Mix together water, malt, and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer with a dough hook or a mixing bowl

Let stand for 15 minutes or until the yeast is bubbling

Add bread flour followed by salt

Mix the dough and knead on the counter for 10 min by hand or 5 min in the bowl of the stand mixer

Let dough rest for 20 minutes

Separate dough into ~100g portions. You should have 12 total

Form the bagels - either make a ball and poke a hole or roll out a snake and join the ends. Hold the portion away from the ends and only roll the two joining pieces to make a lock that will keep the shape.

Place the formed bagels onto a tray with cornmeal on the bottom - preference for a deep tray so that you can cover the bagels more easily

Cover the bagels with plastic wrap or foil and let prove for ~2 hours. Bagel dough should bounce back when gently pressed

Place bagels in the fridge for 12-36 hours for a long ferment

Bring the bagels out of the fridge, preheat the oven to 500F, and put a large pot of water with a quarter cup of malt on the stove to boil

Boil the bagels, careful not to crowd the pot, for about thirty seconds each. Bagels should turn slightly golden and form a firmer skin

If using toppings, push the top of the bagels directly into the toppings as soon as they come out of the water. (Recommended everything bagel mix: 1 part sesame, 1 part granulated garlic, ½ part poppy seads, ¼ part kosher salt)

Place the bagels on a parchment lined tray

Lower the temperature of the oven to 450F and bake the bagels for 15-20 minutes. They should be slightly firm on the outside and golden brown on the bottoms