Homemade Bagels

The best time spent is in the kitchen keeping the oven stoked up with the heavenly aromas of fresh baked bread. 

There is a few steps to making bagels, but it is really kind of hard to mess them up. The secret is always in the dough and I have a super recipe for it.

Makes 8 Bagels. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Ingredients

4 cups of unbleached bread flour

2 tbsp. raw local honey

1 1/2 tsp sea salt

2 tsp. active dry yeast

1 tbsp organic sunflower oil (sesame oil is great for sesame bagels)

1 1/2 cup warm water

1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon (omit if making plain bagels)

1 cup organic golden plump raisins (omit for plain bagels)

egg white to brush on for topping and your choice of seeds

Other variations: sesame, onion, garlic, herbs and so forth.

Directions

Mix all your dry ingredients together first with a wire whisk. 

For using the raisins, put them in a small bowl with the water. Place them in the microwave for a couple of minutes. This helps them become a little tender and creates a little raisin juice. 

Add the wet stuff to the dry ingredients. Mix until well combined with your dough hook. Turn the dough out on a floured surface and knead by hand for about 10 minutes until it's nice and smooth. 

Kneading is simply working the dough with your hands by rolling, folding and squeezing. It's a good little work out for you as well as the dough.

 Knead dough nice and smooth

Next knead it out into sort of a fat snake, long enough to cut 8 fairly even pieces. After you cut your pieces cover them with a cotton towel and let them rest for about 10 to 20 minutes.

 Cut into 8 pieces

After your cut pieces have rested it is time to make the bagel hole. The best way I've found to do this is to simply use your thumbs. Push them a little on one side in the middle and then the other. Then take your fingers and go around to kind of smooth the circle. Don't worry if it splits a bit. Just pinch it and smooth it. Have fun and enjoy because it will be beautiful and homemade. After you have the bagels shaped cover them with a towel and let them rest for 20 minutes.

 Shape the bagels

Now is the time to make sure the oven is preheated at 425 degrees. Put a good size pot of water on the stove and get it boiling. 

You will need a jelly roll pan or cookie sheet lightly oiled. I use the wrong side of a couple of wooden spoons for turning the bagels in the water. Chop Sticks are always cool, but I have no clue where mine are. You also need a slotted spoon for taking the bagels out of the boiling water. 

Once your organized go ahead and whip up a little egg white with a small bit of water. Go ahead and select the seeds you want to use for topping. I put them in a small cup next to my egg white and brush. 

Once the bagels have finished resting go ahead and brush them lightly with the egg white. This will give you that glossy glow as well as help the seeds to stick to the tops. Sprinkle the seeds and very lightly press them on for good contact.

Brush with egg white and sprinkle on seeds

Drop a couple of bagels into the boiling water for one minute and then turn them on the other side for one more minute. Remove with slotted spoon and let water drain off. Arrange the bagels on the oiled baking sheet. Bake them in the oven for 10 minutes and turn them over for another 10 minutes. Remove them from the pan and let cool on wire rack.

 Boil the bagels

Another version with Sesame seeds and Sesame oil

Have Fun in the Kitchen and Happy Gardening Too!!

Pammy