Cinnamon-Raisin Bagels

1. To make the sponge, stir the yeast into the flour in a 4-quart mixing bowl. Add the water, whisking or stirring only until it forms a smooth, sticky batter. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature for approximately 2 hours, or until the mixture becomes very foamy and bubbly. It should swell to nearly double in size and collapse when the bowl is tapped on the countertop.

2. To make the dough, in the same mixing bowl, add the additional yeast to the sponge and stir. Then add 3 cups of the flour and all of the salt, malt, sugar, and cinnamon. Stir (or mix on low speed with the dough hook) until the ingredients form a ball, slowly working in the remaining ¾ cup flour to stiffen the dough.

3. Transfer the dough to the counter and knead for at least 10 minutes (or for 6 minutes by machine), adding the raisins during the final 2 minutes. The dough should be firm, stiffer than French bread dough, but still pliable and smooth. There should be no raw flour - all the ingredients should be hydrated. The dough should pass the windowpane test and register 77° to 81°F. If the dough seems too dry and rips, add a few drops of water and continue kneading. If the dough seems tacky or sticky, add more flour to achieve the stiffness required.

4. Immediately divide the dough into 4½-ounce pieces for standard bagels. Form the pieces into rolls. Cover the rolls with a damp towel and allow them to rest for approximately 20 minutes.

5. Line 2 sheet pans with parchment paper and mist lightly with spray oil. Shape the bagels by either poking a hole in a ball of dough and gently rotating your thumb around the inside to widen it to approximately 2½ inches in diameter or by rolling out the dough into an 8-inch-long rope, wrapping it around the palm and back of your hand, overlapping the ends and sealing them.

6. Place each of the shaped pieces 2 inches apart on the pans. Mist the bagels lightly with spray oil and slip each pan into a food-grade plastic bag, or cover loosely with plastic wrap. Let the pans sit at room temperature for about 20 minutes.

7. Use the 'float test' to check if the bagels are ready to be retarded in the refrigerator. Fill a small bowl with cool or room-temperature water. The bagels are ready when they float within 10 seconds. If a test bagel floats, return it to the pan, pat it dry, cover the pan, and place it in the refrigerator overnight. If it does not float, continue to proof the dough at room temperature, checking back every 10 to 20 minutes until a tester floats.

8. The following day, preheat the oven to 500°F with two racks set in the middle. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add the baking soda. Have a slotted spoon or skimmer nearby.

9. Remove the bagels from the refrigerator and gently drop them into the boiling water, boiling only as many as comfortably fit. Flip them over after 1 minute and boil for another minute. For very chewy bagels, boil for 2 minutes per side. While boiling, sprinkle the parchment-lined sheet pans with cornmeal or semolina flour.

10. When all the bagels have been boiled, place the pans on the two middle shelves in the oven. Bake for approximately 5 minutes, then rotate the pans, switching shelves and giving them a 180-degree rotation. Lower the oven setting to 450°F and continue baking for about 5 minutes, or until the bagels turn light golden brown.

11. Remove the pans from the oven and let the bagels cool on a rack for 15 minutes or longer before serving.