Homemade Bagels!

Inspired by a friend, I decided I wanted to try my hand at making bagels. the recipe looked easy, just time consuming, as most yeast bread recipes are. I think they came out pretty good! I split the dough in half and added chopped up chocolate chips one. Chocolate chips bagels are hubby's favorite but besides buying fresh from the grocery store all the time, we have a hard time finding packaged chocolate chip bagels. I used my kitcheaid mixer to do the kneading for me.

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
1 tablespoon molasses 
 
 
Directions


In your mixer bowl, combine yeast, warm water, and sugar. Let sit for 10 minutes to allow the yeast to proof. Add all of the flour and the salt. Mix with your dough hook until dough is smooth.

Cover, let rest for 30 minutes.

Cut into 8 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 60 minutes.

Start a gallon of water boiling. Put 1 tablespoon of sugar and 1 tablespoon molasses in it, mix it around a bit. Reduce to simmering.

When the bagels are ready, put 2or 3 bagels into the water, and cook 7 minutes, turning once. Drain them. Place on a greased baking sheet sprinkled with corn startch, and bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 30 to 35 minutes. Remove from oven, eat hot or cold.

Broiling option: For a glossier surface, place raised bagels on an ungreased baking sheet prior to boiling them. Broil them five inches from heat for 1 to 1-1/2 minutes on each side. Then put them into the hot water to be boiled as above. Note: do not bake broiled bagels as long as non-broiled ones, 25 minutes should be long enough.
 
 
**I didn't do the broiling option this time around but will try it the next to to figure out which I like better. The rising times also make a lighter fluffier bagel, if you prefer yours more dense, let rise about half the time.