Bagels
These aren't pretty but they sure are good. They're a bit different than the bagels you get a the store. We don't even try to make a round bagel. We go the easy route by just rolling them out to make long tubular ones. Long tubular ones are much easier to make, taste just as good, and they are just as easy to slice open should you want to.
| 4 Bagles | 8 Bagels | |
| yeast | ½ package or 1 tsp | 1 package or 2 tsp |
| sugar | 1½ tbl | 3 tbl |
| warm water (105° to 115°) | ¾ cup | 1½ cups |
|
bread flour |
1¾ cups | 3½ cups |
| salt | ½ tsp | 1 tsp |
| water (to boil the bagels) | 2 qts | 2 qts |
| baking soda | 1 tbl | 1 tbl |
| egg white | ||
| poppy seeds | ||
| kosher salt | ||
| sesame seeds |
Put the
yeast, sugar, and water into the bowl of your mixer and stir
until the sugar is dissolved. Let this sit for 2 or 3
minutes. Add the flour and salt. Using a spiral
dough hook set the mixer to speed 2 and mix everything together
to form the dough. Let the mixer knead the dough for 5 more
minutes.
Spray a bowl
with cooking spray, drop the dough into the bowl, spray the
outside of the dough with cooking spray, cover with plastic
wrap, and put it in a warm place until it is doubled.
Bring the
water to boil into a shallow pan and dissolve the baking soda in
it. While the water comes to a boil heat the oven to 325°.
Take the dough
out and cut it into 4 or 8 equal pieces. Using
your hands, roll each piece of dough on a floured surface until
it is about 10" long. Make sure the ends of the dough have
blunt ends as pointed ends will brown too much. Put 4 of
the bagel dough pieces into the boiling water. The bagels
will expand a bit as the water boils. After 45 seconds,
flip the bagels over and boil for 45 more seconds. Remove
the bagels with a slotted spatula and place them on a rack to
drain. Repeat with the remaining bagels.
Brush the top of each bagel with the egg white and sprinkle with seeds or salt. Place on a greased flat pan and bake for 20 to 25 minutes.