Why bagels?  Well, truthfully…I started out making pretzels.  You know the ones, from “The Mall” dipped in mustard!  Oh…for you under the age of 30…“The Mall” is where people used to go to buy things…before the internet.  Well, anyway, I knew I had everything I needed, had already “fussed” with the original recipe a couple of times, liked what I came up with, and was ready to go. I had the ingredients on the counter. I went into the next room to get my phone so I could take pictures (I still have a Canon SLR in a closet upstairs gathering dust…DOH!) and I somehow smashed my hand into the door jamb and it began to swell! (My hand, not the door jamb.)

Three days later, lucky me, I am up to typing and handling the mouse on the computer…but knotting pretzels?  Not yet…and besides, behind the scenes deadlines are looming now (I am the editor) and I’m already three days behind and my hand is still hurting. So what to do?  I turned my pretzels into BAGELS!  Believe it or not, there is very little difference between the two recipes.  I needed to replace a few things…bagels call for malt syrup…LOL…oh sure, I have that in my pantry!  And the poaching liquid is different, but other than that, pretty much the same.  As far as the toppings, I prefer sesame seeds, poppy seeds, or “everything” bagel topping (available in most grocery stores).

Hopefully next month, we’ll revisit pretzels. Enjoy!

HOMEMADE BAGELS

 Ingredients:

 Bagel Dough:

• 1 Cup Warm Water
• 1 Tbl Light Brown Sugar
• 1 Tbl Olive Oil
• 1 ¾ Cups Bread Flour (or 2 Cups AP Flour)
• 2 ¼ Tsp Active Dry Yeast
• 1 Tsp Kosher Salt

For Boiling & Baking Bagels:

• 3 Quarts Water
• 2 Tbl Brown Sugar
• 1 Tsp Kosher Salt
• Cornmeal

For Bagel Toppings:

• 1 large Egg
• 1 Tbl Water
• Bagel Toppings (optional):
  • Everything Bagel Seasoning
  • Poppy Seeds
  • Sesame Seeds
  • Caraway Seeds
  • Coarse Sea Salt
  • Cinnamon Sugar
  • …Use your imagination!

Instructions:

1. Heat water, add sugar + oil: Heat 1 cup of water to 115-120 degrees Fahrenheit. Add the sugar and oil. Stir to dissolve and set aside
2. Combine dry ingredients: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, add the flour and sprinkle on the yeast. Whisk to combine and evenly distribute the yeast.
3. Add wet ingredients: With the mixer on LOW, slowly pour in the hot water mixture. Mix until just combined.
4. Add salt and knead: Sprinkle the salt over the dough. Knead on MEDIUM for 8-10 minutes, or until the dough feels barely tacky and bounces back when poked. If your dough is too sticky, sprinkle in a little bit of flour as necessary. If your dough is too dry, add a tablespoon of water. Continue to knead, adding more flour or water as necessary, until the dough bounces back.
5. Proof dough: Dump the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and form into a tight ball. Grease the insides of a large bowl with oil. Transfer the ball of dough to the oiled bowl and turn the dough to coat in oil. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside on the counter and allow the dough to proof for 90 minutes, or until at least doubled.
6. Shape bagels: Dump the dough out onto a clean work surface and divide it into 8 equal sized pieces. Working with one small piece of dough at a time, use cupped hands and light pressure to shape the dough it into a ball. Next, use your thumb to poke a hole in the center of the dough ball. Then, holding the dough ball with your thumbs in the hole, rotate the dough, gently stretching the hole to about 1 ½ inches wide. Set the bagel aside on a lightly oiled (sprayed) cookie sheet. Repeat shaping the remaining dough balls. Don’t worry if they’re perfect or not…the bagel police will not show up at your door. If they do, tell them you’re going for a “rustic” look…
7. Let proof: Spray the bagels lightly with non-stick cooking oil. Cover the bagels with plastic 20 minutes. You can continue straight to next step OR transfer the covered bagels to the refrigerator and store for up to 2 days. If so, remove the bagels from the refrigerator and let sit on the counter for 30 minutes, covered, before boiling.
8. Preheat oven and prepare baking sheet: Arrange oven rack to the center position. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a large baking sheet (or 2 smaller ones) with parchment paper and generously sprinkle corn meal evenly over the paper. Set aside.
9. Prepare poaching liquid: Meanwhile, bring 3 quarts of water to a boil. Add brown sugar and salt. Reduce the heat to maintain a low boil/rapid simmer.
10. Simmer bagels: Using a large, slotted spoon, skimmer, or slotted spatula, carefully lower a bagel into the simmering poaching liquid. Repeat, adding as many bagels as will fit in the pot comfortably. Let the bagels cook for 1 minute, flip over, and cook for an additional minute. Use the slotted spoon to lift bagel out of pot, being sure to thoroughly drain each bagel and blotting on a folded dish towel. Transfer the bagel, dome-side-up, to the cornmeal coated parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Repeat with the rest of the bagels.
11. Egg wash + toppings: In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and the water. Use a pastry brush to apply egg wash to the tops of all the bagels. Sprinkle desired toppings generously over the top.
12. Bake: Transfer bagels to the oven and bake, rotating pan halfway through baking, for 18-24 minutes total, or until golden brown and aromatic. The bagels will feel hard fresh out of the oven. They will soften as they cool.
13. Cool: Use a spatula to transfer bagels to a wire rack to cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing and serving.
14. Enjoy: Slice bagels open, toast if you like, and spread with your favorite cream cheese, butter, jam, etc… or just enjoy plain. They really don’t need anything. Enjoy!