In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together the yeast with the water and maple syrup or brown sugar.

Add the flour on top, then the salt and the zaatar. Attach the dough hook and begin kneading on low, working up to medium speed.

Knead the dough until it comes together in a ball, cleaning the bowl of the mixer.

Set the dough in an oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise for about 12 hours, in a cool place on the counter (my kitchen runs about 65 F at night - if yours is warmer, aim for about 8-10 hours instead).

Have a baking sheet lined with parchment paper ready.

On a floured surface, divide the dough into 8 pieces. Roll each dough piece into a ball, pressing it into the counter as you roll it to smooth it over and create tension.

Once you have rolled them all out, use your thumb to poke a hole in the center then use your two index fingers to twist the hole around and around to make the donut shape. Set on the parchment paper (arrange them on the pan so you have 2, 1, 2, 1 and 2 bagels).

Let them rise on the counter for another hour, until puffy.

Preheat the oven to 425 F.

Bring a pot of water and the brown sugar to boil. Have a spider spoon or a spatula nearby.

Lower the bagels into the pot and boil only 2-3 at a time, for about 3 minutes per bagel. Use the spider spoon to set the bagels back on the pan after they boil.

(I transfer mine to a new sheet of parchment at this point as the current one will be wet from the post-boil bagels).

Brush the bagels with the egg white, then dip them in the zaatar, face down. It’s best to do this two at a time so the egg white doesn’t dry before the zaatar can stick to it.

Bake the bagels for 18 minutes, until golden on top and bottom. They won’t spread much, but they’ll puff in their oven rise.