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Ingredients

BREAD FLOUR: This flour is recommended for bagels because it has sufficient gluten to give a bagel it's chewy crust. Bread flour absorbs a little more liquid than all-purpose of unbleached flour and yields amore "elastic" feeling when kneaded. Bread flour, sometimes labeled "high-protein" flour, may require more kneading than all-purpose flour. Unbleached flour can be substituted for bread flour.

WHOLE WHEAT FLOUR: Whole wheat flour is light brown in color and contains all natural nutrients. It's the most popular addition to white flour. Whole wheat flour should not exceed 50% of the total flour content. Whole wheat, and other whole grain flours, do not have as much gluten and will not rise as high as white flours. One cup whole wheat flour is equal to 7/8 cup white flour. If you're replacing 1/2 cup white flour, use 1/2 cup plus 1 tbs. whole wheat flour. Whole wheat flour may also be sold as graham flour in health food stores. A good substitute for whole wheat flour is spelt flour, a grain that is easier to digest than wheats and often used by people with gluten intolerance.

RYE FLOUR: Rye flour can yield a variety of flavors and textures. Types include dark rye, light ry and coarse rye. The amount of rye flour also controls the taste. Stone-ground rye, sometines available in health food stores, has the best flavor. Pumpernickel flour is medium-ground rye flour, and int's labeled medium-rye on commercial packages.

OATS: Use rolled oats, not instant. This is the same product sold for oatmeal cereal with its flaky consistency. Oat bran and oat flour can be substituted for rolled oats in smaller quantities (1 cup oats equals about 2/3 cup oat bran or oat flour). Oat flour can be purchased in health food stores or by mail order. Rolled oats can be ground into oat flour in a blender or food procesor.

BRAN: Unprocessed Miller's bran is a natural grain product high in dietary fiber. It can be used interchangeably with processed bran flakes. both can be found with breakfast cereals in supermarkets. You need 1 cup bran flakes to equal about 2/3 cup bran.

CORNMEAL: Cornmeal is ground from corn kernals; the most common cornmeal is yellow, but there are also white and blue. It is used in many recipes along with other flours. A thin sprinklling of cornmeal is used on the baking sheet or baking stone to provide a nonstick baking surfacr for the bagels.

VITAL WHEAT GLUTEN: This is the natural protein derived from wheat. Adding it to rye, whole wheat and other whole grains increases the protein value of bread and provides the elasticity in the dough to allow the yeast to develop gases, at the same time holding them in to yield a less dense, lighter dough with greater volume. the fine, powdery product can be purchased in health food stores. Recommended additions are: 1 1/2 tsp. per 1 cup flour for whole grain breads and 1 tsp. per cup of flour for white breads. Use a little more gluten when using raisins, nuts, seeds and brans. Gluten should be well mixed with the flour. I have suggested that vital gluten is optional, but once you begin using it, it may become essential; testing showed that breads and bagels with added vital gluten were lighter and tastier than those made without it.

YEAST: Yeast is responsible for the density of the bagel, and often the difference in regional recipes. For all recipes, active dry yeast is assumed an damounts given are for a moderately-dense bagel as close as possible to the accepted standard of a New York-style bagel. Yeast is composed of thousands of tiny living plants which, when given moisture, warmth and "food", will grow and gove off a gas (carbon dioxide); it is that gas which makes dough rise.

Yeast is available in active dry and in compressed fresh forms. One package or 1 scant tablespoon on active dry yeast is equivialent to 1 cake (3/4oz) of compressed yeast. Cake yeast is not recommended for bread machines, but could be used to make bagels with other methods. There is also fast-rising yeast which can be converted to work as active dry yeast. Reduce the amount of fast-rising yeast by 25% when substituting it for active dry yeast and reduce the first rising time. To convert fast-rising yeast to active dry yeast, add 1 teaspoon of sugar to 1/2 cup water per 1 packet of yeast.

Buy and use yeast before it's life potency date expires; all bottles and packages of yeast are dated. For denser bagels, reduce the yeast called for in the recipe by 1/2 teaspoon. For spongier, less dense bagels, increase the yeast by 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon.

MALT SYRUP: Malt syrup, made from barley, helps give bagels their unique appeal. Malt assists with browning, and feeds the yeast. It's available in jars where health food supplies are sold (used as a sweetener) or from stores that sell beer brewing supplies. Malt powder can be substituted in amounts comparable to liquid malt. Honey, molasses, or brown or white sugar can be substituted for malt syrup.

DARKENING AGENTS: Baker's caramel, also called blackjack, is a natural coloring agent that bakers use to give dark breads, such as pumpernickels and ryes, their hearty hues. Essentially, it's burnt or caramelized sugar, and it resembles dark-brewed coffee in appearance. Substitutes are unsweetened cocoa and instant coffee crystals. Another substitute is Kitchen Bouquet, a gravy-coloring agent, available in grocery soup or flavorings sections. It does contain extra salt, so it may slightly alter the bagel's flavor.

WATER: Many bread recipes call for tap water, which is more to indicate water temperature than quality. Water temperature should be about 110-115 degrees, the range needed to activate yeast. In cold weather, tap water may be too cold. A thermomether will help determine water temperature. If necessary, warm the water slightly in the microwave or in a pot for a few seconds to bring it to the proper temperature. I like to use bottled water because water where I live tastes so bad I won't drink it straight or use it for coffee. So why put it in bread? It also provides a constant for testing and comparing bagels in different cities.

Tap water can be used for boiling the bagels. Someone told me that soft water yields soft bagels and hard water yields hard bagels, but that's not so. There's also a rumor that New York bagels are different and better than all others because of the Hudson River water. This has been debunked by every bagel baker with whom I spoke (except those in New York). Besides, New York bagels differ from each other by bakeries.

EGGS: Traditional water bagels do not call for eggs, but many recipes can benefit from the adition of eggs and, of course, they're used in egg bagels. Egg bagels generally are softer than water bagels and the dough tends to rise more. Use fresh whole eggs or substitute 2 egg whites or 1/4 cup egg substitute for 1 egg.

SALT: Any commercial table salt can be used. Koasher and coarse salt are used as a topping.

SHORTENINGS AND OILS: Vegetable oils used in bagel recipes, such as canola oil, peanut oil, corn oil and similar natural oils, tenderize the bread, give it flavor, improve the texture and add preserving quallities. The traditional Jewish bagel does not have oil, but many people like the flavor and softer texture that results when oil has been used. It's strictly optional. Nonstick vegetable sprays can be used for greasing the pan as well as for adding a glaze to the bagel top.

ADDING INGREDIENTS FOR FLAVOR AND TEXTURE:

The bagel flavor dpends largely on the freshness, quality and amount of added ingredients. Be generous with dried fruits, especially those that you work in before shaping. Use them in raisin sized cunks rather than finely chopping them, so you get a substantial taste when you bite into the bagel. Almost every kind of fruit is now available dried from specialty shops, or by mail.

Be creative. Combine ingredients to create yoiur individualized bagel flavor combinations. Use dried fruits for most additions and experimient with fresh fruits. Canned and frozen fruits do not work well; they add too much liquid and often discolor the dough. Canned olives and chilies such as Jalapenos are fine if they are well drained and blotted amost dry on paper towels before adding.

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