Sometimes recipes have a teaser, secret-ingredient-type deal. Usually the inclusion of the secret-ingredient grants the finished product extra authenticity and the assurance that you are experiencing the real thing.

Well in the case of the “New York Style” Bagel recipe, that elusive ingredient was Malt Syrup. All the others are easy. The article sez that “Malt Syrup, a sweetener, gives bagels their characteristic flavor.”

Luckily, it turns out there’s a beer supply store a few miles from my current location, adjacent to an airport. They had four varieties of the secret-ingredient: Light, a different kind of Light, Amber, and Dark. I chose option #3, which they dispensed by the pound, $2.10 per. Bucket extra.

In addition to the flavor component, the syrup also helps the bagels brown better and faster. Unfortunately I purchased two pounds when the recipe requires one tablespoon (I didn’t have the recipe handy). The bucket is very solid. Here’s what you need:

New York Style Classic Water Bagels
Sponge:

• 18 oz. (4 cups) Unbleached high-gluten flour (or bread flour, I used bread flour)
• 1 tsp quick-rise yeast
• 2 1/2 cups lukewarm water

I wasn’t sure exactly what “lukewarm” water felt like, so I decided to put my new and nifty digital thermometer to use. What Mr. Thermometer says is “lukewarm” (70 degrees F) I would describe as feeling more like “tepid.” Handy device, it is!

With water at proper temp, we create the sponge: