| 1 | Step 6: bake place bagels on a shelf just below the middle in a preheated 400°F. |
| 2 | Oven and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the tops are a nice golden brown. |
| 3 | Baking surfaces: bake the bagels on a baking sheet. |
| 4 | The easiest surface available to most home cooks is an aluminum cookie sheet or flat teflon-coated sheet pan. |
| 5 | Coat with a little oil and sprinkle very lightly with yellow cornmeal to prevent bagels from sticking. |
| 6 | Or line the pan with parchment paper; it eliminates the use of oil and cornmeal and cleaning pans. |
| 7 | Bake the bagels on wooden boards (described earlier in directions). |
| 8 | 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. |
| 9 | Bake the bagels directly on a baking stone or tiles. |
| 10 | Place the stone or tiles on the lowest rack. |
| 11 | Or line a baking sheet with the tiles and place that on the lowest rack. |
| 12 | Preheat the oven, with stone or tiles inside, to 400°F. |
| 13 | For 1 hour before baking. |
| 14 | Sprinkle cornmeal on the stone or tiles. |
| 15 | 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. |
| 16 | Do not wash or immerse stone or tiles in cold water while they are hot; they may crack. |
| 17 | Soak the cooled stone or tiles in cold water and scrape with a spatula. |
| 18 | Do not use soap, as the surfaces tend to absorb soap, which will be imparted to the bagels. |
| 19 | Stones and tiles will discolor, but that won"t affect their baking ability. |
| 20 | Don"t place a hot stone directly on your kitchen counter; depending on the material, the heat could leave a mark. |
| 21 | Steam baking gives bagel tops a crisp crust and extra shine. |
| 22 | 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. |
| 23 | Place a heavy pan in the lower part of the oven bottom while it is heating. |
| 24 | Place the bagels in the oven and then pour cold water or half a dozen ice cubes into the pan. |
| 25 | Storing and using bagels: bagels are best when they"re eaten fresh from the oven while still warm. |
| 26 | Because they don"t usually contain egg or milk, they tend to dry out faster than breads that contain these ingredients. |
| 27 | If you can"t consume all the bagels in a reasonably short time, freezing them is recommended. |
| 28 | It"s smart to slice them horizontally before freezing so you can toast only half at a time, if you wish. |
| 29 | Thaw bagels on the kitchen counter in a plastic bag for about 15 minutes or toast directly from the freezer. |
| 30 | Or zap them in the microwave oven for about 1 minute on defrost and then toast them until lightly browned on top. |
| 31 | Microwaving too long will make them tough. |
| 32 | What if a few bagels get stale? put them into your blender or food processor and grind them into bread crumbs. |
| 33 | None of the tasty bread need ever go to waste! the best bagels are made at home by dona z. |
| 34 | Meilach isbn 1-55867-131-5 carolyn shaw april 1996 |
