New York Bagels

• In a medium bowl, combine water and yeast. Stir to dissolve the yeast.
• bread flour, malt powder (or sugar), and 20 grams of salt to the bowl.
• Mix the ingredients with a sturdy spoon until a shaggy dough forms and you can no longer stir with the spoon.
• Switch to a soaking wet hand and continue mixing the dough by squeezing and folding until the dough is well combined.
  
• Transfer the dough to a work surface and knead for 10-12 minutes until smooth and elastic. When adequately kneaded, you should be able to tug on a piece of dough without it tearing.
• Place the kneaded dough into a bowl, cover with a lid, and let it bulk ferment at room temperature for 1 hour.
• After 1 hour, the dough should have risen by about 50%. Cut the dough into 12 pieces, each weighing approximately 120 grams.
• Shape each piece of dough by pressing it out into a rectangle then, starting with the edge furthest from you, roll the dough back onto it into itself, pressing into the work surface with each roll until you have a cigar shape, then roll the dough until it’s roughly 10″/25cm long.
• Wrap the dough log around your fingers, overlapping by about 3 inches, and squeeze firmly to seal each end of the dough together.
  
• With the dough still wrapped around your hand, roll the dough back and forth on the seam side to fully integrate and shape it into a bagel.
  
• Place the shaped bagels onto two parchment-lined sheet trays lightly sprayed with pan spray. Cover with plastic wrap or half sheet tray covers.
• Move the trays to the refrigerator and cold ferment for at least 4 hours, preferably 24 hours.
• Preheat your oven to 475°F and soak bagel boards (cedar planks with burlap stapled to them) in water.
• Bring 3-4 liters of water to a boil in a large pot and add molasses.
• Cut the parchment around each bagel to make handling easier.
• Carefully drop 3 bagels into the boiling water, top side down, and boil for 30 seconds.
  
• Flip the bagels and boil for another 30 seconds on the other side.
• Transfer the boiled bagels to a baking sheet with the bottom side down.
• Repeat steps 16, 17, & 18 for remaining bagels
• Place the boiled bagels onto the soaked bagel boards, top side down.
  
• Bake in the preheated oven for 5 minutes on the bagel boards. I like to place mine directly on top of my pizza stone/steel.
  
• After 5 minutes, flip the bagels over so the top side is up, and continue baking for 12-15 minutes on a pizza stone/steel until golden brown and blistered.
• Remove the bagels from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool. *For Seeded Bagels: * – After boiling the bagels, immediately press them into a tray of your chosen seeds (e.g., everything bagel seasoning, poppy seeds) with the top side down. – Place seeded bagels on soaked bagel boards, seed side down, and bake as instructed above.
  

WHIPPED CREAM CHEESE SHMEAR:

• In a stand mixer, whip the cream cheese, milk, & pinch of salt for 2 mins til smooth & spreadable.