How to Make Homemade Bagels

"Bagels are wonderful. Bagels are fine.  I love Bagels, I eat them all the time..."  (Sing this to the tune of the "Sandwiches" song)  I enjoy a good bagel every now and then.  And since we moved to NC I haven't really found a great bagel joint yet.  So, while planning out my week of recipes for ADM I got to thinking of bagels...and here we are!  :)  I did some research into the whole process.  (Mostly just through wikipedia, because I love it, as you probably already know! ;)  And this is what I came up with.  They are surprisingly not as difficult as I thought they may be....but mine also don't look perfect by any means.  So here's how I did it, and a recipe too!  :)

Bagels:

1 pkg. Yeast

1/2 c. Water, lukewarm

1/2 c. Milk, lukewarm

1 t. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 t. Sugar

1/2 t. Salt

2.5-3 c. Flour

Optional toppings:  Sesame Seeds, Poppy Seeds, Onion Flakes, Garlic Granulate, etc. or for Everything Bagels mix equal parts of: Sesame Seeds, Poppy Seeds, Onion Flakes and Garlic Granulate.

1.  Combine the yeast, water, milk, olive oil, sugar and salt until well combined.

2.  Mix in about 1 c. of flour at a time until a stiff dough forms.

3.  Take the dough and knead for about 5 minutes or until it is smooth and well combined.

4.  Separate dough into 12 equal sections, then roll each section into about an 8" log and then make each log into a circle like below.  

12 sections, 12 logs and 12 circles of dough.

5.  Let rest for about 30 minutes.

6.  If you are doing plain bagels skip to step 7.  Get your toppings ready now on a plate.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Topping for everything bagels

 7.  Bring a pot of water to a boil.  For golden bagels with a crispier crust add 1-2 Tablespoons of Baking Soda to the water before boiling.

8.  Once the water is boiling carefully place one or more bagels in at a time.  Don't crowd the bagels though!  Let each bagel boil for about 1-2 minutes on each side.

 9.  Once you take out each bagel either place it on a prepared baking sheet if plain or dip it directly into the topping plate and then place on the baking sheet.  (Baking sheet should be greased or lined.)

 10.  Once all the bagels have been boiled (and topped) and placed on the baking sheet.  Place baking sheet into the preheated 400 degree oven and bake for about 15 minutes. 

 11.   Then flip over and bake another 5 minutes.

 12.  Their bottoms will look about like this  (I did use some baking soda in my boiled water above btw.)

 13.  Remove from baking sheet and cool on wire rack for a few minutes before serving or eating.  :)

Mhmmmmmmm....yum.

Enjoy!   :)