MONTREAL STYLE BAGELS
Adapted from Lennie’s recipe here.
Ingredients
1 cup warm water, 110–120 degrees F
2 tablespoons maple syrup or honey
2 tablespoons vegetable oil (I’ve been using avocado oil)
2¼ teaspoons (1 packet) active dry yeast
1 egg, beaten
4 cups bread flour
1 teaspoon salt
½ cup white sesame seeds
12 cups water
2 tablespoons honey
Makes 12 bagels.
Method
In a large bowl, stir together the warm water, maple syrup, oil, yeast, and egg. Stir to combine the ingredients until the yeast dissolves. Then, stir in salt and one cup of flour.
Gradually add enough flour to make a soft dough, about 3 more cups. I added the flour in ½ cup intervals until I had added 2½ cups before starting to knead the dough.
Knead the dough for 10 to 12 minutes, adding in extra flour as needed (I ended up adding approximately ¼ cup more flour, for a total of approximately 3¾ cups). When the dough is firm and smooth, cover with an inverted bowl and let it rest for 10 minutes.
Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a ball, poke a hole in the middle with your thumb and stretch out the dough into a bagel shape.
Set each piece down on a floured surface and let the bagels rest for 30 minutes.
After approximately 15 minutes, start heating up the water that will be used to boil the bagels. Fill a large pot with 3 quarts of water and stir in the honey. Bring the water and honey up to a boil.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 425°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
When the water and honey mixture has come to a boil, add six bagels and boil for about 90 seconds, turning only once. Drain the bagels on a clean, dry dish towel. Repeat with the other six bagels.
Sprinkle the sesame seeds onto the parchment paper and roll each bagel in the sesame seeds until the surface is lightly coated. Place all 12 bagels on the baking sheet, spaced out as much as possible.
Bake in the preheated oven until golden in appearance, about 20 minutes, turning only once about halfway through the baking process.
Let the bagels cool in the pan for about 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
Enjoy with cream cheese or with anything you like on your bagels!