New York-Style Bagels

Ingredients

• 3½ cups bread flour (500 g)
• 2 tsp instant yeast (6 g)
• 1½ tbsp sugar (19 g)
• 1½ tsp salt (9 g)
• 1⅓ cups warm water (300 ml)
• ¾ cup additional bread flour (105 g), for kneading, as needed
• oil, for greasing the bowl
• egg wash, for topping
• coarse sea salt, optional topping
• sesame seeds, optional topping
• fresh thyme, optional topping
• dried onion flakes, optional topping

Steps

1. Make the dough. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine the bread flour, yeast, sugar, and salt.
2. Add the water. With the mixer running on medium-low, slowly add the warm water until the dough comes together into a ball and begins to pull away from the bottom of the bowl.
3. Knead. Continue kneading on medium-low for about 10 minutes, gradually adding as much of the extra ¾ cup flour as needed. The finished dough should be smooth, elastic, and quite firm. Add a few drops of water if the dough becomes too dry.
4. First rise. Lightly oil a large bowl. Place the dough inside and turn to coat. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
5. Divide and shape. Punch down the dough and divide into 8 equal pieces, about 4 oz (115 g) each.
6. Shape the bagels. Shape each piece into a smooth ball. Press a finger through the center of each ball, then gently stretch the opening to about 1½ inches wide.
7. Rest. Place the shaped bagels on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Cover and let rest for 20 minutes.
8. Heat the oven and water. Preheat the oven to 425°F (210°C). Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
9. Boil the bagels. Working in batches, boil the bagels for 2 minutes on the first side, then flip and boil for 2 minutes more.
10. Top. Transfer the boiled bagels back to the lined baking sheet. Brush with egg wash and add any desired toppings.
11. Bake. Bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes.
12. Cool. Let cool before serving.