Bagels

I have been noticing for the last few weeks that homemade bagels keep popping up all over the place. After checking out my friends blog Food Revolution, I decided i would try my hand at making these. She had some great step by step photos of for her recipe that made it really easy to follow.

I love bagels, but don't eat them more than once a week, and the Hubs only eats one a day or so when he is working mornings as a quick breakfast. With that said I didn't think we really needed a giant batch of bagels around and was scared they would go bad before we had a chance to eat them all - how sad would that be? So this is the cut down recipe I used:

INGREDIENTS:
1 3/4 cups bread flour
1 packages yeast
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 tablespoon salt
3/4 cups hot water (120-130 degrees)
3 quarts water
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1 egg white – beaten with 1 teaspoon water

The How To: ( I have tried to include pictures of some of the steps, especially those that were missing on Food Revolution)
1. put the dry ingredients (flour (1 1/2 cup), yeast, sugar and salt) into the bowl of the mixer and use the Stir setting to mix briefly.
2. Slowly add the hot water to the dry ingredients with the mixer set on Low (2-4). Let mix in and then slowly add the extra flower as needed using the Stir setting.. The dough will stick together and become thick and heavy.
3. Place dough on a lightly floured surface and need for about 10 minutes until dough becomes smooth and firm.
4. Now it is time to let the dough rise. I keep my apartment cold so I put the dough in a glass bowl and put it in a slightly warm oven for an hour to rise. Don't forget to use some spay or oil so that the dough will not stick to the bowl as it rises.
Before:

After:

While the dough is rising bring the water to a boil and add the sugar. Then bring to a simmer, don't have the water too hot as it simmers or you will kill the yeast.
5. Place the dough on the floured surface and push flat.

6. Divide into equal amounts and form balls. This recipe will make 5-6 good sized bagels. Making 5 some of them got a little big for my liking and 6 seemed to work really well - it just depends on how big you like your bagels.
7. Let the dough balls rest for a couple minutes then push flat and poke a hole in the middle of the dough. I took the advice on Food Revolution and spun the dough around my finger to make the holes bigger - this was a great tip!


8. Let the finished bagels do a second rise for about 10 minutes. While they are rising, beat the egg white with the water and set aside. Heat the oven to 400 if you are not using it for the bagels to rise.
9. Drop the bagels into the simmering water and flip them after 30 seconds (should be on each side for 30 seconds) and then removed. Repeat with all bagels.

When they come out they will be shiny from the sugar in the water.
10. Place on a cookie sheet and brush the tops of the bagels with the egg white and water.
11. Place in the oven and bake for 25 - 30 minutes

These were really great and we finished them after a few days. I have finished my second batch and they are just as yummy - and so much cheaper than buying bagels at the store.