAKES 8 BAGELS

Growing up, my best friend, Alex, and her mother, Nina, loved making homemade bagels. Soft and tender, with a perfectly crispy crust, they were incredible, and I quickly realized the huge difference between homemade and store-bought bagels. Nina, Alex, and her sisters all chipped in to prepare the glorious spread of toppings and garnishes: almond cream cheese, thinly sliced shallots, roasted red peppers, capers, freshly cracked black pepper, sliced tomatoes, and loads of fresh herbs from the garden—obviously, they don’t play. Below you will find the recipe, and please note that this is a weekend project as it can be a bit labor intensive. The bagels might not come out perfectly the first time, but you’ll get the hang of it—practice makes perfect with this one. It only makes sense to dedicate this recipe to Nina and Alex. Thank you both for teaching me that the most important ingredient in a recipe is love.

1 tablespoon good olive oil, plus more for greasing the bowl and brushing

2¼ teaspoons active dry yeast

5 teaspoons + 2 teaspoons sugar

1¼ cups warm filtered water

2 teaspoons + 1 tablespoon sea salt

3⅓ cups bread flour (yes, bread flour—no substitutions)

2 teaspoons baking soda

Desired seasonings: sesame seeds, caraway seeds, poppy seeds, dried onion, dried garlic, etc.

Almond cream cheese, for serving

  1. Coat a large mixing bowl with olive oil. In a second large mixing bowl, combine the yeast, 5 teaspoons of the sugar, and the water. Mix well. Let bloom for 7 to 10 minutes to make sure the yeast is active. Add the olive oil and 2 teaspoons of the sea salt. Mix well. Add the flour and mix until incorporated.

  2. Plop the mixture onto a lightly floured counter and dust your hands with flour as well. Knead for 10 to 15 minutes, forming a ball of dough. During this process, the dough will be sticky. Feel free to sprinkle a light dusting of flour on top of the dough and the counter to help. If your hands become too sticky to continue kneading, take a break to wash them, re-dust them with flour, and go back at it. You want to keep the dough moist, so try not to add more than an additional ¼ cup of flour throughout the kneading process, otherwise the dough will become too dense. Once the dough holds together nicely and becomes springy (forming back toward you), it is ready.

  3. Add the dough to the oil-coated bowl and then flip it, coating it evenly with oil. Cover with plastic wrap or a cloth and let rise in a warm spot until it doubles in size, about 1 hour, depending on the room’s temperature.

  4. Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

  5. Once the dough has risen, punch it down and form it back into a smooth ball. Separate the dough into 8 equal pieces and roll them into cute little balls. Poke a hole in the center of each ball with your pointer finger, then pinch the hole all the way through and begin to shape them, tucking the dough underneath as you pinch through the hole (you want to create a doughnut shape with a smooth top). Place them on a baking sheet and let them rise for 10 minutes.

  6. In a large pot, combine 5 quarts (20 cups) of water, the baking soda, the remaining 2 teaspoons sugar, and the remaining 1 tablespoon salt and bring to a boil. Place no more than 4 bagels into the pot at a time and poach them for 6 minutes, flipping them halfway through (3 minutes on each side). Remove and place them on a baking sheet. Repeat this step until all the bagels are poached.

  7. Brush them with olive oil and sprinkle them with your favorite toppings. Bake until they are golden brown, about 20 minutes. Serve immediately with cream cheese.