Multigrain Bagels

1. Combine warm water, yeast, and sugar in a bowl. Set aside until dissolved, about 5 minutes.

2. Combine bread flour, whole wheat flour, rolled oats, vital wheat gluten, wheat germ, flaxseed meal, and sea salt in a large bowl. Stir in buttermilk. Add the yeast mixture and honey; stir until no dry spots remain. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let dough rest 20 minutes.

3. Turn dough onto a floured work surface. Knead about 7 minutes; it will be soft and slightly sticky. Add more flour if needed. Shape into a ball. Spray a mixing bowl with cooking spray. Place dough in the bowl and turn to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 2 hours in warm, draft-free place.

4. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Line one 11x17-inch baking sheet with waxed paper, another with a flour sack towel, and 2 remaining sheets with parchment paper sprinkled with cornmeal.

5. Combine 3 quarts water and brown sugar in a large pot; bring to a boil.

6. Turn dough onto a floured surface; knead briefly. Cut dough in half; return 1 half to the bowl and cover. Form the other half into a cylinder. Cut into quarters and cut quarters in half, yielding 8 equal-sized pieces of dough. Shape dough pieces into balls. Repeat with remaining half of dough.

7. Flatten a dough ball slightly; press index fingers through the center until they meet. Rotate fingers to stretch a hole about 1 3/4-inch in diameter. Set bagel on waxed paper-lined baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough balls.

8. Reduce heat to simmer under the sugar-water mixture. Boil 2 bagels at at time; cooking each for 30 seconds per side. Transfer boiled bagels to the towel-lined baking sheet to drain. Transfer bagels to the parchment paper-lined sheets.

9. Mix egg white and 1 teaspoon cool water together in a small bowl; use mixture to brush tops of bagels.

10. Bake in the preheated oven for 12 minutes. Flip bagels and continue baking until golden brown, about 13 minutes more.

11. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Cook's Notes:

You will need four 11x17-inch baking sheets for this recipe.

Flipping the bagels over after baking for 12 minutes prevents the bottoms from becoming too heavily crusted.