Process for making bagel products

A process for manufacturing frozen bagel products comprising the steps of:

• (a) mixing flour and water together with a first amount of yeast, to form a smooth sourdough, the first amount of yeast added being sufficient to result in the formation of live bubbles on the surface of the sourdough after about 10-12 hours at room temperature;
• (b) preparing an activated malt extract by mixing grain malt extract, a second amount of yeast, and water at a temperature of as close to 0° C. as possible without freezing and in an amount by weight substantially equal to the weight of the sourdough;
• (c) within about 30 minutes of preparing the activated malt extract:
• mixing the sourdough, the activated malt extract, and salt with flour at room temperature to form a final dough;
• (d) dividing and fermenting about 15 minutes and then forming the final dough into product shapes;
• (e) fermenting the formed product shapes for at least 30 minutes at room temperature and until the product shapes have grown in volume by at least one third and then refrigerating the product shapes for at least 10 hours at a temperature of from about +2° C. to about +8° C.;
• (f) one of boiling the product shapes or, in an initial baking step, baking the product shapes in a steam environment;
• and
• (g) baking, in a final baking step, after the boiling or initial baking step, the product shapes;
• (h) then freezing the product shapes.