I’ve experimented with my bagels, and the same dough recipe produces very different results when the bagels are either proofed for 30 minutes or so after shaping then boiled and baked versus cold proofed overnight, then boiled and baked.

For the long cold proofed bagels, even with the slower fermentation in the cold, I’m assuming that yeast and other microorganisms eat more of the sugars…which one might think would reduce browning and the Maillard reaction. But instead, those bagels are much more deeply browned and have a far superior crust. One might also assume the long cold ferment means more acid production from the lactic acid bacteria. But still better browning.

I’ve done this where I’ve even done the boiling and baking at the same time, just the dough prep was done at two different times. So, same water bath, same oven, same sheet pan. But very different results. What’s the science here that leads to the better browning?

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