In your mill, grind 575g of hard red wheat
In a bowl or your mixer, add the fresh milled flour, salt, yeast, and vital wheat gluten and whisk to combine the ingredients.
In a measuring cup, measure out 366g of filtered water and add the 24g of molasses and mix until combined
Pour in the water into the bowl or mixer with your flour
Knead the dough until it is smooth and elastic. You do not need windowpane for bagels. It took 8 minutes using my bowl mixer and could take up to 15-20 minutes kneading by hand. The dough will be dense.
First Rise: Once the dough has finished being kneaded, cover and let the dough rise until it has increased 50% in size. This could take anywhere from 30-60 minutes based on room temperature.
After the first rise, divide the dough into 8 portions. For the bagel size in picture, I measured out about 125g of dough. Shape the dough into a ball and poke a finger in the center of the ball and shape your bagel into a ring.
Proof: Overnight proofing for the bagels is recommended for enhanced flavor, however, you can proof and bake same day if you prefer. Bagels can be boiled out of the fridge without the dough coming to room temperature.
Same Day Baking: proof until they are slightly puffy, approximately 30 minutes. Be careful about overproofing; slightly underproofed is better than overproofed. The dough should be firm and slightly puffy.
Prepare the boiling water: Once you are ready to boil the bagels, add a spoonful of honey or molasses to the water. Bring the water to a rolling boil
Boil: boil the bagels for 1 minute each side ensuring they float as soon as they hit the water. If the bagels sink, you will need to proof them for 20-30 minutes longer.
Preheat your oven to 450F and prepare a baking sheet lined with parchment paper
Once the bagels are boiled and if you want to add toppings like Everything Bagel Seasoning, prepare an egg wash and brush the top of the bagel. This will help the seasonings to stick.
To prevent the bottoms from becoming too dark, place a piece of foil on the oven rack directly below the baking sheet—this acts as a shield, reflecting some of the heat.
Bake 16-20 minutes or until bagels are golden brown. For a more even color, you may need to rotate the baking sheet halfway through baking.
Once baked, allow them to cool on a wire rack.