Name: Homemade Bagels
Prep time: 2 h 45 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 3 h 10 min

Homemade Bagels

They are absolutely delicious, and keep you full until lunch, which I like because it means that certain little kids won’t be asking for more food an hour after breakfast. 🙂

Making bagels does take a bit more time and effort than buying them at the store, but they are also so much more flavorful and satisfying. All the work is worth it!

Plan to knead the dough for a good ten minutes to get the unique bagel texture we all know and love. (I recommend recruiting family members to take turns kneading). Then when those yummy smelling bagels finally come out of the oven, cut them open and slather them in fresh butter or homemade cream cheese.

Ingredients

Dough:
1 Tbs instant yeast
4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (or flour of your choice)
2 tsp sea salt
1 Tbs sucanat (where to buy) or brown sugar
1 1/2 cups warm water
Water Bath:
2 quarts water
2 Tbs brown sugar
1 Tbs unbleached pure cane sugar

Steps

Step 1
1. Combine all the dough ingredients in a mixing bowl and knead vigorously by hand for 10 minutes. (You can also use a stand mixer.)
1. The dough will be stiff. Place the dough in a greased bowl and cover it with a kitchen towel. Let rest for 1½ hours. This is more to relax the gluten, than to let it rise. It will rise some, but not as much as other yeast doughs.
1. Transfer the dough to a work surface and divide it into eight pieces. Roll each piece into a smooth, round ball. Cover with a dish towel and let rest for 30 minutes.
1. The more circular the balls are, the easier it will be to get a circular bagel. If you don’t mind irregular shaped bagels then you don’t have to worry about the balls being perfectly circular.
1. While the dough is resting, prepare the water bath by heating the water and brown sugar to a very gentle boil in a wide pan. Preheat your oven to 425°F.
1. Use your pointer finger to poke a hole through the center of each ball, then twirl the dough on your finger to stretch the hole until it is about 2 inches in diameter (the entire bagel will be about 4″ across). Remember
Step 2
they will puff up considerably once you boil them. Place the bagel on a lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet, and repeat with the remaining pieces of dough.

Transfer the bagels to the simmering water. Increase the heat under the pan to bring the water back up to a gently simmering boil, if necessary. Cook the bagels for 2 minutes, flip them over, and cook 1 minute more. Using a skimmer or strainer, or the end of a wooden spoon, remove the bagels from the water and place them back on the baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining bagels.

Bake the bagels for about 20-25 minutes, or until they’re browned to your preference. To top with seeds, remove them from the oven after about 15 minutes, brush with water, and sprinkle with seeds. Return to the oven to finish baking.

Cool the bagels on a rack for a few minutes, and serve while warm, with butter or homemade cream cheese.

Homemade Bagels

Ingredients

Dough:

Water Bath:

Steps

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