We recommend using a heavy duty stand mixer for bagels because the dough is stiff and heavy, but if you are up for a workout--knead on!
First, combine the water, yeast, salt and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment. Then add the flour.
Knead the dough on low speed for about 11-15 minutes. The dough should be slightly sticky, but not gummy.
Transfer the dough to a clean, lightly oiled bowl and cover with a damp towel. Allow the dough to rest in a warm place for about an hour, it will rise and should double in size. While the dough is rising, prepare two sheet pans lined with parchment paper and a light dusting of cornmeal.
Preheat the oven to 395-400°F.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured board and punch it down. Gently roll the dough into a log 12"-14" long, and cut the log into 12 equal portions. Cover the dough pieces with a damp towel as you form the bagels.
Form your bagels on a non-floured surface, like a marble board. For each piece, first create a ball by folding the edges of the cut piece back into the center. Then gently roll the ball on the board with a loose hand. It should be a bit pillowy. Then, dip your thumb in flour and then stick it in the middle of the ball. Wiggle it through and stretch the dough into a bagel shape with about a 2" hole in the middle.
Transfer the formed bagels to the prepared sheet pans. keep the bagels covered with a damp towel as you are forming.
When the bagels are formed, prepare a boiling water bath. To boil 3 bagels at a time, use a 10" stock pot with about 6 inches of water. The stock pot doesn't need to be super deep, but should be at least 10" wide. Bring the water to a rolling boil, then add the baking soda, salt and barley malt syrup. Place 3 bagels in the boiling water bath and boil 90 seconds on each side. They are easy to flip over with a chopstick or fork. Remove with a slotted spoon to drain and put the boiled bagel back on the sheet pan. Repeat until all the bagels have been boiled.
Brush the egg wash on each bagel and sprinkle generously with Everything Bagel Spice. Pat the spice gently onto the bagel but don't press. If a lot of spice falls off, great! You can reclaim the toasted spice after the bagels are cooked.
Put both sheet pans in the oven and bake for 15 minutes. Rotate the pans, moving the lower pan to the upper rack and the upper to the lower. Bake 5-7 minutes more until the bagels are golden brown.
Enjoy while hot.
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