New York style bagels

Measure 530 grams of 86F tap water into a medium bowl and stir in the instant yeast to dissolve it.

Add the bread flour, diastatic malt powder and salt, stir with a sturdy spoon until it comes together shaggy.

Switch to a wet hand and squeeze and fold in the bowl until well combined.

Turn out onto a board and knead eight to 10 minutes by pushing the dough out with alternating palms.

Tug the dough: if it does not tear or shear and snaps back like a rubber band, the gluten is developed.

Move to a medium bowl, cover with a lid and bulk ferment one hour, until risen about 50 percent.

Cut the dough into 12 pieces of about 120 grams each.

Degas a piece, press to a rectangle, roll toward yourself two or three times into a four or five inch cigar.

Roll out to about 10 inches, keeping the ends untapered.

Wrap around the hand with about three inches of overlap, squeeze to seal, roll on the board to press the seam.

Lay the 12 on two parchment lined sheet trays sprayed with pan spray, cover.

Cold ferment in the fridge as little as four hours, preferably 24.

Bring about four quarts of water to a boil and add the molasses.

Preheat the oven to 475F.

Soak the bagel boards until the burlap is saturated and the cedar has taken on water.

Cut the parchment into six pieces so the bagels can go into the water without degassing, keeping track of which side is the top.

Drop three bagels in top side down, boil 30 seconds, flip, boil 30 seconds on the bottom side, move to a sheet tray keeping the orientation.

Repeat with the next three.

Lay all six top side down on the wet burlap and bake at 475F on a pizza steel or stone for five minutes.

Flip so the burlap side faces up and bake 12 to 15 minutes more, about 20 minutes total.

For seeded bagels, boil the same way, lift straight onto a tray of seeds top side down, coat all over.

Move onto soaked bagel boards, bake five minutes seed side down, flip and bake another 12 to 15.

Whip the cream cheese with the milk and a pinch of salt in a stand mixer for two minutes to schmear texture.