Bagel Bread
We absolutely love bagels, with their dense but soft interiors surrounded by chewy exteriors. But we don't love that they don't fit in some toasters and don't lend themselves well to sandwich making. Given those drawbacks, we were after a sliceable (and toastable) bread loaf with the signature chewy exterior and dense but soft interior of a fresh bagel. After poking around online, we landed on bagel bread. To develop our version, we started with a basic bagel dough made with high-protein bread flour. We kneaded this dough for a full 10 minutes in a stand mixer to develop gluten and ensure a chewy texture. Then came the odd part: Boiling the risen, not-yet-baked loaf in a solution of water, baking soda, and corn syrup helped the bread achieve a lovely brown crust and gently set its exterior so that when the dough continued to rise in the oven, it had a tight, chewy crumb. Making slashes across the top of the dough allowed steam to escape as it baked and expanded, and coating the dough with a homemade “everything” topping brought it to a place of bagel-like bliss.
Topping
Bread
We prefer bread flour here; its higher protein content gives this loaf a chewy yet light texture. We developed this recipe using King Arthur Unbleached Bread Flour, but Gold Medal Bread Flour will also work. The test kitchen’s preferred loaf pan measures 8½ by 4½ inches; if you use a 9 by 5-inch pan, start checking for doneness 5 minutes early.
1
INSTRUCTIONS
For the topping: Combine all ingredients in bowl; set aside.
2
For the bread: Spray 8½ by 4½-inch loaf pan with oil spray. Whisk flour and yeast together in bowl of stand mixer. Fit mixer with dough hook. Add 1¼ cups (10 ounces) water and 2 tablespoons corn syrup. Mix on medium-low speed until dough comes together and no dry flour remains, about 2 minutes. Turn off mixer, cover bowl with dish towel or plastic wrap, and let dough stand for 10 minutes.
3
Add salt to dough and knead on medium speed until dough is smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. Turn out dough onto clean counter and form into ball by pinching and pulling dough edges under so top is smooth. Flip dough smooth side down.
4
Pat dough into 6-inch square and position parallel to edge of counter. Fold top edge of dough down to midline, pressing to seal. Fold bottom edge of dough up to meet first seam at midline and press to seal. Fold dough in half so top and bottom edges meet; pinch together to seal. Flip dough seam side down and roll into 8-inch log.
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Transfer to prepared pan, seam side down. Spray top of dough lightly with oil spray, then cover loosely with plastic. Let sit in warm place until dough rises to lip of pan, about 1 hour.
6
Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Line large plate with clean dish towel. Bring 2 quarts water to boil in Dutch oven. Once boiling, add baking soda and remaining 2 tablespoons corn syrup.
7
Gently tip dough out of pan onto counter. Lift dough, gently lower into boiling water, and cook for 45 seconds per side. Using spider skimmer or 2 slotted spoons, transfer dough to prepared plate. Fold dish towel over dough gently to wick away excess moisture on top. Let sit until cool enough to handle, about 2 minutes.
8
Respray now-empty pan with oil spray. Add 2 tablespoons topping to pan and shake until bottom and sides of pan are evenly coated. Transfer dough to prepared pan, seam side down, pushing it in at edges to fit if necessary.
9
Using paring knife, make six ¼-inch-deep slashes crosswise along surface of dough, about 1 inch apart. Brush dough with egg, then sprinkle with remaining 4 teaspoons topping. Bake until golden brown and loaf registers at least 200 degrees, about 45 minutes. Let bread cool completely in pan, about 2 hours. Remove from pan, slice, and serve, toasted if desired.
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