Bagel making gone bad...
I just attempted to make bagels for the first time...here's what happened-
1) dough stuck to parchment (maybe I should have oiled it?) during the 2nd rise (after I shaped them)
2) once I put them into the baking soda bath they got HUGE
3) final result-half cooked dough that didn't really taste like a bagel.
I had the same problem when I made pretzels. They came out the exact same way as the bagels. I used AP flour (some recipes called for AP and some bread flour so I didn't think it was a huge deal. I also use vital wheat gluten and active dry yeast. Any idea what went wrong? I can make a mean pizza and bread dough....
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http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/food/bagels-how-to-make-ones-that-live-up-to-childhood-memories/2014/04/28/3fd82788-ca38-11e3-a75e-463587891b57_story.html
http://thesolitarycook.wordpress.com/2012/02/01/lets-bake-bagels-part-1/
http://thesolitarycook.wordpress.com/2012/02/01/lets-bake-bagels-part-2/
http://thesolitarycook.wordpress.com/2012/02/02/lets-bake-bagels-the-reveal/
I do also oil the parchment I set the shaped bagels out on, as well as the bagels themselves. In the recipe I've used (Peter Reinharts's: http://articles.latimes.com/2008/nov/12/food/la-fo-bagelrec12-2008nov12) they get an overnight rise, which is a lot of time to adhere as well as to dry out, and the oil helps with both.
For pretzels, I recommend getting some food grade lye (as in this recipe I like: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/26/dining/26pretzelrex1.html?ref=dining) to dip the pretzels in instead of baking soda -- as it is a stronger base, it will give you a much better pretzel flavor and appearance.
Hope this helps!