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Prepare Sponge: Stir yeast into flour in large mixing bowl.
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Add water and stir just until ingredients are blended.
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Cover bowl with plastic wrap and set aside to rise for two hours, or until doubled.
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Prepare dough:.
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Add additional yeast to the sponge.
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Add three cups flour, malt powder (or substitute), and salt and mix until all ingredients form a ball.
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I used the paddle attachment on my KA at slow speed.
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Slowly add remaining flour until it is completely incorporated.
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Dough will be very stiff -- bagel dough is much stiffer than typical bread dough.
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Change to the dough hook and begin kneading (on a KA, on speed 2).
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Knead for about 6 minutes (10 if you're kneading by hand).
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You're done when the dough is stiff and not sticky.
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If it's still sticky, add a bit more flour; if it seems to dry to you (and rips when you stretch it), add a smidgin of water and knead a bit longer.
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When finished kneading, divide dough into 12 equal portions (or more, if you want smaller bagels -- 12 portions will give you fairly large bagels).
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Roll into balls and set aside.
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Put balls of dough on a piece of parchment paper, cover with a damp towel, and let rest for 20 minutes.
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Shape the bagels: Take each ball of dough, punch a hole in the center with a finger or thumb, and rotate the dough so that it's as smooth and even as possible.
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Take a large baking sheet and cover with parchment paper.
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Lightly spray the paper with oil, then place shaped bagels on parchment paper.
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Lightly spray the tops of the bagels with oil.
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Cover with plastic and let rest an other 20-30 minutes.
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Retard the dough: Put bagels in refrigerate overnight.
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This is an important step, and will contribute to the taste and texture of the bagel.
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(You can leave the bagels in the fridge for up to 2 days.
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).
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Boiling and baking: Preheat oven to 500.
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Sprinkle cornmeal over a large baking sheet.
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Fill a large stockpot (as wide a pot as you've got, rather than narrow and deep) with water, and add a tablespoonful of baking soda; bring water to a boil.
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When water is boiling, drop 2-3 bagels (as many as will fit comfortably) into the water.
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Boil for one minute, then flip over and boil on the other side for one minute.
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If you boil longer than one minute per side, you'll get an even chewier bagel.
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Remove from water and place on baking sheet.
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Add toppings (see note below) now, while bagels are still slightly moist, so toppings will stay on the bagel.
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Continue this process until all bagels have been boiled and toppings have been added.
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Put bagels in oven and bake for five minutes.
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Reduce heat to 450, turn pan, and bake another five minutes (or until bagels begin to brown; may take another minute or three).
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Remove from oven and let cool.
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Note on toppings: You can top these with anything you like: Seeds (sesame, caraway, fennel, anise, poppy, flax); flavorings (salt, onion and/or garlic flakes, or minced and sauteed fresh onion and garlic).
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Be creative!
