Crites Family Stuff

Ingredients for 15 servings

Sponge:

• 1 tsp instant yeast
• 4 cups flour
• 2.5 cups water, room temperature

Dough:

• 1 tsp yeast
• 3.75 cups flour, divided
• 2.75 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp cinnamon
• 5 tbsp sugar
• 1.5 cups raisins, rinsed in warm water
• 1 tbsp honey or brown sugar

Steps

1. Combine ingredients to make the sponge, yeast, flour, and water. Whisk together only until it forms a smooth, sticky batter. Cover with plastic and leave at room temperature for 2 hours or until mixtures becomes foamy and bubbly and has nearly doubled in size.
2. Add to this mixture the dough ingredients, yeast, 3 cups flour, salt, cinnamon, sugar, and honey. Mix on low with dough hook until it forms a ball. Gradually add the remaining 3/4 cup flour to stiffen the dough.
3. Transfer dough to counter and knead 10 minutes. Add raisins during the final 2 minutes of kneading. This is a firm but pliable dough. Divide into 12 pieces. Roll into flattened circles. Cover the rolls with a damp towel and allow to rest for 20 minutes.
4. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment and mist with spray oil. Poke a hole into each ball of dough and gently rotate your thumb around the inside to widen the hole to approximately 2 1/2 inches in diameter, stretching the dough as evenly as possible. Place 2 inches apart on the parchment paper. Mist bagels very lightly with spray oil and cover with plastic wrap. Let stand at room temperature for 20 minutes.
5. Fill a small bowl with tepid water. Place a bagel in the water. If it floats to the top within 10 seconds they are ready to be placed in refrigerator. Pat dry the test bagel and replace the plastic wrap and put bagels in the refrigerator for 8 hours or up to 2 days. If the test bagel doesn't float, check every 10 minutes until they do.
6. Next day: Preheat oven to 500F. In a large, wide pot, bring to a boil water and add 1 tbsp baking soda. Remove bagels from refrigerator and gently drop into the boiling water. They should rise to the top within 10 seconds. Flip the bagel after 1 minute. While bagels are boiling, sprinkle parchment paper with cornmeal. Replace boiled bagels to parchment and bake for 5 minutes, rotate pans and then continue baking for 5 more minutes at a reduced heat of 450F. Remove pans from oven and allow bagels to cool on racks for 15 minutes before serving.

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