The Sourdough-Leaning Sesame & The Apollo Open-Faced Tomato
Chapter 1 — Making the Bagels
The sesame-studded crust shatters. This blistered sandwich is served exactly as it would be at the apex of the current bagel renaissance: a heavily seeded, shatteringly crisp vessel bearing a quarter-inch slice of salted beefsteak tomato and a slick of grassy olive oil. To reach this standard, lock the stand mixer's heavy dough hook into place, begin building a sixty-percent hydration dough heavily spiked with active wild yeast and cold-fermented overnight, and let the process do the heavy lifting.
Ingredients
- high-gluten bread flour765 g
- whole grain rye flour85 g
- water510 g
- active sourdough starter170 g
- fine sea salt17 g
- diastatic malt powder8 g
- barley malt syrup17 g
- water6 qt
- barley malt syrup60 g
- baking soda1 tbsp
- white sesame seeds1 1/2 cup
- beefsteak or heirloom tomato1 large
- scallion cream cheese3 oz
- extra virgin olive oil1 tbsp
- flaky sea salt1 tsp
- black pepper1 tsp
Method
- 01
Create the wet slurry for the master dough.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together the active sourdough starter, the 510 grams of lukewarm water, and 17 grams of barley malt syrup until it resembles a murky, milky liquid.
- 02
Mix the dry ingredients and combine.
In a separate bowl, whisk the high-gluten flour, rye flour, fine sea salt, and diastatic malt powder, then add this dry mix to the wet slurry.
- 03
Knead the dough until smooth and highly developed.
Using the dough hook, mix on the lowest speed for 3 to 4 minutes until a shaggy mass forms, then increase to medium-low and knead for 6 to 8 minutes; if the machine struggles, turn the dough out and finish kneading by hand until tacky but not sticky, targeting a final dough temperature of 76°F.
- 04
Bulk ferment the dough at room temperature.
Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled tub, cover, and let it rest at room temperature (72-75°F) for 3 1/2 to 4 1/2 hours until it shows a 50 percent increase in volume and a puffy, aerated feel.
- 05
Divide and pre-shape the bagels.
Turn the dough onto an unfloured surface, divide it into 12 equal pieces weighing roughly 125 grams each, roll into tight seamless balls, and cover with a damp towel to rest for 20 minutes.
- 06
Shape the bagels using the poke method to preserve internal structure.
With a floured thumb, pierce directly through the center of a dough ball, then lift and gently spin the dough like a steering wheel to stretch the hole to about 2 1/2 inches wide.
- 07
Retard the shaped dough in the refrigerator overnight.
Place the shaped bagels on parchment-lined baking sheets dusted with semolina or cornmeal, cover tightly with plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming, and chill for 16 to 24 hours to develop a complex lactic tang.
- 08
Preheat the oven and prepare the malted boiling bath.
Place a baking stone on the middle rack and preheat the oven to 500°F for at least 45 minutes, while bringing 6 quarts of water to a gentle rolling boil in a heavy pot laced with 60 grams of barley malt syrup and the baking soda.
- 09
Boil the cold bagels briefly to set the crust.
Pull the bagels directly from the fridge and drop three or four into the boiling water; boil for exactly 45 seconds per side to gelatinize the starches without forming an impenetrable skin.
- 10
Seed the wet bagels and bake on the hot stone.
Let excess water drip off before plunging the top side of each bagel into a shallow bowl of toasted sesame seeds; place them back on the parchment, slide directly onto the baking stone, and bake at 500°F for 10 minutes.
- 11
Vent the steam and finish baking until deeply blistered.
Open the oven door briefly to release steam, rotate the tray, drop the temperature to 450°F, and bake for another 8 to 12 minutes until you achieve a deeply burnished, golden-brown crust covered in micro-blisters, then cool on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes.
- 12
Halve and toast the fresh sourdough bagel.
Slice the cooled bagel perfectly in half horizontally with a serrated knife and toast until the edges just begin to darken, amplifying the wild yeast structure's shatteringly crisp exterior.
- 13
Salt the tomato slabs to draw out excess water and concentrate umami.
Place the thick tomato slices on paper towels, sprinkle lightly with kosher salt, and let them rest for 3 minutes to prevent a soggy sandwich.
- 14
Apply a generous, undulating schmear of scallion cream cheese.
Lay the toasted bagel halves cut-side up on deli paper and spread about 1 1/2 ounces of cream cheese per half, ensuring it is thick enough to leave tooth-marks without overwhelming the bread.
- 15
Assemble, dress, and serve the open-faced sandwich immediately.
Press the drained tomato slices down into the cream cheese to anchor them, generously drizzle with a grassy extra virgin olive oil, and finish aggressively with flaky sea salt and coarse black pepper. Eat with your hands and lean forward.
Notes
Resist the urge to scoop the bagel.
While many New York delis scoop out the doughy interior to accommodate heavy fillings, an open-faced sandwich with highly aqueous ingredients requires that soft structural moat to catch the olive oil and tomato juices.
Respect the tomato season.
Do not attempt this sandwich in December with a pale supermarket tomato; the minimalist nature of this build demands a heavy, vine-ripened summer heirloom to balance the dense whole milk cream cheese.