Bagels

This is a hybrid recipe I have cobbled together from several different recipes I've tried over the years. None of them were quite what I was looking for, but this one comes closest to what I like in a bagel.

• Ready In: 10 hrs 15 mins
• Serves: 6
• Yields: 6 bagels

Ingredients

• 3  cups flour
• 3  tablespoons cornmeal
• 1  teaspoon salt
• 2  teaspoons honey
• 2⁄3 cup water
• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons  yeast (1/2 packet)

Directions

1. Combine ingredients in a bowl or your bread machine and mix. If using a bread machine, use the Dough setting and let it run its course. If mixing by hand, knead the dough for 10 minutes until smooth and elastic, allow to rise in a greased bowl until doubled in size (roughly 1 hour).
2. After removing the dough from the bread machine, or letting it rise by hand, punch it down and knead it again for a few minutes to smooth it back out.
3. Form the dough into a ball and transfer to a buttered bowl. Cover with greased plastic wrap and put in the fridge for at least 8 hours (overnight is better).
4. After the second rise, preheat the oven to 450 degrees and set a large pot of water with 3 tbsp of sugar to boil.
5. Spread a thin layer of cornmeal in a baking sheet and have it standing by.
6. Also, set up a draining rig with a wire rack in another baking sheet (or at least over some towels or something).
7. Once the water boils, take the dough from the fridge and cut it into 6 equal-sized pieces. Form each piece into a ball, punch a hole through the middle and shape it into a smooth ring.
8. Drop the bagels into the boiling water a few at a time so as not to crowd (I do 4 or so at once). Let them boil for 2 minutes. A few seconds into the boil give the bagels a little nudge with a slotted spoon to make sure they aren't sticking to the bottom of the pot. You'll know they're ready to come out of the water when they bob to the surface and lie flat on the water (not hanging down at an angle).
9. Transfer the bagels to your draining rig and finish boiling the rest of your bagels.
10. Once they're done, arrange them on the cornmeal covered baking sheet and brush each with an egg wash (just a beaten egg).
11. When putting the bagels in the oven, throw 3 ice cubes in the bottom so that they'll create steam as they melt.
12. Bake at 450 for 12-15 minutes until golden brown and the bagels sound hollow when tapped.