The Simple Bagel Shaping Method You Need To Try
Everything. Onion. Egg. Even plain? Sure! Even within New York City, there are at least a hundred different variations of the quintessential New York-style breakfast. You know 'em, you love 'em: bagels.
Few other pastries have enjoyed such an iconic rock 'n' roll reputation. They're the famous fuel of artists and musicians across the last century. In "Transparent," writer-director Joey Soloway proudly declares that "on Sunday morning, it's Brooklyn Bagels on Beverly Boulevard." According to Pitchfork, Tom Waits compared songs to bagels: "They are small. They are modular. They are about as big as a bagel." And that wasn't the only time he invoked the legendary treat: "Songs are interesting little vessels of emotional information, and you carry them in your pocket like a bagel," he muses in "Tom Waits on Tom Waits" (via American Songwriter). One could argue that bagels are vessels of emotional information as well, given their significance in society.
It might seem kind of silly for a breakfast item to boast such cultural renown — unless, of course, you've had one. But despite their popularity, bringing bagels from a favorite bakery to your own oven can be a tough transition. Bagels are a seemingly difficult pastry long-reserved for experienced at-home bakers. Luckily, Instagram foodie @candyco_ offers a new method of shaping the classic favorite — and it's manageable. The era of bagel-baking elitism is over. Now you can have a New York-style breakfast wherever you live!
How to shape the perfect bagel
In her video, @candyco_ begins by shaping the bagel dough into smooth balls approximately the size of her palm. She finishes the tops of the balls with a twist, similar to the way bao dumplings are crowned. The balls are then placed crown-side-down on a floured countertop and covered with cellophane to proof. To make the perfect bagel, the Washington Post recommends the dough sets for about 20 minutes. After the 20 minutes are up, remove the cellophane and flatten the balls into long, thin strips. If you want to add a filling, this is the point at which to do it. Then roll your strip into a shape like a breadstick.
Here comes the secret to @candyco_'s method: open and flatten one end of the strip. This will provide the opening into which the other end of the rolled strip is tucked, thereby forming the bagel. Once the bagels are shaped, they're proofed under cellophane one more time and baked using the boil method — which, as Richard Coppedge of the Culinary Institute of America told NPR's The Salt, is essential to making a "true bagel." The finished bagels come out seamless and ready for egg wash and whatever toppings you prefer. So get ready to bake so many bagels that you'll have to get creative to keep them fresh!