Thanks for the Q&A and for highlighting Cathy's book. She's one of the few out there whose recipes I trust completely. Also, balaboosta is my new favorite word.
I've heard some bakers strongly recommend using diastatic malt in bagels. The idea is that over the long cold fermentation this malt creates more sugars for the yeast that would otherwise be used up over the time. I'm skeptical but have never A/B tested it. I will try using syrup instead in my upcoming batch.
I tried using a bit of tangzhong in my last batch 'cause I had to ship it 3 days to Dad across the country. I think it worked to keep the batch fresher!
Another thing I tried is making mega-onion bagels. I think that a home baker can make bagels with more intense onion taste than a bagel shop. A bagel shop has to add the onion flavoring after poaching so as to not spoil the water for the other flavors. But if I'm making just one batch, I can include a ridiculous amount of large dice onions (long, low oven roasted beforehand to reduce moisture and caramelize a bit) and onion powder. Dad's favorite!
One thing I have tested is: to my taste bagels are much better several hours after baking. "Hot out of the oven" may sound like a good idea. But in my testing, it's not.
Thanks for the Q&A and for highlighting Cathy's book. She's one of the few out there whose recipes I trust completely. Also, balaboosta is my new favorite word.
So interesting!
I've heard some bakers strongly recommend using diastatic malt in bagels. The idea is that over the long cold fermentation this malt creates more sugars for the yeast that would otherwise be used up over the time. I'm skeptical but have never A/B tested it. I will try using syrup instead in my upcoming batch.
I tried using a bit of tangzhong in my last batch 'cause I had to ship it 3 days to Dad across the country. I think it worked to keep the batch fresher!
Another thing I tried is making mega-onion bagels. I think that a home baker can make bagels with more intense onion taste than a bagel shop. A bagel shop has to add the onion flavoring after poaching so as to not spoil the water for the other flavors. But if I'm making just one batch, I can include a ridiculous amount of large dice onions (long, low oven roasted beforehand to reduce moisture and caramelize a bit) and onion powder. Dad's favorite!
One thing I have tested is: to my taste bagels are much better several hours after baking. "Hot out of the oven" may sound like a good idea. But in my testing, it's not.