Name: Bagels, unboiled Recipe
Total time: 1 h
Yield: Makes 12 bagels
Ingredients: 6 tablespoons sugar; 1 1/2 teaspoons vegetable oil; 2 1/4 pounds (between 7 1/2 and 9 cups) bread flour, divided, plus additional if needed to work with dough; 2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast; 1 teaspoon salt; 2 eggs

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By Betty Hallock

June 13, 2007

What? A no-boil bagel? Yup, and it’s delicious -- with a golden-brown crust and a pillow-soft interior.

Deputy food editor Susan LaTempa stopped in at Sweet Savory Cafe & Bakery in Covina and noticed the bagels among the house-made baked goods. “They’re not real New York-style bagels,” LaTempa says, “but they have a character and texture that’s appealing in their own way. Very light, and with a chewy crust.”

These would be great for a special brunch. A dozen fresh, puffy bagels straight from the oven.

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6 tablespoons sugar

1 ½ teaspoons vegetable oil

2 ¼ pounds (between 7 ½ and 9 cups) bread flour, divided, plus additional if needed to work with dough

2 ¼ teaspoons instant yeast

1 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

In a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, combine 3 cups water with the sugar, vegetable oil and 3 cups of the flour. Mix it at low speed until combined.

Add the yeast and another 3 cups flour and continue to knead the dough at low speed until all of the flour has been incorporated.

Add the salt and the remaining flour. Knead the dough at medium speed until it’s soft and smooth and it comes away from the sides of the bowl. If the dough is sticky add 1 tablespoon of flour at a time, until smooth and no longer sticky.

Roll the dough into a ball. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover with a lightweight cloth or loosely with plastic wrap. Leave the dough for about 30 minutes to 1 hour, depending on room temperature, until it doubles in volume.

Punch down the dough. On a lightly floured surface, divide the dough into 12 even balls. (If dough is reverting when shaping, let it rest for a minute and start the process again.) To keep the dough from drying out, place a damp towel on top.

Roll each ball to about 15 inches in length. Press and roll the ends together to form a bagel.

Heat the oven to 425 degrees. Place 4 to 6 bagels on a parchment-lined cookie sheet, leaving 1 to 1 1/2 inches between each bagel as they will spread. Cover the bagels with a cloth. Allow them to grow by half again in size, about 15 minutes. They should be light and fluffy. Widen the holes in the bagels to 1 1/2 inches each, as they will shrink while baking.

In a small bowl, beat the eggs, then brush bagels with the egg wash. Bake until golden, about 20 to 22 minutes.

From Sweet Savory Cafe & Bakery in San Dimas and Covina.

Betty Hallock

Betty Hallock is deputy Food editor at the Los Angeles Times. She has co-written four cookbooks, including “Bäco: Vivid Recipes from the Heart of Los Angeles,” “Amá: A Modern Tex-Mex Kitchen” and “Baking at République.” She started her journalism career at the Wall Street Journal and Scientific American in New York, worked on the L.A. Times’ Business desk, and was interim food editor at Los Angeles Magazine. Hallock also helped launch a food and nutrition vertical for wellness app RoundGlass. She’s a graduate of UCLA and New York University.