Bagels

Dissolve the yeast and a pinch of sugar in an eighth of a cup of lukewarm water and let it stand.

Pour the remaining cup of water into a bowl, add the shortening, the yeast mixture, the sugar, the black pepper and the salt and stir with a wooden spoon.

Add the bread flour half a cup at a time, stirring vigorously, to about three cups, until the dough is soft, sticky and difficult to stir.

Turn out onto a floured surface and knead 5 to 6 minutes, using the remaining flour only if it sticks to your hands.

Form into a ball, rest in a buttered bowl, brush the top with melted butter, cover with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel and let rise one hour until doubled.

Machine version: same ingredients into the mixer bowl, dough hook on low for 2 to 3 minutes, then medium for 5 to 6 minutes, adding a tablespoon of flour at a time if needed, until smooth and elastic though still slightly sticky.

Deflate the dough, wrap it and chill four hours or overnight.

Spray a large baking tray with oil and dust with cornmeal. Line two baking sheets with kitchen towels and rub flour into one of them.

Deflate, divide the dough in half and cut one half into five pieces.

Draw the dough up from the bottom, stretch and pinch at the top until you have a tightly packed ball with a pleat, building a gluten cloak.

Turn the knot down, plunge an index finger through the centre, wiggle to stretch, then hook it over thumb and finger and elongate the hole to 2 to 2.5 inches. Rest on the floured towel.

Bring a stock pot of water to the boil, add the sugar and baking soda and return to a rolling boil.

Lower the bagels in one at a time and boil 1.5 to 2 minutes, then flip and repeat.

Drain and transfer smoothest side up to the prepared baking sheet, moving fast so they do not stick to the towel.

Pass the egg wash through a sieve and brush each bagel, including the hole, without letting it drip onto the sheet; apply a second coat.

Top with poppy seed, sesame seed or caraway seeds.

Load into a 500F oven with a measuring cup of ice cubes and a quarter cup of water for steam, then turn the oven down to 450 and keep the door shut.

Bake 25 minutes at 450, turn the oven off and leave them five minutes, then open the door and leave another five.

Cool completely on a rack. Store in a paper bag one to two days.