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Bagels Egged or Oven?

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Comments

  • Botch
    Botch Posts: 15,432
    edited April 2023
    LetsEat said:
    The culinary dream I have been chasing is the dark golden exterior color, shattering crunch of the crust, open textured crumb, and deeply flavored bread. 
    I just finished reading an article on pretzel-making in Cooks Illustrated.  To get the full-mahogany color on a German pretzel they are dipped in a lye (!) solution for 15 seconds before baking; had half a page of safety precautions included and sounded kind've fussy.  They also included an alternative, baking soda in the dipping water (1/2 cup soda for 8 cups water).  The soda pretzel wasn't near as dark as the lye version, but I bet you could apply the idea to bagels.  
     
    Thanks for the recipe.  Do you have a good way of storing/reviving them the next day?  I usually buy one at Einstein's, as they're best cooked that day, but would like to try these.  EDIT: never mind, I saw in the recipe to freeze and reheat.  
    _____________

    "I mean, I don't just kill guys, I'm notorious for doing in houseplants."  - Maggie, Northern Exposure


  • LetsEat
    LetsEat Posts: 456
    Botch said:
    LetsEat said:
    The culinary dream I have been chasing is the dark golden exterior color, shattering crunch of the crust, open textured crumb, and deeply flavored bread. 
    I just finished reading an article on pretzel-making in Cooks Illustrated.  To get the full-mahogany color on a German pretzel they are dipped in a lye (!) solution for 15 seconds before baking; had half a page of safety precautions included and sounded kind've fussy.  They also included an alternative, baking soda in the dipping water (1/2 cup soda for 8 cups water).  The soda pretzel wasn't near as dark as the lye version, but I bet you could apply the idea to bagels.  
     
    Thanks for the recipe.  Do you have a good way of storing/reviving them the next day?  I usually buy one at Einstein's, as they're best cooked that day, but would like to try these.  
    @Botch I’ve always utilized food grade lye in making pretzels. I grew up watching my German grandmother making them so I never gave it a second thought. Now I have pretzel cravings!

    My recipe yields a dozen bagels. They freeze perfectly. Once baked, cool and place in a freezer grade ziploc bag and pop into your freezer. Defrost, toast/warm as needed. 

    Give the recipe a go and let me know if you have questions. Enjoy!
    IL 
  • ColbyLang
    ColbyLang Posts: 3,381
    Lye bath critical in pretzel and most bagel formulations. Changes crust texture as well as gives color. There are no bagel makers/bakeries in Louisiana 
  • caliking
    caliking Posts: 18,727
    Those look darn good.

    I've  done long ferments with sourdough before, but not with instant yeast. Thanks for the clarification re: timeline. 

    #1 LBGE December 2012 • #2 SBGE February  2013 • #3 Mini May 2013
    A happy BGE family in Houston, TX.
  • caliking
    caliking Posts: 18,727
    I might try adding baking soda to the bath. Thanks for the tip @Botch.

    I started to dip my toes in the pretzel rabbit hole some years ago, then came to a hard stop when I read about the lye bath. Caliprince was a toddler back then. 

    PSA - if you have little kids, please don't store lye in the house. Anywhere. I've seen horrible things happen to kids who accidentally ingested lye. 

    #1 LBGE December 2012 • #2 SBGE February  2013 • #3 Mini May 2013
    A happy BGE family in Houston, TX.
  • LetsEat
    LetsEat Posts: 456
    caliking said:
    Those look darn good.

    I've  done long ferments with sourdough before, but not with instant yeast. Thanks for the clarification re: timeline. 
    The added 24 hours wasn’t intentional but the result of being distracted with the dog’s surgery. When I remembered the bagels were still in the refrigerator, I figured had nothing to loose.  I’m still maintaining my three day bake. 
    IL 
  • ColbyLang
    ColbyLang Posts: 3,381
    24 hour cold proof shouldn’t do anything but make them better! More fermentation.