Anyone else obsess over bagel hole size, or is it just me?

I've found that the whole 'thumb measurement' thing is way too fussy for me. My approach is purely intuitive. When I roll the dough, I think about how it looks when it is fully formed on the baking sheet, and I cut it to a size I feel is appropriate, usally just slightly smaller than my palm. If it looks like a thick ring, it should be fine. The method of how you create the hole does not seem to influence the interior crumb at all, so I stopped worrying about the rope method versus a simple cutter weeks ago. I think it is just how you like the final visual texture.

I noticed that the biggest difference in quality for me came when I switched from a standard boil to a steam kettle. The resulting chew is much more consistent. If you boil it for an extra minute, yes, it shrinks, but you are cooking the outside of the dough, which means the internal structure has set better overall. I think everyone is worried about the thickness of the ring, but the real secret is just letting the dough ferment for a long time at room temprature before the final chill. That gives it all the flavor it needs.

I like mine about the size of a small orange, which is definitely on the larger side, but when they come out of the oven, they shrink down nicely.

I have to disagree with the idea that the method is just cosmetic, especially when dealing with a high hydration dough like mine. My experience suggests that the way you create the hole and distribute the dough's stress before the cold proof significantly impacts the final chew. I tend to skip the wrapping process entirely and focus on creating a very flat, uniform disc first. I work the dough until it's a thick ring, then use a sharp, thin blade to cut the center out completely. This gives me a cleaner, more consistent piece. When I boiled my last batch, the ones shaped as flat discs held togehter much better and didn't have that slight blowout at the edges which I often see with the finger-wrapped style. It comes down to structural integrity. When you roll it into a long piece, you are introducing stress lines that travel into the finished product. If you flatten it first, you are managing that tension across a wider surface area. My preference is definitely for that perfectly level, defined ring shape, even if it takes a little more care to get the cut clean. For me, this approach yields a superior spring and a much more substantial bite that stays chewy. It’s less about how big the hole is, and more about how the surrounding dough is handled during the initial shaping.

I always found folks overcomplicating the wrap and pinch thing. Back in the day, we had to be efficient, so if a dough ball was just right, we’d simply push the center thru a divider and keep going. It's about the stretch of the gluten, not the geometry of the hole. My bread teacher always used to say that a proper 'collar' is what matters, not wether it resembles a thick ring or a small orange. As for the shrinking, that's just the starches setting up during the long soak in the kettle. You want a vigorous boil, not a gentle simmer. If you let the dough sit for too long after the boiling, it absorbs too much moisture and just turns into a puffy blob that won't have the right bite. Keep it punchier, and it holds its shape better in the oven.

I'm still figuring out the dough handling part of this whole process. My batches tend to be much wetter than I think is ideal for what you all are doing, and I struggle just getting it to hold its shape for wrapping. I worry that beacuse it feels so loose, my shaping attempts are just leading to a mess before they even see the cold proof. It seems like a small thing, but how much does the dough temperature before the final shaping really affect whether I can acheeve those cleaner forms? I just want to make sure I am prepping it correctly.

I reckon the final bake matters just as much as how you shape them. I found that if I don't get a good crust development, the whole process is for naught. I always bake them on a stone or in a Dutch oven because that concentrated heat and steam realy helps the crust set up right, which makes a big difference in texture. What temperature do you folks usually run for the final bake? I've seen some people go way too high and they burn before the inside is done.

It seems like everyone has a diferent idea about how to make the hole. I just try to get the dough ready before I even start shaping it. Sometimes after I wrap the piece, it looks really flat on the counter. I always wonder if it gets too thin while it is chilling overnight. Does the dough ever look like it is going to spread out too much before it goes in the oven?

Update: tried the rope-and-wrap with extra attention to the seam tension after reading what one poster said about it being about gluten stretch, not hole geometry. Shaped a batch with slightly wetter dough than usual and the chew came out noticeably better, and the holes held through the boil. Still going with the thumb check, just stretching a touch more before the cold rest.