Shaping Bagels

Press the dough on a floured surface and sprinkle the top with flour (A).

Shape into a round about 1½ inches (4 cm) thick and 6 inches (15 cm) in diameter (B).

It should be pretty uniform in thickness. Using a bench scraper, and starting from the outside, make a 1½-inch cut into the round (C).

Continue cutting along the round, uncoiling the dough as you go, until it is one long tube about 24 inches (61 cm) long (D–E).

Roll the tube against the work surface to smooth it out (F–H).

Starting at one end of the tube, place the end of the dough against the center of your palm. Lay the dough across your palm, around the back of your hand and then back across your palm, slightly overlapping the end you started with (I–J).