Homemade Bagels

Right now I am making bagels. I always wanted to make bagels but they seemed complicated and intimidating. A friend gave me this recipe some year ago, and it has become a favorite in my home.

A kitchenAid with the dough hook makes it easy to whip up this recipe quickly.

Homemade Bagels

Begin by mixing:

• 4 cups unbleached or bread flour
• 1 T. sugar
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 T. vegetable oil
• 1 T. yeast

Add enough hot water to make all ingredients moist but not wet or sticky. Start with 1 1/4 cup and add up to 1/4 cup more as needed.

Knead for 10 minutes, or more if needed, until smooth.

Lay a sheet of wax paper on the counter and lightly spray with Pam at this point. Dump dough on a cutting board and cut into 8 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a nice smooth ball. Then place on the sprayed waxed paper leaving space between balls.

Let dough rest 20 minutes.

After the 20 minutes, make a hole in the center. Poke a hole through the center of the ball, gently push the edges out to make to create a donut shape. Don't worry about the hold being too big. As the bagel rises the hole will shrink.

Let bagels rest another 20 minutes. Preheat oven to 425°. Fill a pot about half way with water and set on the stove to boil. It should be wide and flat. Prepare baking sheets by spraying them with Pam. You will be able to fit about 6 to a standard baking sheet.

After resting period, gently flip bagel onto pancake turner and slide into boiling water. So it won’t lose its shape, you can set a pancake turner next to the bagel and then flip the bagel over onto the pancake turner.

Transfer the bagel into the water...just slide the whole thing into the water and the bagel will slip right off for you. Allow enough room for rising as they boil. You can boil 3 or 4 bagels at once. Boil 1 minute. Flip and boil 1 more minute.

Lift from pot with slotted spatula or slotted spoon and set on baking sheet.

At this point you can bake plain or add a topping.

Top your bagels with any combination of the following garnishes: poppy seeds, sesame seeds, coarse salt, or rehydrated dried onions or garlic. (Soak dried onions or garlic in water to cover for at least 1 hour before applying.) To give the bagels a nice golden color and also help the toppings stick even better, brush the top of each bagel with some egg yolk whisked up with a little water.

Bake for 10 minutes. Flip and bake 10 more minutes.

~~~♥~~~