by Nick Zukin
Refrigerate the bagel rings for 12 to 48 hours, the longer the better to allow the surface to dry out. The dry surface will help promote a thicker, crispier crust on the bagels once they are boiled and baked. The long rest also promotes yeast activity (the bagel rings will puff up slightly) and flavor development through slow fermentation.
Once the refrigeration process is complete, position racks in the top and bottom thirds of the oven and preheat to 475°F. Fill a stockpot about three-quarters full of water, set it over high heat, and bring the water to a rolling boil. Add ⅓ to ½ cup barley malt syrup. The water should have the medium caramel color of cola.
Near the stockpot, place one or two clean, lint-free cloths, folded in half or quarters. If using salt for topping, pour a tablespoon or two into a small bowl or ramekin and place near the cloths. Prepare additional baking sheets for use, lining with silicone baking mats or parchment. Place near the cloths and topping bowls, if using. The proximity of stockpot, towels, toppings, and baking sheets should form an easy-to-maneuver assembly line to allow the bagels to move quickly from the boiling kettle to the oven.
Transfer the chilled bagel pieces (one or two at a time) directly from the refrigerator to the boiling water. Boil each side for 10 seconds, flipping the bagel rings with a slotted spoon or wide-mesh strainer or similar utensil. Transfer the rings from the water to the cloth to drain briefly.
Sprinkle salt lightly on the bagel, then transfer carefully to a baking sheet. Once one sheet is full (6 is the ideal number, spaced 1 to 2 inches apart), lower the oven temperature to 450°F and place the sheet in the oven. Bake for approximately 20 minutes, rotating once or twice to bake as evenly as possible, until the bagels are a deep dark brown, nearly black.
Transfer the hot bagels from the baking sheet to a cooling rack. Allow them to cool for at least 30 minutes before eating. Bagels are best if eaten within a day if left out, or they can be wrapped well in aluminum foil and frozen for up to 1 month, then thawed as desired. Putting them in plastic or the refrigerator may lengthen edible life but will ruin their crispy crust texture. Toasting previously stored bagels will restore the crust texture.
Note: To make these bagels without sourdough starter, add an additional 6 ounces of flour and 6 ounces of water to the quantities listed in the recipe. The bagels will not have quite the same flavor as the original, but the result will still be satisfactory.
Roasted Onion–Poppy Seed Bialys
Makes 8
Bialys are one of the classic Jewish breads, along with bagels, rye bread, and challah, but most people, including a lot of bakers, have never heard of them. Maybe they need a better publicist. These bialys look a little like mini pizzas, thick rimmed and about 5 inches in diameter, though the topping hews to traditional simplicity: roasted onion with a sprinkling of poppy seeds and kosher salt. Fresh from the oven with a pat of butter or chunk of cream cheese melting on top, they make a transcendent anytime nosh. The generally held wisdom is that bialys were named for Bialystok, a town in Poland where they were especially popular among the large pre–World War II Jewish population there. From Bialystok to New York City, bialys remain a Jewish deli specialty best enjoyed fresh from your home oven.
Dough
3 cups / 1 pound / 450g bread or high-gluten flour
2 tablespoons / 1 ounce / 30g granulated sugar
3 teaspoons / ¼ ounce / 10g instant or bread machine yeast (or 1 packet active dry yeast)
1 tablespoon / ½ ounce / 15g kosher salt (we use Morton’s kosher salt)
1 cup / 8 ounces / 225g lukewarm (75°F to 85°F) water
½ cup / 5 ounces / 150g Sourdough Starter
Vegetable oil, as needed
Topping
2 medium yellow onions, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Poppy seeds, for sprinkling
Kosher salt, for sprinkling
To make the dough, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, place the flour, sugar, yeast, and salt. (Alternatively, if using active dry yeast, stir it into ½ cup of the lukewarm water to proof for 15 minutes, or until the water begins to bubble or foam.) Combine for a few seconds with a spoon or by hand. Add most of the 1 cup lukewarm water to the dry ingredients, holding back a tablespoon or two. (Alternatively, if using active dry yeast, add all the water in which the yeast was proofing plus the remaining ½ cup lukewarm water to the dry ingredients, holding back a tablespoon or two.) Add the Sourdough Starter. Mix on the lowest speed to incorporate all the ingredients, 1 to 2 minutes. Increase the speed to medium and mix for another 8 to 10 minutes, stopping once or twice to scrape down the side of the mixing bowl, if necessary, and to check the consistency of the dough. The finished dough should be soft, smooth, supple, and slightly tacky but not sticky. If the dough is too dry, add the remaining tablespoon or two of water a little at a time until the proper consistency is achieved. Start the mixer on low speed after each addition of water to avoid splashing before returning to medium speed to complete the mixing time.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Knead by hand for 1 to 2 minutes, shaping the dough into a rough ball. Lightly oil a large bowl and place the dough in the bowl, turning to coat all over with the oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow the dough to rise in a warm place (such as an oven with the light on or a warming drawer) for 1½ to 2 hours, or in the refrigerator for 6 to 8 hours (or overnight), until doubled. (If refrigerating, leave the dough out at room temperature for 30 minutes to allow the yeast to begin to work before transferring to the refrigerator.)
Position oven racks in the top and bottom thirds of the oven and preheat to 450°F.
To make the topping, peel and coarsely chop the onions. Place the chopped onions in a medium bowl. Add the oil. Using a rubber spatula, fold the onions repeatedly until thoroughly coated with oil. Turn the onions out onto a rimmed baking sheet and spread into an even layer. Roast the onions for 10 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven, and using a large, heatproof spatula, gather the onions into a pile in the middle of the pan, turn the onions over, then spread once again in an even layer. Roast for another 10 minutes, or until the onions have softened and some of the pieces have begun to darken. Remove the pan from the oven and transfer the onions to a medium bowl to cool. Once cooled, the onions are ready to use, or cover the bowl and refrigerate. The onions can be kept in the refrigerator, tightly covered, for up to 3 days before using.
Increase the oven temperature to 475°F.
To make the bialys, once the dough is fully risen, turn it out onto a lightly floured work surface, patting away any excess oil with a paper towel, and roll it out into a 16- to 18-inch log. Cut the dough into 8 equal pieces of approximately 4 ounces each.
On an unfloured surface, roll each piece into a ball by using a cupped hand with medium pressure until the dough looks smooth. Flatten each piece into a thick 2- to 3-inch diameter disk. Set aside and cover lightly with plastic wrap. Let the disks rest for 15 to 20 minutes.
As the disks of dough are resting, line two rimmed baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper and set aside. Remove the onions from the refrigerator if the onions were made ahead and chilled. Pour a few teaspoons of poppy seeds into a small bowl or ramekin. In a separate small bowl or ramekin, pour a few teaspoons of kosher salt.
Generously flour your work surface. Roll each dough disk in the flour to coat. Using a rolling pin, roll each piece out into an approximately 5-inch disk.
Next, hand-shape each disk by holding it up with your hands in the 11 and 1 o’clock positions. Rotate clockwise around the circumference, pinching and pulling to form a 1-inch rim around the edge. After forming the rim, hold the thin disk flat and use your fingers under the back side of the dough to gently pull and stretch from the center outward so that the centermost portion of each piece is very thin, but not quite translucent. Take care not
to tear the dough. (If there is a tear, gently stretch and press a little of the adjacent dough over it to repair.)
Next, use the bottom of a half-cup measure or similar flat-bottomed utensil, like a glass, to press down the center of each disk to discourage the dough from bubbling during baking.
Top each of the bialys with 2 rounded tablespoons of the roasted onions, then press down lightly and spread to cover the central portion of the bialy. Sprinkle a generous pinch or two of the poppy seeds on top of the onions, followed by a pinch of the salt.
After topping all the bialys, place them in the oven and bake for about 20 minutes, rotating the baking sheets about halfway through the baking time, if necessary, to ensure even baking. If the onions appear to be darkening too rapidly, lower the oven temperature to 450°F. The rims of the finished bialys should be a medium to dark golden color with any residual flour tempering the color slightly and giving a rustic appearance. Bits of the onions should be darkly colored, but there should still be plenty of soft, uncolored onions as well. With a large, heatproof spatula, transfer the bialys to a cooling rack. Allow to cool for at least 5 minutes before consuming. Bialys do not keep well at room temperature, so they are best eaten immediately or within a day. If left for more than a few hours, toast briefly to refresh the texture. They can also be wrapped well in aluminum foil and frozen for up to 1 month, then thawed as desired. After thawing, toast briefly to refresh the texture.
Garlic Bialys
Prepare the dough as in the main recipe. Instead of the onions, peel and finely chop 2 small heads of garlic or an equivalent amount of larger, sweet cloves of elephant garlic. Pour 1 tablespoon vegetable oil into a medium skillet set over medium heat. Sauté the garlic for about 3 minutes, or until it just begins to color. Transfer the garlic to a small bowl to cool. Once cooled, the garlic is ready to use, or cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days before using. Top each bialy with a generous teaspoon or two of the garlic, and then bake as directed in the main recipe.
Confetti Bialys
Prepare the dough as in the main recipe. Prepare half the quantity of onions called for in the main recipe. Prepare the garlic as in the Garlic Bialys variation. With a sharp knife, remove the stem end, then halve lengthwise 2 to 4 medium fresh red and green chiles. Jalapeños and serranos are a good moderately hot choice, though personal preference and heat tolerance should dictate selection. It is preferable to use both red and green chiles to give good color to these decidedly nontraditional bialys. Wearing rubber gloves, use your fingers and a paring knife in tandem to remove the seeds and ribs from the interior of the chiles and discard. Coarsely chop the chiles. Add another 1½ teaspoons oil to the same skillet in which the garlic was sautéed, returning the heat to medium, then sauté the chiles for about 3 minutes, until softened. Once cooled, the chiles are ready to use, or cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days before using. In a medium bowl, combine the onions, garlic, and chiles. Top each bialy with 2 rounded tablespoons of this colorful and robustly flavored topping mixture and bake as directed in the main recipe.
Bagel Daze
From the turn of the twentieth century through the 1950s, most of the Jews in my hometown of Portland, Oregon, lived clustered in and around an area remembered as Old South Portland. In those days, there were plenty of good bagels. According to my favorite local history book, The Jews of Oregon 1850–1950, three Jewish bakeries competed for the local trade during the first half of the twentieth century. There was the Star, Gordon’s, and Mosler’s. After World War II, only Mosler’s remained.
Harry Mosler was a tough guy, and his bagels, it is said, were the best anyone ever tasted. There were many other Jewish-owned food businesses in Portland in those days: Mrs. Levine’s Fish Market (her husband, Mr. Levine, was a shochet, a man who slaughtered cows and chickens in the kosher way); Korsun’s grocery and Mink’s grocery; Calistro and Halperin’s delicatessen; and the competing meat markets run, respectively, by Simon Director, Isaac Friedman, and Joseph Nudelman. Mrs. Neushin, smoldering cigarette a fixture between her lips, made her famous dill pickles; and Louis Albert was the soda-pop king.
Harry Mosler was a tiny man. His diminutive stature may explain his big personality. In the photograph of him I once had tacked up at work, he wore a plain white T-shirt and a once-white apron. Below his bald dome, there was a smudge of a mustache, half-moon ears, and bags under his eyes so prominent they announced, “I am a sleep-deprived bread baker.” Two stories about Harry Mosler begin to illustrate the man. One is that he never had change for a dollar—you could only get an extra bagel. At the same time, if you were a child, there was always a free bagel for you. The other story, bittersweet and true, is that as he aged, his grandson Darrell—who had worked for Mosler and even attended a fancy baking school in Chicago—begged him for his recipe to assure at least another generation of great bagels. Mr. Mosler refused. He told Darrell what his weary face expressed, “The work is too hard. Do something else.”
By the 1960s, the first clumsy urban renewal efforts that had begun in Portland a decade earlier were in full swing. They gave the town a shiny new freeway that bounded the central city on two sides. But at what cost? Much of Old South Portland was obliterated and its insular Jewish community dispersed. At the time, no one gave much thought to the cultural displacement. Progress was the watchword of the day; political correctness had not yet emerged as a moral imperative; and neighborhood activism was in its infancy. There was another nasty war going on, the civil rights movement was dawning, and the only food revolution in America at the time involved regrettable innovations such as TV dinners, Tang, and Space Food Sticks. Besides, the prosperous local Jewish community was already assimilating at a rapid pace and heading to the suburbs with everyone else.
The original Old South Portland location of Mosler’s Bakery was overrun in the late 1950s. The second location, not far from the first, lasted only a few years before the bulldozers came. Mr. Mosler’s last days as a professional baker were spent—emblematically—in a suburban shopping center. When Harry Mosler died in 1969, he took his bagel recipe to the grave. May he rest in peace. No one should have to work so hard.
—MCZ
Classic Deli Sandwich Rye
Makes 2 (1½-pound) loaves
Perfect for pastrami, sublime for salami, can’t miss for corned beef—this simple deli rye bread is the marriage-made-in-heaven foundation for any proper Jewish deli sandwich. When we were searching for just the right rye to use for sandwiches at Kenny & Zuke’s, a version from which this recipe is adapted came out on top. Proving yet again that there’s truly nothing new under the sun, the Kenny & Zuke’s recipe is itself a variation on a rye bread recipe from Jeffrey Hamelman’s bread-baking treatise, Bread: A Baker’s Book of Techniques and Recipes.
Rye sour
1 tablespoon / ½ ounce / 15g Sourdough Starter
Scant ½ cup / 3¼ ounces / 100g water
Scant ½ cup / 4½ ounces / 125g light rye flour
Dough
4 cups / 1¼ pounds / 600g bread or high-gluten flour
3 teaspoons / ¼ ounce / 10g instant or bread machine yeast (or 1 packet active dry yeast)
2 tablespoons / ½ ounce / 15g kosher salt
1½ cups / 12 ounces / 350g lukewarm (75°F to 85°F) water
⅛ cup / ½ ounce / 15g whole or ground caraway seeds
Vegetable oil, as needed
Cornmeal or polenta, for sprinkling
To make the rye sour, in a medium bowl, place the Sourdough Starter and water, combining with a heavy-wired whisk until most of the starter has dissolved into the water. Add the flour using the whisk in tandem with a plastic scraper to combine into a thick, pasty mass. Cover and set aside at room temperature for 6 to 8 hours or overnight. During this rest period, the rye sour should puff up slightly.
To make the dough, once the sour is ready, transfer it to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook at
tachment. Add the flour, instant or bread machine yeast, and salt. (Alternatively, if using active dry yeast, stir it into ½ cup of the lukewarm water to proof for 15 minutes, or until the water begins to bubble or foam.) Add most of the 1½ cups of the lukewarm water to the bowl, holding back a tablespoon or two. (Alternatively, if using the active dry yeast, add all the water the yeast was proofing in to the bowl, plus the remaining 1 cup lukewarm water, holding back a tablespoon or two.) Mix on the lowest speed to incorporate the ingredients for 1 to 2 minutes. Increase the speed to medium-low and mix for another 3 to 4 minutes, adding the remaining water a little at a time, if necessary, until a soft, sticky dough forms. Add the seeds and mix on low speed to incorporate, 1 to 2 minutes. Increase the mixer speed to medium to complete mixing, another 2 to 3 minutes. The finished dough should be slightly sticky, with a slight gloss and elastic feel. If the dough seems too sticky, sprinkle a little extra bread flour into the mixing bowl and mix for 1 to 2 minutes longer, until the proper texture is achieved.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. If the dough still seems too sticky, sprinkle a little more bread flour over the top and hand-knead to incorporate. Bear in mind that rye dough tends to be somewhat sticky compared to dough made with all wheat flour. Form the dough into a rough ball. Lightly oil a large bowl and place the dough in the bowl, turning to coat all over with the oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow the dough to rise in a warm place (such as an oven with the light on or a warming drawer) for 1½ to 2 hours, or in the refrigerator for 6 to 8 hours (or overnight), until doubled. (If refrigerating, leave the dough out at room temperature for 30 minutes before transferring it to the refrigerator to allow the yeast to start working.)