Bagel

Bagels feel like a project but break into clear, satisfying steps, and two of them matter for sourdough. The first is the cold rest: shape them the night before, refrigerate them, and bake in the morning. That overnight chill is the same trick many sourdough bakers use to fit baking around the rest of life. The second is the boil. A short simmer, about 30 seconds a side, sets the crust before the bagels go into the oven, a vivid lesson in how a dough's surface behaves. Shaping is pleasingly simple too: poke a hole through a ball of dough with a finger and twirl it into a ring. The result is chewy, glossy and better than most store-bought bagels.