The Hole Story_ The Wonderful World of Bagel Making _ Empire Bakery Equipment

The bagel, once considered an ethnic delicacy, bagels now sell in America to the tune of over 8 million a day. Bagels are catching on all over the country. Healthful and inexpensive, they're the fastest growing segment of the fast food marketplace. There has never been a better time to enter the growing business of bagels. The bagel is a fun and tasty treat that offers an excellent balance of protein and carbohydrate with low fat and less calories than an 8 ounce yogurt. This program was created to illustrate and explain the complete bagel making process. Sponsored by Empire Bakery Equipment Incorporated, manufacturers of bagel making and general baking machinery, the program is our way of welcoming you to the wonderful world of bagel making. According to legend, the bagel was invented by an Austrian baker in the late 1600s as a tribute to King Jan of Poland, who had saved Austria from Turkish invaders. As the king was known for his horsemanship, the baker shaped his dough into a rough circle resembling a stirrup. The bagel found its way to America in the early years of this century. Bagel making in those days meant long hours of back-breaking work in uncomfortable conditions. But with the development of sophisticated bagel making machinery and time-saving bagel bases, bagel making is a business opportunity that more and more Americans are finding attractive. Bagels are made in one of two ways. The traditional technique, called the kettle method, involves boiling the prepared dough to create the bagel's smooth crust. The newer method, called the rack oven method, replaces the boiling with a steaming process. Both methods begin the same way, by mixing the dough. Originally, there were a great many ingredients that had to be combined in very strict proportions. Now, however, Paratus powder bases combine those ingredients that were previously mixed by hand. The advantages of using a base include guaranteed correct proportions in every batch of dough, as well as time saved. Also, machinability, volume, and shelf life of the dough is improved. Paratus offers different bases for making different types of bagels, along with a full range of improvers, flavors, and sours. The first step in making up the bagels is to determine the amount of dough you need. Then, by following the recipe formula, you begin to mix the dough. For this recipe, we need 5 pounds of New York bagel base and 14 ounces of yeast. Next, water is placed in the mixer. In this case, we want to use 100 pounds of flour, so we begin with 48 to 50 pounds water. The water temperature is crucial to the success of the bagels. At the beginning of the process, the water should be between 50 and 55 degrees Fahrenheit, so that the finished dough will be between 75 to 78 degrees. Water that is too hot will cause overdevelopment of the dough. If necessary, add ice to the water to cool it down, but be sure to remove an amount of water equal to the weight of the added ice. Add the 5 pounds of New York bagel base to the water. Activate the mixer for a couple of minutes to allow the base and water to blend. High gluten flour is used to give the bagel its unique chewy consistency. It is a specialty wheat flour higher in ash and protein, which makes the bagel dough denser. Add the flour and follow by sprinkling in the yeast. Set the timer according to the recipe and begin mixing. The dough begins to take on the unique membrane-like characteristic that sets bagel dough apart. Mixing time is generally 10 to 12 minutes. As the dough is mixed, it is important to wipe down the top of the work table with either white divider oil or mineral oil. By the conclusion of the mixing, the dough should have achieved a consistency that allows it to stretch. This is called development. New York bagel base contains a combination of reducing and oxidizing agents that aid in this process. Emulsifiers in the base help protect the gluten strands in the dough network. This results in the optimum volume in the baked bagel. These two machines, the divider and the former, work in tandem. Place the developed dough onto the work table and cut it into strips for feeding into the divider. The dough is loaded onto the infeed conveyor. It is cut up into chunks by the divider. Check the scaling range to ensure the correct size and weight of the divided dough pieces. The dough pieces pass beneath the pressure plate and are bent into circles by the curvature of the belt as it feeds into the forming tube. The forming tube is comprised of two forming sleeves and a metal bar called a mandrel. The dough wraps around the mandrel, forming a circle. Out of the other end comes a fully formed raw bagel. It is transferred to wooden peel boards which are covered in cornmeal or rice flour to prevent sticking. The bagel is now ready to undergo the part of the fermentation process known as proofing. There are two methods for proofing bagels. For natural floor proofing, cover your utility rack with a proofing cover. This helps contain the heat and humidity necessary to proofing. The heat of the dough will now react with the yeast. This fermentation will cause the dough to rise. Placing the rack in a warm area will speed the process. The other method for proofing is the proof box. The proof box is used to ensure a uniform proofing environment despite any and all outside temperature changes. The proof box supplies heat and it also supplies humidity to keep the dough from drying out. The temperature is set at 98 to 100 degrees Fahrenheit and the humidity is set between 85 and 90 percent. Proofing is affected by the temperature of both the dough and the inside of the bakery as well as the climate outside. A cold climate will slow the proofing process while a warm climate will speed it up. Extreme room temperatures can be compensated for by increasing or decreasing the amount of yeast added to the dough. With either proofing method, the amount of time bagels spend proofing is crucial. Improperly proofed bagels can lose their shine and the holes may close up. It is important to time the proofing even though Parato's bases and improvers give the dough added tolerance. After 45 minutes, take out one bagel and drop it into a small pot of cold water. If after 10 seconds the bagel floats to the top, proofing is complete. If the bagel sinks, continue the proofing and check back at least every 15 minutes. After either method of proofing, the bagels are stored overnight in the retarder. If you have used natural floor proofing, remove the rack cover before rolling the rack into the retarder. The retarder is a special type of large walk-in refrigerator. The difference between a retarder and a regular walk-in refrigerator is in the cooling coil. The retarder has a low velocity blower, which supplies cool air with minimal turbulence. This helps to maintain a higher moisture level in the bagel. The dough stays in the retarder until the following day. It can remain for as much as 56 hours before sugar separation begins to occur, rendering the dough useless. The next day, the bagels are removed from the retarder and are baked by one of two processes. We'll examine the traditional method or kettle method first, followed by the rack oven method. The kettle method begins by giving the bagels 10 to 15 minutes of floor time after they've been taken from the retarder to remove the chill from the product. The bagels are then put into the kettle for about 1 to 2 minutes. The water must be boiling. This serves to gelatinize the bagel, closing its outside pores. The result is the smooth, sleek texture and glossy shine of the bagel's crust. From the kettle, the bagels are placed bottom-side up on burlap-covered drying boards. It is at this stage that the toppings, such as poppy seeds, onion bits, garlic, or salt are added. The boards, used to prevent the wet bagel from sticking to the oven shelf, are placed inside the oven. After about 2 minutes, the tops are dry. The boards are then flipped, leaving the bagels top-side up, and the baking continues for 10 to 12 minutes. An alternative is to place the fresh-from-the-kettle bagels onto a paper-covered oven pan and put them into the oven to bake. In either case, the oven temperature should be 490 degrees Fahrenheit. This traditional method of kettling the bagels is preferred by some bakers, while others have adopted the rack-oven method. The rack-oven method begins by removing the made-up bagels from the retarder. Toppings are then applied by wetting the top of the bagel and hand-dipping it into the appropriate container. This is somewhat less wasteful and messy than the method used in the kettling process. The bagels are placed on perforated baking screens, which are put into an oven bake rack. The rack is put into the proof box for about 15 minutes. Next, the oven rack is placed in a 560 to 580 degree oven. The bagels are given 30 to 60 seconds of steam. This steam, combined with the brief time in the proof box, takes the place of the kettling and gives the bagel its smooth, shiny crust. When the steam cycle is complete, the bagels remain in the moist air for about 2 minutes. As a drying technique, the oven door is then opened for 15 seconds to allow the steam to dissipate. The bagels are then baked out for 12 to 15 minutes with the damper open. The oven temperature at this point should be approximately 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Both methods of baking make an excellent bagel. The baker's preference for one system over the other is a matter of personal taste, but regardless of the method you choose, Empire has the highest quality equipment for the job. To recap, the dough is mixed by combining water and base, followed by high-gluten flour and yeast. The temperature of the dough must be carefully monitored. The dough mixes until the correct consistency is developed, usually 10 to 12 minutes. The dough is placed on a well-oiled work table. It is sliced into thin pieces, which are fed into the divider. As the pieces come out of the divider, they are carried through the former and are lightly spun as they're deposited on peel boards covered with cornmeal or rice flour to prevent sticking. The bagels are proofed, either on a covered utility rack or in the proof box, until such time as a bagel placed in a pot of cold water can float. The bagels are then placed into the walk-in retarder overnight. The next day, the bagels that will be baked in the traditional kettling manner are left out to lose their chill. Then they are placed in boiling water for two minutes to gelatinize the dough, causing the formation of the smooth outer crust. The bagels are then placed on drying boards, where the toppings are applied, and placed in the oven for two minutes to dry. Then the bagels are flipped onto the oven shelf and left to bake for 10 to 12 minutes at a temperature of 490 degrees Fahrenheit. For bagels that will be baked by rack oven, the bagels are taken from the retarder and placed on perforated baking screens. The screens are loaded into the proof box at a temperature of about 100 degrees Fahrenheit with an 85 to 90 percent humidity. After 15 minutes, the bagels are placed into the rack oven and subjected to a minute or so of steam. After being allowed to rest in the moistened air for about two minutes, the oven door is opened and the steam is allowed to escape. The bagels then continue to bake for 12 to 15 minutes at a temperature of 450 degrees Fahrenheit. The bagel is a delicious and healthful food that is enjoying its greatest popularity ever. Becoming a part of the bagel industry, however, is more than just a sound business venture. Bagel bakers view their jobs as an art form and are constantly experimenting, searching for new ways to make great bagels. Within a short time, you too will be bringing your own unique talents and sensibilities to the ongoing development of new and delicious bagels. We believe our most important product is your success. Our aim is to provide the knowledge necessary to ensure that success, from machinery and ingredients to training and consultation. Remember, when you want to make the best bagels, start with Empire equipment and if you ever have any questions or need help, please feel free to call us.