Make Your Own Bagels!!!

I don't know why, but there are certain recipes that intimidate me. Bagels have always seemed like they would be difficult and hard to get right.

...but good news!! They're easy to make, and taste GREAT!!

Note the chocolate chip busting out of the bagel. Mmmmmmm....

So you have to start the dough the night before, but it's super simple, you just need to take the bowl of your Kitchen Aid, and stir 3 things together:

• 1/2 cup bread flour (you can find bread flour at the market right by the regular flour)
• 1/4 cup cool water
• a pinch of yeast

After you've stirred them together, throw a piece of saran wrap on top and let it sit overnight! You've just made the starter for your bagels.

The next day, take the starter (which you've wisely made in the Kitchen Aid bowl, so you don't need to wash an extra bowl...) and add:

• 4 cups bread flour
• 1 1/4 cups cool water
• 1 3/4 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 tsp yeast (I stirred the yeast into the water to dissolve it a little, then put it into the bowl)

Then put the bowl on the Kitchen Aid and use the dough hook to knead the dough for about 5-6 minutes. It took awhile for the dough to come together and climb the hook. During the last few minutes of kneading, add any mix ins that you would want. Some good things to add- chocolate chips, dried cranberries with white chocolate chips, parmesan cheese, dried cherries and nuts, raisins.

Then take the dough and put it into a greased bowl, and let it rise for an hour. Then gently deflate the dough (I just sort of squished it a little with my hands) and let rise for another half hour.

Then you'll want to flour a board or your counter (I can't use my counter because I have tile...beautiful tile, which we laid ourselves... but I digress...) and divide the dough into 12 equal pieces. (I did 12 pieces and it made regular, grocery store-sized bagels. I think next time I will do 8 pieces and make larger bagels, but you do what sounds good to you)

Then cover the balls with plastic wrap and let them rest for 30 minutes. They will puff up slightly. (Mine hardly puffed at all, so don't stress about it, it will be fine)

In the meantime, get a few things ready. Line a few baking sheets with parchment paper. Now, I just happen to have parchment paper. But if I didn't, I would have just lined my baking sheets with foil and sprayed the snot out of them with Pam. (Can I say "snot" on a recipe blog? I guess I can...) Or you can use that cool Reynolds Non-Stick foil- that stuff rocks!

You can also get the water bath ready. You're going to give the bagels a quick bath in boiling water before baking them. I just used my large skillet. Add 1 Tb of brown sugar to the skillet, then fill it with an inch or two of water. You'll want to have this gently boiling when you're ready to boil the bagels.

After you've waited 30 minutes, you want to shape the bagels. You just stick your finger through the center of them to make a hole, then twirl the dough gently around until the hole is like 3" wide. Then set them on the lined baking sheets while you shape the rest of the bagels.

Then you need to preheat the oven to 425 and get ready to boil the bagels. I did them 4 at a time in my skillet. You'll put them in, cook 2 minutes on the first side, flip them, then 1 minute on the second side. Take them out with the handle of  a wooden spoon, so you can drain them:

(Sorry this is so blurry- it is harder than you think to remove bagels from boiling water, balance them on a spoon handle, and focus the camera.)

Then put them back onto the baking sheet and bake in the preheated oven for about 25 minutes, or until lightly browned. If you want to put seeds on the bagels, like poppy seeds or sesame seeds, take the bagels out after 15 minutes, spray them lightly with water, and sprinkle on the seeds. Then continue baking for 10 minutes.

Cool the bagels on a wire rack.

Ok, I'm not trying to boss you around about your food, but you HAVE to try one when they're hot out of the oven.... they taste SOOOOO good!!!!!!!!!!!

I got this recipe from http://www.kingarthurflour.com/