Homemade Bagels - New York Style Bagels

Day 1: Make the sponge

1. Mix the flour and yeast in a large bowl, add the water and mix with a wooden spoon until you have a loose, sticky dough. Cover and let it rise for 2 hours or until doubled in size.
2. Add the additional yeast into the same mixing bowl and mix it in. Add 3/4 of the flour, the brown sugar and salt and use your hands to mix everything together in the bowl.
3. Dust your worktop with flour and tip your dough onto it. Slowly work in the rest of the flour until you have a firm dough.
4. Start kneading the dough, stretching it away from you and folding back over itself for at least 20 minutes – as I mentioned the dough will be quite stiff and hard to knead so you need to persevere! (The dough is too stiff for a stand mixer)
5. At this point try the windowpane test. If the dough tears, continue kneading until it forms a thin membrane when stretched between your fingers.

Shape the Bagels

1. Divide the dough into 12 sections (or 24 if you are making small bagels) form into balls, cover with a damp cloth and leave them to rise for 20 minutes.
2. To shape the bagels, poke a hole in the centre of each ball and rotate it around your finger to widen it. The hole needs to be fairly big as it will fill up when the bagels rise.
3. Place the bagels onto 2 trays lined with baking paper, cover with greased cling film and let them rise for 20 minutes.
4. Fill a large bowl with cool water and drop one of the bagels in – if it rises to the surface within 10 seconds it is ready to rest in the fridge. If it doesn't float, cover, let them rise a further 10 minutes and then test them again. Mine passed this test first time round.
5. Put the trays, covered with cling film, in the fridge overnight.

Day 2: Water Bath & Baking

1. The following day preheat your oven as hot as it will go and set two racks in the middle.
2. Line two large trays with baking paper and sprinkle generously with semolina.
3. Bring a large pot of water to the boil, add the soda bicarb then drop the bagels in, 2-3 at a time and boil for about a minute on each side.
4. Remove with a spoon and place on the prepared tray. Sprinkle with your toppings while the bagel is still wet. Repeat with remaining bagels.
5. Bake for 5 minutes at highest temperature then reduce the oven to 220C / 450F and bake for another 5-10 minutes until the bagels are browned to your liking. Cool before serving.