Bagel with lox

Cook it at home: Homemade New York bagels with lox

The bagels get a cold overnight rise and a short boil with malt before baking; that's the chew and the shine. The lox is simple cured salmon; start it three days ahead, or buy great nova.

Pans and tools

• Stand mixer with dough hook (or strong arms)
• Two sheet pans and parchment
• Wide pot and slotted spoon
• Wire rack
• Long thin slicing knife for the lox

You’ll need

• For the lox: 1 lb (450 g) skin-on center-cut salmon fillet, sushi grade
• 1/4 cup (60 g) kosher salt, 1/4 cup (50 g) sugar, 1 tbsp cracked black pepper, a small bunch of dill
• For the bagels: 4 cups (520 g) high-gluten or bread flour
• 1 tbsp barley malt syrup (or brown sugar), plus 2 tbsp for the boiling water
• 1 tsp instant yeast and 2 tsp fine salt
• 1 1/4 cups (300 ml) warm water
• 1 tsp baking soda, for the boiling water
• Toppings: everything seasoning, sesame or poppy seeds
• To serve: 8 oz (225 g) cream cheese, thinly sliced red onion, ripe tomato, capers

Steps

1. Make the lox 3 days ahead: mix the salt, sugar and pepper. Lay the salmon skin down on plastic wrap, cover with the dill and the cure, wrap tightly, put in a dish under a weight (a few cans), and refrigerate 48 to 72 hours, turning daily. Rinse, pat dry and slice very thinly on an angle off the skin.
2. For the bagels, mix the flour, yeast, salt, 1 tbsp malt and water to a stiff dough. Knead 10 minutes until smooth; it will be firm.
3. Rest 10 minutes, then divide into 8 pieces (about 4 oz / 110 g). Roll each into a 10-inch rope, wrap it around your hand overlapping the ends under your palm, and roll the join on the counter to seal.
4. Set on an oiled, parchment-lined sheet, cover with plastic and refrigerate overnight (12 to 24 hours).
5. Heat the oven to 450F (230C). Bring a wide pot of water to a boil with 2 tbsp malt and the baking soda. Test a bagel: it should float within 10 seconds in cold water. If not, leave them 20 minutes at room temperature.
6. Boil 3 or 4 at a time, 45 seconds per side. Lift onto a rack, then dip the tops in the seeds while wet and set on a parchment-lined sheet.
7. Bake 18 to 22 minutes, turning the sheet halfway, until deep golden brown. Cool at least 20 minutes on a rack.
8. Split, spread thickly with cream cheese, and top with lox, onion, tomato and capers.

Contains: Wheat, fish, milk, sesame.