Home-Baked Bagels

Karen=^..^='s Note:

These bagels are better than any store bought or frozen varieties. They are so fresh and the possibilities are endless :) Have lots of real butter and cream cheese on hand! Oh...and you might want to double the recipe...they never last long around here.

• Total Time: 2 hrs 5 mins
• Prep Time: 1 hrs 30 mins
• Cook Time: 35 mins

Ingredients:

Yield: 12 Bagels

• 1 1/2 cups water
• 2 packages yeast
• 1 1/2 ounces sugar (you need a kitchen scale for this)
• 1/2 ounce salt (you need a kitchen scale for this)
• 3 1/2 cups bread flour
• 2 quarts water, to boil
• 1 egg white
• cinnamon (optional)
• raisins (optional)
• poppy seed (optional)
• dried onions or garlic (optional)
• sesame seed (Optional)

Directions:

1. Mix yeast, sugar and warm water together and let stand 3 minutes.
2. Mix 2 cups of flour with the salt in a large bowl and add the yeast mixture.
3. Stir until combined and slowly mix in the rest of the flour (If making cinnamon raisin bagels, add these to dough now).
4. Knead on a floured surface for 5 minutes, adding additional flour if needed, dough should be firm.
5. Place dough in a greased bowl, cover and let rise until double.
6. After rising punch down and divide dough into 12 balls.
7. Allow to rest for 4 minutes.
8. Bring 2 quarts of water to boil.
9. With your thumb, make a hole in each ball of dough and pull open about 2 inches, making a bagel shape.
10. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
11. Place the shaped dough onto a cookie sheet and cover for 10 minutes.
12. Lower heat under water for it to be simmering.
13. Drop 2 or 3 bagels at a time into the water for about 45 seconds, turning each once.
14. Drain and place on greased baking sheets.
15. Brush tops with beaten egg white and top with optional toppings.
16. Bake for 35 minutes, turning once for even browning.
17. Bagels are done when they are golden brown and shiny.

Reviews

[princessbride029]

These turned out WONDERFULLY!!! I had never tried making my own bagels and these were completely delicious, not to mention easy! As a reference, one Tablespoon equals 1/2 oz. I was afraid I had let them rise too long (after it doubled in size I realized I didn't have time to finish them and I had to throw it in the fridge for a few hours while I ran errands) - but they turned out just fine. I topped half with sesame seeds and half with sunflower seeds. I will DEFINITELY be making these again!! Thanks so much for sharing the recipe!

[flirtyfunchick]

So, this recipe is amazing. I've never made bagels before, but I've done this twice now and my bagels are just delicious! They're still soft and chewy the next day (I microwave mine for 30 seconds before I slather on the cream cheese!). The first time I made these, I followed the instructions exactly. The second time, I did a little bit of altering (some based on other reviewers). I do the dough in my bread machine on the dough cycle (laying from the bottom up: warm water, 1 T salt, 2 cups of bread flour, 3 T sugar, the rest of the flour, and then yeast on top). I used brown sugar and this yielded in a chewier and slightly richer "plain" bagel. Also, I boiled my bagels for 40 seconds per a side, brushed with egg whites, and baked them for 28 minutes on one side, and then flipped for 8 minutes on the other (so that my bottoms would be more brown the the tops). I haven yet to make any flavored bagels, but my husband is begging for a sun-dried tomato and I want to try a blueberry one. The dough is sooooo easy to work with!! Thanks so much for sharing Karen!!! I have given up on going out and buying bagels anymore when I can make them so much for so much cheaper (and they're easy!) at home.

[Red Maven]

Excellent recipe with great details! I would add, for those of us who have bulk yeast and not in the little packages, that the "2 packages yeast" equals .50 ounces of yeast, or 1/2 oz. :) Thanks!