When I make bagels at home, they come out much lumpier on the outside than the ones I could buy at Bruggers or even Alpine. I know that I do not shape perfectly, so that is one problem. But the real bumpiness on the surface seems to come in the boiling stage. Do you have any tips for how to keep the surface smooth at this stage? Also, why doesn’t the library have a good selection of cookbooks?
ANSWER PERSON RESPONDS: It has been years since Answer Person made bagels, and I don’t know you entire process, but it may be that you don’t have any oil in the water when you are boiling the bagels.
AP’s favorite Jewish cookbook is Sara Kasdan’s LOVE AND KNISHES (Fawcett, 1956). Although we don’t have that one in our collection, we do have several others listed under the heading “Cookery Jewish” in the online catalog. Try “Baking” as well.
Let me know how they turn out–samples can be left for AP at the Perkins Circulation Desk or Reference Desk!