BAGELS!

I dream about an honest-to-goodness East Coast American Bagel.., I keep telling these Khmers that a roll with a hole is NOT a bagel. Does anyone know if there are any REAL bagel places in this country? I know of ONE in Bangkok, run by a man named Eric, who makes great bagels, but... To ship a dozen or two here via DHL or FedEx would cost around $40, plus $12 a dozen for the bagels... I'm almost tempted...

Why not just tell your bakers to boil their roll-with-a-hole in water until it floats and then bake it until rich brown.
Coat it with whatever you want before baking. I'm sure for a dollar they would be happy to learn how to make a bagel.

I don't exactly have a personal baker. Most of the bakeries here in Snooky are Khmer owned and operated. There are a few French bakeries I could ask. I would want them to make 3 dozen at least, to make it worth my, and their, time. The problem with making them is the dough has to be just right, and with the humidity and temperature variations, it takes an experienced baker to do it right. I tried on my own, and had 3 epic failures. There are so many recipes out there on the internet, it's hard to pick the right one!
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I think you want dough that does not use yeast but uses baking powder which is much easier to make. Its a harder dry dough. But the key is boiling the the bagels until they float, then baking them. As to your concern about the flavor of the dough. The most common mistake is not enough salt.  Be sure the dough is amply salted according to whatever recipe you use. I am no expert baker...but I love bagels.

java cafe near naga casino in phnom penh has freash bagels (i prefer the lox bagel) enjoy!!

Must  be a new place, because I tried many in PP over the years. The next time I'm up there, I'll take a look, The last 3 places that SAID they had  bagels showed me the usual roll with a hole. They MUST be boiled before baking or they don't get the right crust!