Instructions: Continued from Bagels, Part 1

Place 2 clean towels and a lightly floured towel on a counter near the stove. Bring a large stockpot of water to a boil. Stir in the sugar or barley malt and baking soda.

Using your fist, punch the dough to deflate it and transfer it to a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough in half; wrap 1 piece in plastic wrap and refrigerate it until you have finished with the first batch. Divide the other piece of dough into 5 pieces. As you work with 1 piece of dough, keep the remaining dough covered with a towel. Draw the sides of 1 piece of dough up, pinching the ends together at the top, to form a round ball. Turn the ball so the pinched seam is on the bottom.

Stick your index finger into the center of the ball, all the way through to the bottom, to make a hole. Hook the hole onto the thumb of one hand and insert the index finger of your other hand into the hole and rotate and stretch the dough to form a hole about 2 1/2 inches in diameter. (The bagel should resemble a ring; it will puff up after boiling to resemble a typical bagel.) Place the bagel on the floured towel and cover it with a second towel. Repeat with the remaining 4 pieces of dough. (You should boil and bake these 5 bagels before shaping the remaining 5.)

Using a skimmer, transfer the bagels, 1 at a time, to the boiling water, working in batches of 2 or 3 at a time so that the bagels can swim around without touching each other. The bagels may sink at first but should rise to the surface. Boil for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes per side, gently flipping them once with the skimmer. Using the skimmer, remove the bagels from the pot, shaking off excess water over the stockpot, and transfer the bagel to the second unfloured towel for 30 to 60 seconds. Using a spatula, transfer the cooled bagels to the prepared baking sheet after no more than 60 seconds so that they dont stick to the towel.

To glaze the bagels, in a small bowl, whisk together the egg whites and 1 teaspoon of the cold water until combined but not frothy. Strain the mixture, discarding the solids. Lightly brush the top of each bagel with the glaze; be careful not to let the glaze drip onto the baking sheet as it will glue the bagels to the surface. Lightly brush the top of each bagel with a second coat of glaze and, if desired, sprinkle with some of 1 or more of the optional toppings.

To bake the bagels, place 4 ice cubes in a bowl and add the remaining 1/4 cup of cold water. Pour the ice mixture into the roasting pan or skillet on the lowest oven rack and immediately place the sheet of bagels on the upper oven rack and quickly close the oven door to capture the steam produced by the ice. Immediately reduce the temperature to 450 degrees and bake the bagels for 25 minutes. Turn off the oven without opening the door and let the bagels sit for 5 minutes. Open the oven door and leave the bagels in the oven for 5 more minutes. Transfer the bagels to a wire rack and set aside to cool.

Repeat the shaping, boiling, glazing and baking with the remaining dough. The bagels keep well for 1 day at room temperature in a brown paper bag. (May wrap in airtight plastic freezer bags and freeze for up to 1 month; thaw at room temperature.)

* Note: Barley malt, also known as diastatic malt powder, is available locally at many grocery stores and by mail order from King Arthurs Flour (call 800-827-6836 or see www.kingarthurflour.com).

Yield: Makes ten 4-inch bagels

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