Homemade Bagels

Finally...... i have been wanting to try making bagels for so so long, but have not had the guts to try them. I mean.... HELLO... BAGELS??? who makes bagels? getting the crunchy outside and the airy soft inside, i thought it was beyond me. But we got together with some friends over the weekend and what did we do... we cooked! and let me tell you, these were AMAZING!! they turned out so perfect and they were so easy to make. If 2 tired nauseated sick pregnant girls  can do this... anyone can! got the recipe here (and i think ours looks better)

Ingredients: 

- 4 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

- 2 (.25 ounce) packages active dry yeast

- 1 1/2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)

- 3 tablespoons white sugar

- 1 tablespoon salt

- 1 tablespoon white sugar

  

In large bowl, combine 1-1/2 cups flour and yeast. Mix water, 3 tablespoons sugar and salt together, and add to the dry ingredients. Beat with a mixer for half a minute at a low speed, scraping the sides of the bowl clean. Beat at a higher speed for 3 minutes. Then, by hand, mix in enough flour to make a moderately stiff dough. 

Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic (8-10 minutes). Cover, let rest for 15 minutes. 

Cut into 12 portions, shape into smooth balls. Poke a hole in the center with your finger, and gently enlarge the hole while working the bagel into a uniform shape. Cover, let rise 20 minutes. 

Meanwhile, start a gallon of water boiling. Put 1 tablespoon of sugar in it, mix it around a bit. Reduce to simmering. 

When the bagels are ready, put 4 or 5 bagels into the water, and cook 7 minutes, turning once. Drain them. (I think if you are going to put a topping on them, cinnamon/sugar, cheese, etc. this is when you would do it) Place on a greased baking sheet, and bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 25 to 30 minutes or until brown. Remove from oven, eat hot or cold. We also found that it doesn't make a difference if the bagels sit for 7 minutes to go in the oven. We could only boil 5 at a time so we would do 2 boiling batches and then put them in the oven. They all turned out the same