What Is A Bagel? Pt 7

INGREDIENTS

INSTRUCTIONS

parchment paper; it eliminates the use of oil and cornmeal and
cleaning pans.  Bake the bagels on wooden boards (described earlier in
directions).  Place bagels on the boards bottom side up to form a
crusty bottom,  and flip them off the board after 2 or 3 minutes onto a
stone or  sheet to continue baking.  Bake the bagels directly on a
baking stone or tiles. Place the stone  or tiles on the lowest rack. Or
line a baking sheet with the tiles  and place that on the lowest rack.
Preheat the oven, with stone or  tiles inside, to 400F. for 1 hour
before baking. Sprinkle cornmeal on  the stone or tiles. Transfer
unbaked bagels to the hot surface with a  wooden peel (a long-handled
wooden paddle used in baking), or any  flat instrument with a long
handle so you don't burn yourself; wear  heavy padded gloves.  Do not
wash or immerse stone or tiles in cold water while they are  hot; they
may crack. Soak the cooled stone or tiles in cold water and  scrape
with a spatula. Do not use soap, as the surfaces tend to  absorb soap,
which will be imparted to the bagels. Stones and tiles  will discolor,
but that won't affect their baking ability. Don't  place a hot stone
directly on your kitchen counter; depending on the  material, the heat
could leave a mark.  Steam baking gives bagel tops a crisp crust and
extra shine. Create  steam during the first few seconds of the baking
by spraying the  sides of the preheated oven with water from a spray
bottle when you  place the bagels inside. Place a heavy pan in the
lower part of the  oven bottom while it is heating. Place the bagels in
the oven and  then pour cold water or half a dozen ice cubes into the
pan.  STORING AND USING BAGELS:  Bagels are best when they're eaten
fresh from the oven while still  warm. Because they don't usually
contain egg or milk, they tend to  dry out faster than breads that
contain these ingredients. If you  can't consume all the bagels in a
reasonably short time, freezing  them is recommended. It's smart to
slice them horizontally before  freezing so you can toast only half at
a time, if you wish.  Thaw bagels on the kitchen counter in a plastic
bag for about 15  minutes or toast directly from the freezer. Or zap
them in the  microwave oven for about 1 minute on DEFROST and then
toast them  until lightly browned on top. Microwaving too long will
make them  tough.  What if a few bagels get stale? Put them into your
blender or food  processor and grind them into bread crumbs. None of
the tasty bread  need ever go to waste!  The Best Bagels are made at
home by Dona Z. Meilach ISBN 1-55867-131-5  Carolyn Shaw April 1996
From: Homenet Cook Posted to Digest  bread-bakers.v097.n025 by "Arnold
Elser" <PastryWiz@msn.com> on Mar  16, 97

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