You've alluded to this message before, but hearing it loud and clear in this video, I think it's the most important lesson you've ever given! So often I'll put time and effort into making a sourdough for example, only to mess up the shaping a bit, or maybe it didn't quite burst the way I wanted it to in the oven... and I'd feel disappointed! Yet it would always taste great. Like you've said, if you're baking at home with real ingredients, making real bread - you've already won the game. Sure, techniques and details can be tweaked and refined with practise, but from now on I'm never going to lose sight of the fact that (barring any MASSIVE, unsalvageable disasters!) what I'm baking at home is better than anything I could buy in the supermarket, even if it doesn't look the same - purely because I made it with flour, salt, water, yeast - and my hands. I love it, my family loves it - that's all that matters. Great video Jack :)

I’ve said this before: Loaves are like children. You do your best and hope that they turn out as you expect, but you find they are individual and wonderfully unique, each worthy of our love, and each a gift to the world. Thank you, Jack, for helping us bring such gifts forth.

Lord, Lord I just love you to pieces Jack! You are an absolute beacon of positivity and I love it! I must say, if not for you I would have given up on my bread baking journey long ago. I've just started on my 2nd 50 lb bag of bread flour since March and considering it's only me and the husband here I think that's a good deal of baking. I have a loaf ready to go in the oven right now! Keep feeling the love Jackie boy! XOXO

I grew up in Montreal - admittedly long ago - and to this day there are only two World Bagel Capitals. New Yorrk City - but not necessarily on Manhattan - and the old Jewish area of Montreal, on rue St-Laurent. Walking on that street at 4:00 in the morning on a -30C February night as inside the most famous bakery of them all, they were already working away in their dirty sleeveless undershirts making thousands of bagels, the door ajar to let the heat escape and then to stand there in that numbing cold and to smell that baking scent... Back then some Montrealais called them 'des beignets juifs' but we all devoured them with smoked Nova Scotia salmon or cream cheese and when I was lucky (thanks to a Russian friend of mine) that unforgettable authentic Soviet era Malossol black Caspian caviar. So, my passionate young Jack, FedEx me one of your bagels and we shall see!

100% agree. You win just by doing. Try and succeed, or try, fail, and try again.

I started making some sourdough loaves the other day, took 2 days just to get my starter bubbly and happy again, did all my stretch and folds, was almost to the preshaping phase when...disaster! I'd been proofing in my oven bc the house was a little cold and my hubs was painting the kitchen, but I needed to bake brownies so I turned the oven on to preheat forgetting my dough was inside until I opened the door to put in the brownies!!! Ruined dough, ruined spirit, I cried. But I remembered what you've said, Jack, that part of bread making is failing! So today, I heard it; how it all tasted good no matter what it looked like. I'm more emotional than some so yes maybe I got a bit teary-eyed watching this but Jack you are so full of encouragement and joy! My next 2 hurtles: cinnamon buns and BAGELS!!!

Making bagels was my introduction to bread making. They are really easy, well worth the effort of a slightly harder work on the kneading. I use 250g of water to 500g of flour. After shaping into balls, I leave them in the fridge overnight and shape them into bagels before I boil them. And yes, 30 seconds each side is the optimum boil time. I bake them at 240c for 7 minutes each side. Crunchy on the outside, soft and chewy on the inside.

Jack, I recently tried my hand at sourdough bagels and was rather pleased with the result. Little did I know that I was using perhaps the best "slow-moving" mix available and gave myself such an advantage. Once again, you teach so much! Thanks.

Paul, Prue and Mary must be green with envy with Jack starting on a new adventure. No on can match his style. All hail Jack!

Always an uplifting time with our boy Jack. Thanks for the excellent breakdown of bagel construction! Love to hear the "why" of the recipe and you never let us down.

You are SO right, Jack. That's the lesson of life, really. Keep trying, and if at first you don't succeed.... slap yourself on the back for giving it a go!

At 7:50, when you said "flour, water, salt, yeast, time, care and attention", I got excited before I heard 'care' because I thought this was going to be a bagel recipe with Thyme in it 😅

I recently came across your channel Jack and I've been binge watching your entire collection of videos - I love your inspirational attitude and serene flow. Much love from South Africa 😄

You are a very good teacher....greatly appreciated. You make it possible for anyone to be brave enough to try it...

Would love to see you come back to this and make the bagel video in your new studio, like you hinted at! Love your to-the-point videos, keep em coming!

If it tastes good it's a success. Everything else is a bonus.

You're the first baker who really got across how important SWBF is to a good loaf of bread. I'm only cooking for myself now so I only use 1 cup of flour keeping the two other ingredients in proportion, for a days loaf. Also I'm using the bowl scraper you tossed to do everything right in the bowl. I just chase the dough around the bowl using your up and over method, keeping the same 8minute time. I'm using a small electric oven as it's cheaper energy wise than using my gas stove. It is so good! I wouldn't have got there without you.

I finally SEE! ONLY when you explain things do i finally SEE. You have a great way of educating us. You have a gift that way.

Jack with all your sourdough tips I have learned from you, I have been making the best sourdough bagels ever! I was amazed with myself at what I created! Lol thanks to you!

I just LOVE LOVE LOVE your positivity, Jack 🙏. Your enthusiasm is infectious & breeds confidence & interest in baking. I found your channel in March, when Covid broke here in Australia &, even though I'd been baking bread for a few years anyway, I haven't looked back since. Love your work. Could listen to you all day 👌.

Love the message of this video. Thanks Jack! I often get disappointed with the way by results look, but they’re almost always delicious. Keep up the great videos!!

Love you Jack. Yes I noticed. Thank you for the reminder.

Thank you, Jack. Inspirational again. As you point out, taste is everything! All else has to be a bonus!

just what I’ve been waiting for, bagel recipe from you 😊 thank you!

Thought its about time I dropped you a comment Jack. Thank you for the cracking videos. To the point, no whaffle, great skill in putting across a point to this complete baking novice who's now knocking out bread for this parents regularly and received the thumbs up from my 2 and 8 year old nephews too. Very much a positive influence on youtube. Thanks mate.

Great video Jack! Thanks for the shot of baking positivity!

Great video. I love how you explain the reasons for the choices made in traditional recipes. For me, it helps greatly to actually know *why* something is the way it is. You are an inspirational speaker and teacher for Bakers!

Always great content and positive vibes! Been baking for just over a year now. Some breads have come out fantastic, some have missed the mark by a longshot. But I have never had a baked good get tossed for not tasting good enough.

Jack, bro, THIS is Good Stuff! THANK YOU for educating us on not just the "what's" but ESPECIALLY the "WHY's" because THAT is what will make us ALL Better Bakers! That said, I'm happy to see that the curmudgeons are still about, throwing their dislikes & vitriol at great content like this...because just like a Drier Dough makes a Better Bagel, Negative Energy gives Positive Energy a much greater Charge! Peace

Thanks for this! I've been experimenting with bagels over the past couple weeks so this video couldn't have come at a better time. The perfect bagel is different for everyone 👌

ALWAYS Love your attitude and personality, Jack!

The fire is back!!! Thanks for the video Jack. Take care.

Thanks Jack you have a way to make us all feel like a million bucks. I'm so happy for you and your new adventure ❤️

What a fabulous person you are. Thank you.

Jack... I've got to say this... You... are a fucking diamond! Thanks for the helpful tips my friend! When all this lockdown stuff started I got back into making Bagels again - went through a 16kg sack of flour in about 2 months... Every single time the Bagels came out differently, soft, dense, chewy, crispy, rock hard, dark, pale, blistered, smooth... but the one constant was that they all tasted amazing. My main gripe with making Bagels, and in fact all bread-making, is that it never lasts as long as you'd like it to, haha!

So good to see and hear you again! Getting closer and closer to opening my cottage bakery! And yes bagels are on the menu! But I will check out your recipe and see if it's better than the one I'm using now!

You’re the best, Jack! Completely agree, even if a little wonky looking homemade bread is always delicious.

Never made bagels before - yesterday followed your classic recipe - delicious! My sourdough is great too (even though I keep forgetting to ‘slash’ it in my enthusiasm to get it into the oven! ) thanks Jack

Thank you for making me laugh out loud! Couldn't end my day in a better way...

Great video again!

Welcome Back Jack and thank you

Well explained as always. Many thanks.

I wish my baking instructor had the same sense of humor as YOU do, Jack.

Bagel with Jack :)

Just followed your bagel recipe. Tiren out perfect! Thank you!!

Late for work so I can't carry on too long, but wanted to say how HAPPY it makes me to see the twinkle back in your eyes. I smiled for the entire 9 minutes or whatever it was lol

Another inspiring vid!. I shall have a go today at making them. Making great inroads on my second 16kg bag of flour. I see someone else has been buying in quantity. In the olden days (before the pandemic) I hardly bought ANY flour, never mind strong flour. I just love making the bread and rolls. Old dog, new tricks!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm 72. What I really love is the fact you have fans all over the world. I'm quite chuffed to be "local".

Made your bagels Jack! Another awesome recipe!

Loved it! Inspiring

Another great video, Jack, and now I want to try making bagels. Every time I would moan about some real or imagined flaw in my bread-baking effort, my husband would say, "But they are all delicious." That, as you say, is the key and the motivator to try, try, again.

Jack, I Love you!

I was considering making bagels anyway. Thank you for the encouragement. :)

Extended discussion of foundational principles. Yes. Thank you. 👍

Brilliant video as usual

wow. why am i crying? thank you.

You’re a stoical genius, Jack. Marcus Aurelius ain’t got shit on you.

Ok I just subscribed to your channel @bake with Jack. Sounds like your getting a new space to bake, it would have been bang on if you could have made a bagel in this vlog. Montreal bagels are to die for ! The absolute best. I will look at your video log and watch more...viewing you from 🇨🇦 Canada .

This actually made me really emotional 😆 Tearing up over bread smh. Also I'm now hungry for bagels ☺️

Jack, great to see your spirit back on KZfaq. RE: Bagels. My challenge has always been inclusions when making bagels. I'll have some bagels with 50 raisins and others with 4. No matter how many times I fold and knead and fold again, I never quite get the right result. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

I am got to try and make them love bagels .

Bread is awesome, no matter how bad you mess it up, it smells and tastes great! ( looks aren't everything)

I love bagels 🥯 ❤️

Hi Jack, Thank you for making something that seems so difficult just easy with your clear, logical explanation. I’m closely following the development of your studio. Good luck! If I want to boil and bake the bagels in the morning, when should I put them in the fridge? Before shaping or after! Thanks such a lot and keep the videos and recipes going.

I would definitely watch more videos where Jack reads transcripts from the GBBO!

Please make a video demonstration of your bagel recipe O_O I didn't dare when I saw other videos about it online, but with you at the helm, I'll do my best and not be worried the whole time.

I think I am in love

My only complaint about your recipe is that it’s for only a half dozen bagels. After my first try, I learned that because the dough is not sticky, you need to avoid using too much flour when shaping if you want the ends to stick together. Overall, far easier than I expected!

Like keeping the filling in a normal sanger isn't hard enough sometimes... that hole in the middle, the 4th dimension squidge portal, is surely a practical joke which nobody still to this day has cottoned on to? Mr Bagel, if you're watching this video please chime in.

Enjoyed the video. You should add barley malt (or molasses) to your recipe.

What a coincidence. I just made bagels yesterday.

Mmmmm

Multicolor food is gross indeed ! Thanks for the recipe and keep the good work ! (we want a video of you making bagels, though)

I'm Jewish and from the NY area. I haven't seen the episode, but read an article that made me upset at Paul. I overall agree with you, though I am spoiled for good bagels, so am a bit of an elitist with bagels.

Hi Jack! Loved this one...well, love all your videos but I'm a 'bagel lover' from way back. One question - where's the malt syrup? I've made hundreds of sourdough bagels, and can say with great certainty that the difference between an ok bagel and a great bagel is malt syrup (in the dough, and boiling water).

An excellent breakdown of the GBBO bagels Jack. I tried a bagel once quite a few years ago and didn’t enjoy the texture. I can’t understand their popularity of bagels as a breakfast thing. I have never tried again. Apparently some add lye to the water, especially traditional/commercial bakers, to help with a better crust. Lye is highly toxic but rendered harmless by baking (that gets a bit too technical for here) or substitute bicarb. or even sugar. I noticed that your photo on the facebook link still has “That Poppy seed” over the right eyebrow!

Jack is the best thing sicne bread

Somehow, everything he says sounds like a spoken word poem 🤣

Love bagels.. will definitely try the recipe. Will you do an episode on a recipe for English muffins please? Thank you!

Great video! Jack, how do I see "Bread Week 2020" here in the USA? I'm in the west (Pacific Time Zone). BTW, I'm a suscriber and now a sourdough baker. Definitely trying your bagel recipe!

You're a great teacher, Jack! Any chance of doing some baguettes? I'd like to try some, but I don't want to buy a couche, and I have a feeling that having one isn't so important. Straightforward, no-nonsense baguette shaping and proving video?

Good day Jack: Is it possible for you do tips on how to keep bagel texture when storing? Currently we have an airlock and seal plastic container. If topping is flakes of salt it dissolves of course. Any storage hints would be appreciated. Thank you.

From personal experience, the best bagels I've made were joined snakes rather than punched holes, and boiled for just over a minute. Personal preference of course, but I wouldn't make them any other way!

hi jack good to see a bagel recipe, yummy, anyway do you bake them on a bread stone after boiling? Also a few weeks ago I dug my sourdough scrapings jar out of the fridge, it had been there for 2 months, and gave it some flour and water and bingo overnight I had a rising starter, thanks again

Hey Jack! Should I double the recipe including the yeast to make 12 ? Thanks 🤠

HiJack, could you possibly tell me which dried yeast you use. Many thanks.

Wow dude u deserve more subs😅

Fun question. Can I freeze the bagels after I've boiled them for a later bake?

Great video, must give making bagels a try. Please Jack would you sell me one of those banneton baskets behind you.

So... like... when will we see YOU in the GBBO?!!! :D

Hello Jack, I just made a loaf of bread from sourdough created in just 3 days. Mixed together in a jar one spoon of honey, , some (6/7) grapes skin and a little lukewarm water. The day after I mixed in flour until I reached a porridge- like mix. Left the in a warm place around 25-28 Celsius for a day, then the next morning, was bubbling and very alive and I made the bread. A simple loaf with some seeds, was well proofed, with nice blisters and good taste not even sour. Why I see people teaching that is needed to feed the yeast twice a day for a month to make sourdough? was my mistake not to follow that rigid process? To me seems that wild yeast doesn't know too about all that painful process, and simply thrive when has food, water and a nice warm place to feed and grow. I follow you from the beginning Jack, I saw you quit and come back to post video, your tips are always on spot! Much love from italiano in Russia

Question... I'm a supermarket baker, I use a powdered sour base and do not have proper equipment for spectacular bread, what can i do? The type of sourdough i make is very firm and doesnt come out as nice as i want it to.

Not all bread is equal....I've always found bagels remind me of stale bread, like it used to be, back in the day, before they started using additives and plastic bags.

is doughnut a sweet fried bagel?

Could you do a sourdough bagel recipe for us please!?

Lol...I get it...oh the critique🙃🙄....either it’s good or not.

What is your take on using bread flour instead of normal white flour?

Oh Jack Jack Jack I had a disaster! I confess to using a different recipe than yours but I did add oil. Firstly please post a shaping video for your recipe - even though the description is great, I didn't quite crack it. Secondly my bagels just didn't brown! I did bicarb and brown sugar in my water, I even upped the quantity of both for my second batch and still, not browning or glossy as they should be. Please help!

❤️😍👍👍👍

It’s been a struggle but every batch of bagels I make yet better. They are still a bit Wonky looking

I'm pretty sure I'm in love with you.