Homemade plain bagels

Mix 120 g flour, 75 g water, 0.125 tsp salt and 0.0625 tsp yeast in a bowl. Knead briefly to bring the stiff dough together. Cover and leave at room temperature for 720 minutes, overnight.

Add 300 g flour, 170 g water, the brown sugar, 0.75 tsp yeast and 1.25 tsp salt to the starter. Knead by hand for about 15 minutes until the stiff dough becomes smooth and elastic. Grease the bowl with 2 ml oil, put the dough inside and cover. Allow to double in size, about 150 minutes.

Gently press out excess gas and divide the dough into 8 equal pieces. Shape into tight balls. Dust the resting surface with the reserved 10 g flour. Cover and rest for 15 minutes.

Line a baking sheet with baking paper and brush with the remaining 3 ml oil. Poke a hole through each ball and widen it to about 6 cm. Arrange the rings on the sheet, cover and leave for 30 minutes until slightly puffy to the touch.

During the final rise, preheat the oven to 230 °C. Weigh 1808 g water into a suitably wide saucepan, with a depth of at least 3 cm. Add the honey and bring to the boil. Discard this water after poaching.

Lower the rings into gently boiling water in small batches without crowding. Cook for 60 seconds on the first side, turn and cook for another 60 seconds. Lift out with a slotted spoon, drain and return to the sheet.

Bake for about 22 minutes until golden, rotating the sheet halfway through. Transfer to a rack and cool for at least 20 minutes before splitting.