Cinnamon Raisin Bagels

Instructions

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and scatter the cornmeal evenly across the paper. Set aside.

Strain the plumped raisins, reserving the liquid. Pat the raisins dry and place them in a small bowl. Sprinkle with the sugar, cinnamon, cocoa powder, and nutmeg.

Add enough water to the reserved raisin water to measure 1 cup.

Place the bowl of a stand mixer on a kitchen scale and tare the weight to zero. Measure in the flour, raisin water, barley malt syrup, salt, and yeast.

Place the bowl back on the mixer and fit it with the dough hook. On low speed, mix the ingredients together until there are no dry patches of flour showing, about 4 minutes.

Stop to scrape down the sides of the bowl and increase the speed to medium. Mix until the sides of the bowl are nearly clean, 2 to 3 minutes. The dough may seem dry and shaggy, like biscuit dough.

Cover the bowl with a clean tea towel and let the dough rest for 20 minutes, allowing the flour to hydrate evenly.

Uncover and remove the bowl from the mixer. Add the raisin mixture, using a stiff spatula or wooden spoon to fold it into the dough a few times. Return the bowl to the mixer base and turn the speed to low for 2 to 3 minutes to further incorporate the raisins. Stop to scrape down the sides of the bowl and push the dough off the hook.

Turn the mixer speed back to low, mixing until the ingredients are well incorporated, then increase the speed to medium and let it run until the dough is smooth and the sides of the bowl are clean, 7 to 8 minutes. Watch the mixer at all times, as it might hop across the counter; the dough will be stiff and strong. TESTER TIP: The dough is very stiff. If your mixer isn't powerful, you can knead the dough by hand.

Scrape the dough onto a clean, unfloured work surface and give it five or six kneads. Divide the dough into six equal pieces, each weighing 4 3/8 ounces (125 g). Shape the bagels and place them on the prepared baking sheet.

Cover the baking sheet tightly with plastic wrap that has been lightly coated with cooking spray and refrigerate overnight.

When ready to boil and bake, remove the bagels from the refrigerator and uncover them, allowing them to come to room temperature while the oven heats and the water boils. Your bagels may be slightly puffed or may not show any significant rise at this point, and that's ok.

Place a pizza stone, baking steel, or inverted baking sheet on the oven's center rack and set the oven to its highest temperature, 450°F to 500°F (230°C to 260°C) in most home appliances. Heat the oven for at least 30 minutes.

Fill a 5 quart (4.7 L) or larger pot with water and bring it to a hard boil. Place a 9-by-13-inch (23-by-33-cm) piece of parchment on a pizza peel, a large cutting board, or an inverted baking sheet. (You need to be able to easily slide the bagel-laden parchment paper from this surface into the oven.)

Gently lift one at a time, brush away any excess cornmeal, and drop it into the boiling water. Repeat with another one or two bagels only if they fit in the pot without crowding. Using a slotted spoon or spider, flip the bagels over and over in the water until very slightly puffed and shiny and appear waterlogged, 60 to 90 seconds. Small blisters may appear on the surface.

Remove the bagels one by one and place cornmeal-side down on the parchment paper on the pizza peel. Repeat with the remaining bagels; six bagels will fit snugly on the parchment paper without touching.

Lower the oven temperature to 450°F (230°C). Slide the parchment paper with the bagels directly onto the hot surface in the oven and bake until deeply golden brown and shiny, 12 to 16 minutes.

To remove the bagels from the oven, slide the parchment paper right onto the peel. Transfer the bagels on their paper to a wire rack to cool.

As tempting as it is to grab the hot bagels immediately, allow them to cool slightly before eating.

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