Homemade Bagels

I had been wanting to try this recipe for homemade bagels for a while- So, I decided this cold morning was the perfect time to finally get to it!  I am a bagel lover and this recipe was easy, easy, easy and definitely hit the spot!! I think the yeast I used was a little dead, so my bagels weren't quite as big and puffy as most bagels- they were a bit denser and almost had the texture of a soft pretzel.  However, they were still delicious!  Next time I make them I'll make sure I use brand new instant yeast (my little yeast packet had been opened about a week ago and probably lost a lot of its spunk).  I decided to make 2 of my bagels with a cinnamon sugar topping, and left the other 6 plain.  I gotta say, they were both good but I LOVED the cinnamon sugar-- maybe I'm just in a sweet mood though :) You can top these with whatever you like- sesame seeds, onion, whatever!  Here's the recipe!

Homemade bagel recipe

Yields 8 bagels

4 cups bread flour

1 Tbls sugar

1 1/2 tsps salt

1 Tbls vegetable oil

2 tsps instant yeast

1-1/4- 1-1/2 cups of warm water.

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl. You don't have to worry about soaking the yeast when you use instant yeast (most yeast sold these days is instant yeast). The dough should feel stiff, but add the extra water if it's really stiff, or you can't get all the dry flour incorporated.

Plop the dough down onto the counter, and knead for about ten minutes, or until the dough is uniform and smooth.

Cut the dough into 8 equal sized balls, and let rest for 10-20 minutes.

Pre heat your oven to 425.

Now, take each of the dough balls and using two hands, roll it into a little snake on the counter. When the snake is longer than the width of your two hands, wrap it around your dominant roiling hand. Use your palm to squish/roll these two ends together. You should end up with a circle of dough-- but don't worry if its not perfect- none of mine were and it wasn't a big deal!

Let your bagels rest on the counter for about 20 minutes, and meanwhile, bring a pot of water to boil, and grease a large baking tray lightly.

After the 20 minute wait, your bagels will start to look puffy, and it's time to get them boiling! Add them as many at a time as you can to your boiling water without crowding them. Boil for about a minute, turn them over, and boil for another minute. Take them out a let dry for a minute and then place them on your oiled baking tray. Repeat until all the bagels are boiled.

Add the tray to the oven, and after 10 minutes, flip the bagels over, bake for another ten minutes; and they're done!

The bagels on the far left are cinnamon sugar- the others are plain.

Let them cool for a few minutes, get the cream cheese ready, and enjoy!

To add toppings to bagels, simply lay boiled bagels on a plate of desired toppings, then set on baking tray topping side up.

Source: HubPages